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Article: Scooter Store slows down in Houston due to Medicare payment denials.
- Article from:
- San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio, TX)
- Article date:
- November 11, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 San Antonio Express-News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Nov. 11--The Scooter Store, a nationwide seller of motorized wheelchairs and scooters based in New Braunfels, is cutting back its business in Houston because of a government crackdown.
The company bills Medicare recipients who are eligible for the chairs for 20 percent of the cost and waits for Medicare to approve payment of the remaining 80 percent.
But at $5,500 or more for each power chair, Scooter Store officials said they no longer can afford to provide the equipment in advance of payment in Houston when Medicare is denying most of the claims in that market.
Company president Mike Pfister said Medicare approved only eight of the 500 claims ...