I am in the process of getting my power wheel chair. I am dealing with University of Michigan Home care Services and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The University technicians came last september to make their evaluation. Now they sent me a list of equipment I will need on my wheel chair for $42,000.00. The letter states that if Blue Cross Blue shield does not aprove the cost I will be responsible for it. Some of the equipment I found cheaper online, if I will pay for it, I should be able to shop around too, can I? How do you get the proper wheel chair? I am not on Medicare nor Medicaid yet. Should I wait? I want to be able to get out of bed and go out sometime. We already had to fight BCBS of Mi just to get the bariatric low air loss cardiac bed. Now I have been in bed at home for more than 7 months. This temporary wheel chair I got is not comfortable at all and I can not stay in it more than 2 hours. I have made some physical progress since my evaluation and I may not need the "fiber optic drive system". Is there a way to coordinate all these intervenants?
Thank You! Jean-Luc for Johnnie.
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how to choose the right wheelchair?
- By westnilevictim
- Posted January 5, 2008 at 7:10 am · 5 replies
- In Assistive technology and equipment
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- By FuschiaFan
- Posted January 5, 2008 at 11:37 am
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Why have you been on bedrest for 7 months?
What chair are you looking at?
Have you sought a bid for the chair for any other vendors approved by your insurance?
What features are they recommending that you are questioning? For what chair? Have you checked out www.wheelchairjunkie.com for comments about this?
You will definitely NOT get a better chair from Medicare or Medicaiid, so you need to get the chair now, but you need to be upfront with the evaluator that you need to save money and that you need them to par down their prescription to what is needed for safety and ability to use the chair, but to get rid of the "nice to have" features that are not essential. Ask them to separate out those things that you can retrofit later if you should want them at your own expense (and don't buy these items from them).
- By westnilevictim
- Posted January 7, 2008 at 10:06 am
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Thank You! I have been in bed because I have quadriplegia from west nile virus encephalitis and I can not move much. When I get my family to transfer me to the temporary wheel chair the durable equipment company lend us, it is pretty uncomfortable.
I did not know I could ask for bids from different company. My insurance, Blue Cross, told us to choose a Durable Medical Equipment company before I got out of the hospital. Because I am on life support, ventilator and feeding tube, all the equipment comes from the same company. Only the nursing service is a different company and the visiting physician from an other company.
The list of equipment for the wheel chair is a page long: from
pride 60000xlbasegp4w/multi power opt ($9,386.00),
motion concept bariatric tilt/recline system ($11,995.00),
asl fiber optic drive system( 4,150.00),
2 mk battery group 22nf ($342.00)
2 ael adductor ($302.00)
etc..
The only part I found online was the Roho high profile cushion 20 x 23 ($509.00) and it was advertized for $279.00. All the Pride, Motion Concept and Stealth stuff, I could not find it exactly as is online to compare prices. If I will be responsible for the payment, I want to see it before I buy it. It is as much as a car. And what about service after and adjustments. I do not want to make a bad decision. I will contact my insurance provider liaison contact and see what they recomand.
I am anxious to get a good chair and be able to go out of my house.
Thank you for your help.
Jean-Luc for Johnnie.
- By FuschiaFan
- Posted January 7, 2008 at 1:39 pm
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Did you never have an inpatient rehabilitation program? They should have spec'd out the chair for you.
Does your insurance provide you with a catastrophic injury nurse case manager? If not, ask for one. You need help in dealing with them.
Unfortunately if you need bariatric equipment, that drives the costs up significantly. Can you use a sip and puff system or chin control? Not sure what a "fiber optic drive" is...can you explain?
- By westnilevictim
- Posted February 19, 2008 at 7:22 am
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Thank you! Sorry I was back in the hospital for a couple of weeks for an "ILEUS". They say I need to move more to get my bowels going.
So, I do not know anymore about all the technical equipment listed for the wheel chair. I do can move my head a little from right to left but no front and back. Maybee with the right support I could. But now, my liaison (coordinated case manager) at Blue Cross said I should get other evaluation and proposal from other wheel chair vendors. So I contacted Wright and Philipis and an other one; Home therapeutic modality. They will contact me this week (aparently) to get more information.
Meanwhile, yesterday I had to go to a pulmonary clinic (apointment made while I was in the hospital) to get evaluated and find out if I could improve on my breathing strength. Because I am on life support and do not have my wheelchair, I had to go in ambulance. The stretcher is very uncomfortable and I had to wait at the clinic for so long I got discouraged and told the paramedics I could not stand it and had to get back home to bed without seeing the pulmonologist. I have a couple more outpatients apointments coming in March and I am wondering if I should not try to go in the stupid temporary whellchair loaner i got. It might turn out to be more comfortable than the ambulance stretcher. But then I will have to find a wheelchair transport and pay for it myself.
This system is so backward; they want me to improve but I cannot get to a rehab center because the will not aprove a wheelchair because it is too expensive yet I can not shop around because they had me choose a DME company I did not know when I was in the hospital...I feel I am going nowhere.
And then, if I make it to my apointment, they have me waiting for ever and I get in so much pain I cannot stand it. It is ugly to watch a 55 years old 6'4" 350lbs man cry on a stretcher.
I think I will just stay in my bed from now on until I get a proper wheel chair.
- By paragolfer
- Posted December 16, 2008 at 6:45 am
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Hi there buddy i am sorry to hear that things are ot going as quick as they should and that the pain is something that is not easy to cope at times.I do hoever think that it is very important to not let the system get to you.As you have seemed to made a very important "step" in the right direction by getting onto this site and asking i think that you should use this motion and keep going in this direction.
I also think that if you could speak to as many providers as possible before you make the decision as it sounds like you need the perfect fitting chair otherwise you will have a hell of a problem with pressure sores and all that goes with sitting or lying to long.THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU NEED !!!
The other thing is that you have a look at a chair that gets you standing and lying position as this is more than important.Through the standing and changing positions you will achieve more for yourself than you can imagine.
I think you should also share your problem with your local community as there ARE ANGELS OUT THERE !!!
They can maybe get some donations to help you pay the extra costs. I know this is a hard step but learning to ASK for help is a very important part of the process that we need to get through.
We CANT do it all and hey if you dont ask they cant say ,HOW !!!Good LUCK
Paragolfer.www.paragolfer.eu
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