A little bit about Littlefield’s Equipment Clinic…
Littlefield is running a monthly equipment clinic where several of our physical therapists work with local vendors and families to determine the best durable medical equipment available for their needs. Patients can schedule for the clinic if they want to trial the best durable medical equipment on the market. Our physical therapists work with the equipment vendors to fit our patients’ for standers, wheelchairs, adaptive strollers, gait trainers, bath chairs, etc. These vendors work with durable medical equipment only, so patients seeking orthotics can discuss them with their therapist during their session.
Once you have attended equipment clinic your therapist and our administrative staff will inform you of any changes or updates along the way. To give you a better understanding of when to expect that you will get the equipment you requested here is some information regarding time frames.
Durable Medical Equipment Time Frames:
Welcome to the world of Durable Medical Equipment. Obtaining equipment can be a challenging process for families as there are so many steps to complete by so many different people. The average length of time to obtain equipment is 3-6 months. Therapists rely heavily on parents to stay on top of it all and expedite the process. Therapists complete a letter of medical necessity and send it to our amazing medical records staff member Janice who is excellent with getting things to the right person. The letter will go to your doctor’s office and once a prescription for the changed items has been signed then it will go to your equipment vendor. If you would like to assist with expediting the process then feel free to contact your doctor for a prescription. Your therapist will tell you what the prescription needs to say. Once you obtain the prescription, send to your vendor. Once the vendor has the prescription, letter from your therapist and quote from your equipment expert than they is able to submit to your insurance for ordering. At that time, follow up with your insurance every 1-2 weeks until they have approved the item. Once approved follow up with the vendor regarding ordering and then the process should go fairly smoothly.
Time frames for equipment are typically as follows:
Parent/therapist discuss needs 1-2 weeks
Demo is set up with vendor 2-3 weeks
Equipment is selected. Vendor writes quote/PT writes letter of justification 1-2 weeks
Prescription is obtained from MD 1-2 weeks
Full packet sent to insurance (letter, quote, prescription) 1-2 weeks
Insurance approves equipment 2-4 weeks
Equipment is ordered 1-2 weeks
Equipment is shipped to vendor 2-4 weeks
Equipment is delivered to patient at PT office and adjusted by vendor for patient 1-3 weeks.
Any of these steps may be shorter or longer depending on parent follow up as well as availability of staff involved to complete their portion in a timely manner. Insurance denials will lengthen the process typically by 2-3 months. Please let your therapist know if you have any questions along the way.
There are certain circumstances where you may find that you aren’t a good candidate for a certain type of equipment or that your insurance company may not approve the specific piece of equipment that you need. In this case we would like to provide some additional resources on companies/associations that offer assistance and the possibility of obtaining used equipment for your child.
Website Resources:
- Cecily’s Closet: A non-profit organization in San Diego, CA that works to recycle the use of durable medical equipment for children with special needs. http://www.cecilyscloset.org/
- Physical Therapy for All: A non-profit public charity dedicated to provide equipment and therapy services to children in need.http://www.ptforall.org/home.html
- Ability Tools: Provides Californians with disabilities the resources to obtain/donate all different forms of assistive technology and equipment.http://abilitytools.org/
- Pass It On Center: Provides resources based on location regarding companies and associations that offer reuse programs for assistive technology for children and adults with special needs. http://www.passitoncenter.org/
- Goodwill Industries- Assistive Technology Exchange Center: Offers equipment loans, reuse and support to families and children who are learning how to use assistive technology. http://www.ocgoodwill.org/changing-lives/assistive-technology-exchange-center