In parallel, as Mr. Straight’s device is now more than 10 years old, we are also encouraging him to replace it, now that Medicare coverage and other options are becoming available for reimbursement of personal exoskeletons for medically eligible individuals. Lifeward has committed to working to expand access to exoskeletons through reimbursement coverage, and after 5 years of effort, a new category was created by Medicare, which began paying for personal exoskeletons in April of this year.
The company has built an internal team to work with the user and their clinician every step of the way during the process of screening for eligibility and filing claims to Medicare. This is a major milestone for the paralyzed community and for the industry to supply and provide replacements of these products.