Consumer Obtained Durable Medical Equipment To Increase Independence

RCIL assisted a consumer in obtaining a ramp, power chair, commode, transfer bench, manual wheelchair, grab bars, a bed pan, and hoyer lift.  The consumer is a recent amputee due to an infection that he could not get treated due to lack of reliable Medicaid medical transportation.  The consumer also was recently placed on Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) services.  His ILS explained that there is $7,500 he can use in a lifetime for assistive technology via HCBS.  She also explained Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK), RCIL’s Durable Medical Equipment (DME) loan program, and the three funding sources that can possibly help if his Managed Care Organization (MCO) cannot. The ILS provided all DME she could out of the RCIL’s DME loan program while he worked on his goal.  The consumer started contacting his Care Coordinator and asking for said medical equipment.  In the process he received a new Care Coordinator and had to start advocating for his needs with a new person.  He did not give up and called weekly.  The consumer and his new Care Coordinator worked with his doctor for scripts, worked with National Seating and Mobility for power chair, and worked with a medical equipment vendor to obtain everything else.  When asked what he has learned from this experience he stated that he now knows the MCO and RCIL can help get equipment.  When asked about increased independence he stated that he can now move around more in his home on his own, and when he needs assistance it is much easier on his caregivers with the lift.  He also expressed being able to actually leave the home now without being carried.