SB 0855 Summary

• Establishes the "Complex Needs Patient Act" to ensure Medicaid access to complex rehabilitation technology for individuals with significant physical impairments, including spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and other conditions.

• Defines complex rehabilitation technology as individually configured durable medical equipment including wheelchairs, adaptive seating, standing frames, and gait trainers that meet specific medical and functional needs.

• Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish policies and rules restricting complex rehabilitation technology provision to qualified suppliers who are Medicare-enrolled, accredited, employ certified professionals, and provide service and repair.

• Mandates that complex needs patients receiving manual wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, or seating components be evaluated by both a qualified health care professional and a qualified complex rehabilitation technology professional.

• Requires managed care Medicaid plans to adopt the act's regulations and include these protections in contracts with suppliers, and exempts complex rehabilitation technology billing codes from competitive bidding.