I had a lovely woman come to see me in follow-up for her heart arrhythmia and was impressed by her wonderful upbeat attitude as she sat there in her wheelchair with oxygen tubing beneath her nose and being pushed by her male "companion." She paused her speech between breaths, but was determined to keep going and was thankful that we had corrected her rapid heart rhythms through the use of a pacemaker and catheter ablation procedure.
When asked about her mobility at home, she said she was pretty much restricted to a chair and slept there because it felt better to be sitting up. I asked her how she gets around in her apartment, and she said it was VERY difficult. I asked if she had ever thought about a medical scooter. She had never considered this. I suggested several websites she could read more and knew that there was a rule she had to have a physical therapist or pulmonologist or rheumatologist provide a "Letter of Medical Necessity," but a little research on my part disclosed this requirement was removed this year! (Sometimes I'm a little late to the party.) Now ANY prescribing physician can provide a prescription for a medical scooter provided the patient has been seen "face-to-face" by their provider within 30 days and there is a FUNCTIONAL need for such a device.
Just thought you might want to know in case you're late to the party, too!
--Wes
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