Congressional Briefing and Hill Visits: June 27, 2017
The Independence Through Enhancement of Medicare and Medicaid (ITEM), the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation (CPR), and the Habilitation Benefits Coalition (HAB) held a Congressional Briefing on The Value of Rehabilitation and Habilitation Services and Devices in America’s Healthcare System.
What: Congressional Briefing on the Value of Rehabilitation and Habilitation
When: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room SD-106
Speakers
- Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
- Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
- Eric LeGrand, Former Rutgers football star with spinal cord injury
- Roseann Sdoia, Boston Marathon bombing survivor
- Lisa Smith, mother of child with developmental disability who uses habilitation therapy
- Gregory J. O’Shanick, MD, President and Medical Director, Center for Neurorehabilitation Services
Briefing Contents
- The impact of rehabilitation and habilitation services and therapies
- The impact of prosthetics, orthotics, durable medical equipment, and other assistive devices
- Rehabilitation’s impact on injured military personnel and veterans
- Personal testimonials of injury, habilitation, rehabilitation, and recovery
Demonstrations of Assistive Devices and Technologies
- Informal demonstrations of cutting-edge assistive devices and technologies, including:
- Otto Bock’s BeBionic prosthetic arm;
- Ossur’s POWER Knee;
- Complex rehab technology (CRT) wheelchairs;
- The EksoGT™ wearable exoskeleton to assist those with spinal cord injury and stroke;
- A cochlear implant to address hearing loss; and
- A speech generation device (SGD).
To see the press release, click here.
To see ITEM’s one pager, click here.
For more information, contact LegislativeDesk@powerslaw.com.
Sponsoring Organizations
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
American Association on Health and Disability
American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association
American Music Therapy Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
American Therapeutic Recreation Association
Amputee Coalition
The Arc of the United States
ACCSES
Brain Injury Association of America
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics
National Coalition for Assistive and Rehab Technology
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
United Spinal Association
Endorsing Organizations
Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals
American Academy of Neurology
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Cochlear Implant Alliance
American Foundation for the Blind
American Heart Association / American Stroke Association
American Network of Community Options and Resources
American Spinal Injury Association
Assistive Technology Industry Association
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
Association of Academic Physiatrists
Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Autism Speaks
Caregiver Action Network
Center for Medicare Advocacy
Clinician Task Force
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Easterseals
Falling Forward Foundation
Family Voices
Hearing Loss Association of America
The Institute for Matching Person & Technology
Lakeshore Foundation
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
The Myositis Association
National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics
National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
National Association for Rural Mental Health
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Council on Independent Living
National Disability Rights Network
National Rehabilitation Association
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
The Simon Foundation for Continence
Spina Bifida Association
TASH
Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation
Unite 2 Fight Paralysis
United Cerebral Palsy
The ITEM Coalition is devoted to raising awareness and building support for policies that will enhance access to assistive devices, technologies, and related services for people with disabilities and chronic conditions. The coalition is consumer-led and includes a diverse set of disability organizations, aging organizations, other consumer groups, voluntary health associations, and non-profit provider associations.
Our Recent Work
The ITEM Coalition is an advocacy group who often contacts key policy makers to ensure access to assistive devices, technologies, and related services for people with disabilities and chronic conditions. The coalition’s three most recent advocacy initiatives and the 2017 policy priorities are provided below.
Most Recent Advocacy Efforts
May 25th
- Letter to Congress: Request to Sign-On to Congressional Letter to CMS on Patient Access to Durable Medical Equipment and Related Services, 26 Members signed on.
May 24th
- Letter to Congress: Support for Medicare Beneficiary Access to Speech Generating Devices and Eye Tracking Accessories, 30 Members signed on.
May 18th
- Letter to Congress: Request to Cosponsor S. 794, the Local Coverage and Determination Clarification Act, 33 Members signed on.
Policy Priorities
