December 11, 2015 CRT Stakeholders and Friends, Legislative Update- Congress continues to deal with the politics and negotiation as to what will be included in the year-end Omnibus bill to fund the government for next year. While they had hoped to have this completed by today, discussions are continuing and action will be taking place through this weekend and next week. We have had a great team of industry people, consumer groups, and clinicians working to push for passage of HR-3229/S-2196 as part of the Omnibus bill. As a result we have been included in high level discussions for possible attachment as one of what are referred to as "policy riders". The good news is right now we are being told it looks very good for a "year-end CRT fix" to be included. If not complete inclusion of HR-3229/S-2196, there may be a one year delay to allow more time for fuller analysis and the development of a permanent solution. While we are hearing good news, there is no guarantee of inclusion. We need to stay close to our Congressional supporters through next week emphasizing a CRT fix must be part of year-end legislation . We should know if we are in or out between now and Monday. You can continue to reach out to your Members using the tools at www.protectmymobility.com. Our message is simple: "Congress must stop these inappropriate cuts from being implemented on January 1. Either pass HR-3229/S-2196 or take other alternative action." American Medical Association Supports CRT- The American Medical Association (AMA) took steps to endorse passage of Complex Rehab Technology legislation during their November AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting by adopting a resolution brought forward by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a member of the ITEM Coalition and a longtime supporter of our Separate Benefit Category Bill. The resolution that was adopted was to "strongly encourage CMS to refrain from implementing policies on January 1, 2016 that would curtail access to complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) wheelchairs and accessories by applying competitively bid prices to those specialized devices; and in the event that CMS does not refrain from implementing policies limiting access to CRT wheelchairs, asked that our AMA encourage Congress to support legislation (e.g. HR-3229) that would provide a technical correction to federal law to clarify that CMS cannot apply Medicare competitive bidding pricing to CRT wheelchairs." This documented support of CRT access from physicians reinforces the message to Congress that they need to stop CMS from inappropriately applying Competitive Bid pricing to accessories used with Complex Rehab wheelchairs. We'll keep you updated on the progress in Congress next week. Thanks for your continued support. Don Donald E. Clayback Executive Director | NCART Office 716-839-9728 | Cell 716-913-4754 dclayback@ncart.us | www.ncart.us