As an OT who does wheelchairs as a primary part of my practice, this whole scenario just makes me cringe! The DME company has set you up to be such the bad guy! No, it is not ethical! Also, who knows if the wheelchair the client has is the appropriate one for them to have?? Why is the DME company even having a therapist do an eval now? Rules didn't change until very recently. Unless they have not billed until recently, and are trying to cover themselves, there should not be a reason to have a therapist eval. (Of course I think every client getting a chair should have a therapist eval. I'm just saying it was not a requirement until recently. And still technically isn't in a lot of ways!)
I would stay a long way from this as a therapist. I would also seriously consider letting Medicare know about this situation. Mary Alice On Feb 5, 2007, at 10:37 AM, Jenny Daup wrote: > Here is an ethical question for all of you. > > -DME company dispenses a number of wheelchairs to clients with the > promise > that medicare or insurance will pay for them. > - DME company then requests that an outpatient clinic send a > therapist to > evaluate clients for the wheelchairs that they already have and > then file > paperwork for medical necessity. > > Here is the clincher...the patients have had their wheelchairs for an > extended length of time, anywhere from 6 months to 18 months! Many > of the > clients are openly hostile to the OT because they don't see a > reason that > she is there to do a "wheelchair evaluation". They are afraid she > is going > to take their wheelchair away. > > What do you think? Is it ethical to perform the eval "after the fact"? > > > > -- > Options? > www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com > > Archive? > www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] > > ********************************************************************** > **************** > Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science > for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. > www.otdegree.com/otn > ********************************************************************** > **************** -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************************
