Data-Driven Justification of Wheelchair Equipment and Treatment Decisions
The SmartWheel is a clinical tool that assists clinicians with:
• Justification for Insurance Reimbursment: SmartWheel data justifes the necessity of ultra-light wheelchairs, a power-assists, or a power wheelchairs.
• Wheelchair Selection: The SmartWheel quantifies differences between wheelchairs (and their set-ups) in terms of the force needed to propel the wheelchair.
• Propulsion Training:
SmartWheel graphics and data enable optimization of how your client pushes (less force and less frequent pushes).
• Reimbursement for Your Skills: The SmartWheel provides objective data to support billing codes.
How does the SmartWheel work?
Through analysis of each push on the handrim, the SmartWheel measures all the characteristics of wheelchair propulsion. Measures include:
• Amount of force exerted with each push
• Length and smoothness of each push
• Push frequency (e.g., pushes per second on the handrim)
• Velocity
• Many other clinically relevant measures
The SmartWheel then puts the data into easy-to-use automated summary reports.
Automated Summary Reports Allow Clinicians To:
• Review patient performance and outcomes
• Compare outcomes with a national database
• Compare with patient’s past performance
Ease of Use
• The SmartWheel mounts quickly and easily to most standard wheelchairs.
• Wi-Fi high-speed wireless link and on-board memory allow for data collection in the clinic or lab, hallways, or outside.
Why the SmartWheel? For Your Patients: • 3/4 of all manual wheelchair users experience upper limb pain or injury
• Most common are shoulder, wrist, and hand injuries including Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Justification of the proper wheelchair, optimal set-up, and proplusion training all serve to reduce this incidence of pain and injury
• The SmartWheel facilitates each of these tasks and supports a standard of care that improves quality of life for manual wheelchair users
Why the SmartWheel? For Your Clinic:
• The SmartWheel quantifies and documents what clinicians do everyday: wheelchair prescription, justification, and training.
• SmartWheel use fits directly into evaluation, wheelchair management & training CPT Codes
• The SmartWheel brings in revenue & referrals
Documentation of Clinical Use
Research published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2008; Vol. 89, pp. 260-268.) presents:
• A protocol for SmartWheel use in the clinic • Average values for wheelchair propulsion force, velocity, and push frequency that may be used as baseline comparisons • A decision tree that assists the clinical decision making process for manual, power assist, and power wheelchairs
