Policy brief: adaptive cycling equipment for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities as durable medical equipment

Mary E Gannotti; Margaret E O'Neil; Maria Fragala-Pinkham; George E Gorton 3rd; Daniel G Whitney

doi:10.3389/fresc.2023.1160948

Policy brief: adaptive cycling equipment for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities as durable medical equipment

Front Rehabil Sci. 2023 Jun 5:4:1160948. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2023.1160948. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mary E Gannotti¹, Margaret E O'Neil², Maria Fragala-Pinkham³, George E Gorton 3rd⁴, Daniel G Whitney⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, United States.
² Department of Physical Therapy & Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, United States.
³ Department of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
⁴ Department of Research, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Springfield, MA, United States.
⁵ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.

Abstract

- Durable medical equipment (DME) policies require that the equipment be medically necessary; however, adaptive cycling equipment (bicycles and tricycles) are usually not deemed medically necessary. - Individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) are at high risk for secondary conditions, both physical and mental, that can be mitigated by increasing physical activity. - Significant financial costs are associated with the management of secondary conditions. - Adaptive cycling can provide improved physical health of individuals with NDD potentially reducing costs of comorbidities. - Expanding DME policies to include adaptive cycling equipment for qualifying individuals with NDD can increase access to equipment. - Regulations to ensure eligibility, proper fitting, prescription, and training can optimize health and wellbeing. - Programs for recycling or repurposing of equipment are warranted to optimize resources.

Keywords: Down syndrome; adaptive cycling; adaptive tricycles; autism; cerebral palsy; neurodevelopmental disability; payment; policy.

Grants and funding

The authors received a small honorarium for the preparation of this policy brief from Community Products, LLC dba. Rifton Equipment and Rifton Equipment covered article publication costs. The authors declare that this study received funding from Rifton, Inc. The funder was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of the data, writing of the article, or the decision to submit it for publication.