Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) products include medically necessary, individually configured devices that require evaluation, configuration, fitting, adjustment or programming. These products and services are designed to meet the specific and unique medical, physical, and functional needs of an individual with a primary diagnosis resulting from a congenital disorder, progressive or degenerative neuromuscular disease, or from certain types of injury or trauma. For this document, CRT refers to individually configured manual wheelchair systems, power wheelchair systems, seating and positioning systems, and other adaptive equipment such as standing devices and gait trainers.
The Person
These products and services are designed to meet the specific and unique medical and functional needs of an individual with a primary diagnosis resulting from a congenital disorder, progressive or degenerative neuromuscular disease, or from certain types of injury or trauma. The primary diagnoses that can require CRT include:
Spinal Cord Injury
Anterior horn cell diseases
Traumatic Brain Injury
Post‐Polio Syndrome
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebellar degeneration
Muscular Dystrophy
Dystonia
Spina Bifida
Huntington’s disease
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Spinocerebellar disease
Arthrogryposis
Certain types of amputation
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Paralysis or paresis
Multiple Sclerosis
Demyelinating diseases
Myelopathy
Myopathy
Progressive Muscular Atrophy
Other disability or disease that is determined through individual consideration to require the use of such individually configured products and services
The Process
In establishing a person’s need for CRT products and services, consideration is always given to the person’s immediate and anticipated medical and functional needs. These needs include, but are not limited to, activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), functional mobility, positioning, pressure redistribution, and communication. CRT is used to address these needs and enable the individual to accomplish these tasks safely, timely, and as independently as possible in all environments the individual is expected to encounter.
CRT is designed to address people’s medical needs and maximize their function and independence. To accomplish this, the proper provision process consists of two interrelated components:
The clinical component of providing CRT includes the physical and functional evaluation, treatment plan, goal setting, preliminary device feature determination, trials/simulations, fittings, function related training, determination of outcomes and related follow‐up. The clinical team is responsible for the prescription and supporting medical necessity documentation.
The technology‐related component of providing CRT includes, as appropriate: evaluation of the home environment; transportation assessment; technology assessment; equipment demonstration/trial/simulation; product feature matching to identified medical, physical, and functional needs; system assembly and configuration; fitting; adjustments; programming; and product related training and follow‐up. Ongoing service and repair must also be considered.
The Professionals
The provision of CRT is done through an interdisciplinary team consisting of, at a minimum, a Physician, a Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist, and a Rehab Technology Professional (referred to as the CRT Team). The team collectively provides clinical services and technology‐related services. An individual’s medical and functional needs are identified by the clinical team in conjunction with the individual. These needs are then matched to products and configured into custom designed systems by the credentialed Rehab Technology Professional (RTP) with input from the individual and clinical team.
The clinical CRT services are provided by a licensed/ certified Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist.
The technology‐related CRT services are provided by a certified, registered or otherwise credentialed Rehab Technology Professional.
Information Courtesy of NCART.us