Power Wheelchair

Power chairs provide mobility to a wide variety of patient groups. From individuals with temporary injuries to those with long-term and life-long disabilities, such as ALS, muscular dystrophy and MS, benefit from using power wheelchairs.

The industry is in the midst of upheaval because of funding cuts and legislative regulation. The major, recent hits to power mobility have come with the ongoing tribulation of competitive bidding, as well as the recently passed healthcare reform legislation: the elimination of the first-month purchase option; the manufacturer’s excise tax; the rebid of Round One of competitive bidding, and the expansion of Round Two competitive bidding program, which covers standard power mobility (complex rehab fortunately was carved out of the program).

Despite these changes in the business environment, the potential power chair client base is a demographic whose numbers are growing at an exceptional rate. Statistically, baby boomers, which constitute 27 percent of the U.S. population, are turning 62 at a rate of 365 people per hour. Their increasing numbers make the standard power mobility market a very viable segment industry