Link to the University of Pittsburgh Homepage
Link to the University Library System Homepage Link to the Contact Us Form

Distribution and cost of wheelchairs and scooters provided by Veterans Health Administration

Hubbard, SL and Fitzgerald, SG and Vogel, B and Reker, DM and Cooper, RA and Boninger, ML (2007) Distribution and cost of wheelchairs and scooters provided by Veterans Health Administration. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 44 (4). 581 - 592. ISSN 0748-7711

[img] Plain Text (licence)
Available under License : See the attached license file.

Download (1kB)

Abstract

During fiscal years 2000 and 2001, the Veterans Health Administration provided veterans with more than 131,000 wheelchairs and scooters at a cost of $109 million. This national study is the first to investigate Veterans Health Administration costs in providing wheelchairs and scooters and to compare regional prescription patterns. With a retrospective design, we used descriptive methods to analyze fiscal years 2000 and 2001 National Prosthetics Patient Database data (cleaned data set of 113,724 records). Wheelchairs were categorized by function, weight, and adjustability options for meeting individual needs (e.g., axle position, camber, position of wheels, tilt, and recline options). Results displayed a cost distribution that was negatively skewed by low-cost accessories coded as wheelchairs. Of the standard manual wheelchairs, 3.5% could be considered beyond the customary cost. Regionally, 71% to 86% of all wheelchairs provided were manual wheelchairs, 5% to 11% were power wheelchairs, and 5% to 20% were scooters. The considerable variation found in the types of wheelchairs and scooters provided across Veterans Integrated Service Networks may indicate a need for evidence-based prescription guidelines and clinician training in wheeled-mobility technologies.


Share

Citation/Export:
Social Networking:
Share |

Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Hubbard, SL
Fitzgerald, SG
Vogel, B
Reker, DM
Cooper, RARCOOPER@pitt.eduRCOOPER
Boninger, MLboninger@pitt.eduBONINGER
Centers: Other Centers, Institutes, Offices, or Units > Human Engineering Research Laboratories
Date: 27 August 2007
Date Type: Publication
Journal or Publication Title: Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
Volume: 44
Number: 4
Page Range: 581 - 592
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.1682/jrrd.2006.10.0136
Schools and Programs: School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Rehabilitation Science and Technology
Refereed: Yes
ISSN: 0748-7711
MeSH Headings: Aged; Cost Allocation--economics; Costs and Cost Analysis--economics; Disabled Persons--rehabilitation; Ethnic Groups; Female; Humans; Male; Retrospective Studies; Self-Help Devices--economics; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs--economics; Veterans; Wheelchairs--economics
PubMed ID: 18247255
Date Deposited: 18 Oct 2012 16:21
Last Modified: 05 Feb 2019 03:55
URI: http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15784

Metrics

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Altmetric.com


Actions (login required)

View Item View Item