Letters: June 2016


Like Any Other Mom
I am excited about the new trend in advertising using real people, especially people with disabilities [“Is Ad Land Really Changing?” April 2016]. I was lucky enough to be in an amazing Minute Maid spot with my daughter last year. It was re-edited for 2016 and was just released. In it I am just a mom like any other mom. You can see it here: www.minutemaid.com/blog/mom-doingood/
Ellen Stohl
Northridge, California

Tweaking Mount Rushmore
Loved Mike Ervin’s idea for more Mount Rushmores! [Ervin: “Mount Rushmore for Cripples,” April 2016]. I’d like to add another category: Wheelchair and Ventilator Mount Rushmore. I came across these very famous folks while communing with my late husband, Paul Kahn (a playwright, poet and general Renaissance man). They changed their names (slightly) as they acquired more equipment. For instance:

Henri de Too Loose La Trach, 19th century artist (they didn’t have Velcro in those days and his trach collar kept coming loose); Catheter Hepburn; Valve Kilmer; Saline Dion.
Ruth Kahn
Boston, Massachusetts

More Options
I noticed in the “Traveling Mobility Technology” piece by Mark Smith [Innovations, April 2016] that our GO-Anywhere Chairs were overlooked as an option. Traveling mobility is what we do and all we do! To see our portable shower and commode chairs, please visit goesanywhere.com.
Rick J. Goldstein, President and CEO
Go! Mobility Solutions, Tucson, Arizona

DME Overpriced
Any product classified as DME is way overpriced — wheelchairs are no exception [“Sticker Shock: Understanding DME Prices,” April 2016]. Providers know how to game the system, and they do that well. But I will say this, I have had good service overall during the past 22 years with my five power chairs. One chair was a lemon, but the manufacturer replaced it after 90 days without complaint.

NM should have posted a sidebar to this article telling us how much ad revenue they receive from wheelchair companies. This advertising cost, after all, comes out of their readers’ pockets when they buy chairs.
Dave Allen
via newmobility.com

Editor’s note: Dave, we did the math. Our top advertiser’s annual ad costs, when divided by the number of wheelchairs they sell annually, adds $5 to the cost of each chair. That comes to .0002 percent, or 1/5000th of the total cost of a wheelchair.

More than Price
I think there are some additional problems besides costs that also need to be addressed [“Sticker Shock”]. Funding guidelines estimate a five-year life span for power wheelchairs when in reality they are manufactured to be less durable, require more repairs and do not stand up to the use intended. Then when they need to be replaced before five years are up, or with a more durable model, it is denied. All around, end users are screwed.
Debra Stemmler
via newmobility.com

Waiting Over Eight Months
In the last 10 years I no longer get repairs when needed, despite doctors’ notes, prescriptions, etc. The DME companies have been uninterested, uncaring and their bottom line is the money. I’ve been waiting for a power chair for over eight months despite going through all the required hoops. DME companies are corporations. And you won’t necessarily get the chair that’s best for your needs because the DME company doesn’t tell you they don’t sell it.
Pam Balidoy
via newmobility.com

We Are Not the Enemy
Your article is right on track with the information you presented [“Sticker Shock”]. After reading the comments, I am sorry to say there is a lot of anger directed at the manufacturers and the dealers. I understand where some of this comes from, especially if the user had a bad experience. As you know, we [dealers and manufacturers] don’t make the rules, but we are required to follow them. I appreciate your comment [asking readers] to get out and lobby their legislators to make the rules more accommodating to their needs. As suppliers we do it, but it would be nice if we had the support of the consumer. We are not the enemy.
Dave Kruse, ATP
Portland, Oregon

It’s the Bean Counters
Between the government regulations and the necessity of manufacturers protecting themselves against prospective negligence lawsuits, the industry is weighted down with MBA bean counters [“Sticker Shock”]. I see the same problem while observing my wife’s career in the medical field. She and others on the front line are focused on patient care, but they must function in an atmosphere of management (meaning the latest trend or theory pontificated by business schools). That’s why my latest wheelchair cost more than a new car.
Gary Presley
via newmobility.com


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