Mark Schmitt is a guest contributor on the EasyStand Blog. He is a T12 paraplegic and Sales and Marketing Director at Altimate Medical Inc.
Our sales managers travel regularly working with our reps. They do in-services at facilities where it’s very common to have a room of therapists attending. It’s also common to have at least one physical therapist blurt out, “you cannot get standing funded”. To make such a general statement is not fair. There are many different sources of funding in any given area and yes the therapist may have been turned down by one or two. You, the person needing standing, CANNOT take “no” for an answer! Ask your funding source directly if they have approved standers in the past. Even if they have not, it may be worth the try, and appealing an equipment denial improves your chances even more. Medical coverage may seem black and white but it truly is more a shade of gray.
You may encounter a lot of rejection along the way but the final appeal is the only one that counts.
What funding pitfalls or opportunities have you encountered? Have you gone through the appeals process? What have you learned while going through the battles of getting equipment funded?
My mother knew about this “grey” area very well. I remember coming home from high school often to find her on the phone with her “healthcare provider” arguing over a denied claim and how it actually should be paid, or partly paid….etc. She was a gifted negotiator and probably got many things over the phone just so the healthcare company would get my mom off their backs.
I believe part of my negotiation skills were passed to me. At least I would like to think so. May God rest her soul.