93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB4228

 

Introduced 1/27/2004, by Angelo Saviano

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
225 ILCS 51/86 new

    Amends the Home Medical Equipment and Services Provider License Act. Provides guidelines for companies, organizations, and health care professionals concerning providing wheeled mobility systems. Effective immediately.


LRB093 19366 AMC 45104 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4228 LRB093 19366 AMC 45104 b

1     AN ACT concerning professional regulation.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Home Medical Equipment and Services Provider
5 License Act is amended by adding Section 86 as follows:
 
6     (225 ILCS 51/86 new)
7     Sec. 86. Wheeled mobility systems.
8     (a) For the purposes of this Section:
9     "Assistive technology supplier" means service providers
10 involved in the sale and service of commercially available
11 wheeled mobility systems.
12     "Assistive technology practitioner" means therapists or
13 other allied health professionals primarily involved in
14 evaluating the consumer's needs and training in use of a
15 prescribed wheeled mobility system.
16     "Consumer" means the ultimate recipient of a wheeled
17 mobility system.
18     "Full-time employment" means approximately a 40 hour work
19 week.
20     "Health care professional" means a physician licensed to
21 practice medicine in all its branches licensed under the
22 Medical Practice Act of 1987, physical therapist, occupational
23 therapist, or other allied health care professional that
24 performs physical evaluations within their scope of practice.
25     "Physical evaluation" means the determination and
26 documentation of the physiological, functional, and
27 environmental factors that impact the selection of an
28 appropriate seating and wheeled mobility system.
29     "Qualified rehabilitation professional" means: (A) an
30 individual who has appropriately obtained the designation of
31 assistive technology supplier, assistive technology
32 practitioner, rehabilitation engineering technologist after

 

 

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1 meeting all the requirements thereof as established by the
2 Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of
3 North America (RESNA) or (B) an individual who (i) can provide
4 documentation to prove completion of at least 15 contact hours
5 of continuing education (CEC) within the 12 months immediately
6 prior to July 1, 2005, and all other subsequent years
7 thereafter by June 30, in the field of seating and wheeled
8 mobility, which may include, but is not limited to, courses by
9 health care professionals, courses by health care
10 associations,courses by a college or university, courses by
11 manufacturers, in-service training by manufacturers, or
12 attendance at symposiums or conferences; (ii) can provide proof
13 of at least one year experience, at least 10 hours a week in a
14 forty hour work week in the field of rehabilitation technology;
15 and (iii) can provide 3 recommendations from health care
16 professionals who can attest to the skills of the provider in
17 seating and wheeled mobility.
18     "Rehabilitation engineering technologist" means a person
19 who applies engineering principles to the design,
20 modification, and customization of wheeled mobility systems.
21     "Technology assessment" means the process and
22 documentation of matching the pathology, history, and
23 prognosis of the patient to the appropriate wheeled mobility
24 system.
25     "Wheeled mobility system" means a power or manual mobility
26 system prescribed by a physician and required for use by the
27 patient for a period of 6 months or more that includes
28 (i)customized seated positioning components, (ii) powered
29 seating options, (iii)alternative driving controls,
30 (iv)non-standard performance options, or (v)other complex or
31 specialized components.
32     (b) On and after July 1, 2005, all companies or
33 organizations must employ at least one qualified
34 rehabilitation professional if that company or organization
35 provides any wheeled mobility system to a consumer who:
36         (1) is under age 21;

 

 

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1         (2) has a primary diagnosis that results from childhood
2     or adult onset injury or trauma;
3         (3) has a primary diagnosis that is progressive or
4     degenerative in nature and necessitates a specialized
5     mobility system;
6         (4) has a primary diagnosis that is neuromuscular in
7     nature and necessitates a specialized mobility system;
8         (5) requires adaptive seating or positioning
9     equipment; or
10         (6) has a diagnosis that indicates a need for other
11     assistive technology such as speech generating devices or
12     environmental controls.
13     (c) On and after July 1, 2005, in order for company or
14     organization to supply a wheeled mobility system, the recipient
15     must have undergone a physical evaluation by a health care
16     professional, who shall provide a written report of the
17     evaluation to be included in the consumer medical record and
18     maintained on file by the supplier.
19     (d) Health care professionals, except physicians licensed
20     to practice medicine in all its branches under the Medical
21     Practice Act of 1987, shall complete 5 contact hours (CEC) a
22     year in the area of rehabilitation seating and positioning.
23     (e) On and after July 1, 2005, all home care organizations
24     making available technology assessments on prescribed wheeled
25     mobility systems shall have on staff a qualified rehabilitation
26     professional.
27     (f) On and after July 1, 2005, qualified rehabilitation
28     professionals shall perform a complete, face-to-face
29     technology assessment, based upon the physical evaluation
30     required in subsection (c) and document, in writing,
31     recommendations for a wheeled mobility system as appropriate to
32     meet the consumer's needs.
33     (g) On and after July 1, 2008, a 180-day grace period shall
34     be provided to home care organizations that provide technology
35     assessments on prescribed wheeled mobility systems if the
36     qualified rehabilitation professional on staff ceases to be

 

 

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1     employed and the organization has no other qualified
2     rehabilitation professional on staff. During the grace period,
3     the standards regarding qualified rehabilitation professionals
4     contained in subsections (e) and (f) shall apply.
5     (h) On and after July 1, 2008, the qualified rehabilitation
6     professional shall be RESNA certified with the designation of
7     assistive technology supplier, assistive technology
8     practitioner, or rehabilitation engineer technologist or have
9     an assistive technology degree from an accredited college or
10     university or any other designation approved by the Board.
11     (i) Final fitting of a wheeled mobility device shall be
12     completed with a qualified rehabilitation professional or
13     health care professional present.
14     (j) On and after July 1, 2005, all home care organizations
15     making available prescribed wheeled mobility system shall have
16     a physical location with a working telephone and maintain
17     $1,000,000 in liability insurance coverage.
18     (k) On or after July 1, 2008, all companies providing
19     wheeled mobility systems must be accredited by a nationally
20     recognized accreditation body.
 
21     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22 becoming law.