Definition of "Ambulatory"
Bryan King
Description
Collection
Title:
Definition of "Ambulatory"
Creator:
Bryan King
Date:
9/19/2019
Text:
List Members:
I am seeking guidance on where to find some clarity of how Medicare defines ambulatory. Independent standing transfers? Step quantity/quality? I have a polio patient who is now non-ambulatory but needs a custom tibial fracture orthosis for management of a traumatic tib/fib fracture. L4396, L4397, and L4398 are the only codes that specifically mention use for non-ambulatory patients. I can make a case for the need for customization due to the extreme leg atrophy and for the therapeutic qualities of the hydrostatics of a fracture brace. But, if coverage totally hinges on patient's ambulatory status, none of that other stuff matters. Thanks!Bryan King, CPO, LPO
I am seeking guidance on where to find some clarity of how Medicare defines ambulatory. Independent standing transfers? Step quantity/quality? I have a polio patient who is now non-ambulatory but needs a custom tibial fracture orthosis for management of a traumatic tib/fib fracture. L4396, L4397, and L4398 are the only codes that specifically mention use for non-ambulatory patients. I can make a case for the need for customization due to the extreme leg atrophy and for the therapeutic qualities of the hydrostatics of a fracture brace. But, if coverage totally hinges on patient's ambulatory status, none of that other stuff matters. Thanks!Bryan King, CPO, LPO
Citation
Bryan King, “Definition of "Ambulatory",” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/209728.
