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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH &. HUMAN SERVICES  Office of Inspetor General
Memorandum 
"'''''.10 
MAY 7 
Date

Richard P. Kusserow 
From

Inspector Genera

Subject'  OIG Management Advisory Report: "Pricing of Seat Lift

Devices 
" OEI-02-90-02090 
Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.

Administrator 
Heal th Care Financing Administration

This management advisory report provides the Health Care

Financing Administration (HCFA) with current availability and

pricing information on seat lift mechanisms. 
BACKGROUND 
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) February 1989 report,
"Medicare Coverage of Seat Lift Chairs" (OAI-02-88-00100),
concluded that: "There are strong indications that seat lift
chairs 
(SLC) do not qualify as durable medical equipment 
(DME)
under the Medicare program.  The OIG recommended that the HCFA 
reconsider whether SLCs, in fact, meet the Medicare

definition of DME.

The HCFA agreed with the recommendation and drafted a notice 
for the Federal Register to exclude coverage of SLCs. 
The HCFA 
planned to continue covering seat lift mechanisms that are 
independent of a complete chair. Concern was expressed wi thin 
the Office of the Secretary that options other than exclusion 
were not considered by HCFA, including continuing to cover the
seat lift portion of the SLC under existing guidelines. 
this context, it was noted that there was no available data to 
provide estimates of costs associated with the manufacture and 
sale of the seat lift portion of the SLe. Additionally, little 
was known about the pricing and availability of seat lifts. As 
a result, HCFA asked the OIG to obtain information concerning 
lifts. 
the availability and cost of seat  . -
Page 2 - Gail R. Wilensky, Ph.

FINDINGS 
Seat Lift Devices Are Marketed In Two Basic Forms

Independent or Free-Standinq Seat Lifts

At least four independent or free-standing seat lift devices 
States. 
are marketed in the united  They lairfet sne.i ther complete 
SLCs nor patient lifts similar to Hoyer  These devices
are free-
standing and/or portable and can be placed upon a
chair or bench inside and outside the home. 
They are the:
"Assisto-seat 
" "Easy-Riser " "Automatic Lifter Seat " and 
"Pneumatic Lifter Seat. 
air;
The "Pneumatic Lifter Seat" operates by using compressed 
pthrei coitnhegr  odefv ithceess aer ed espvriicnge so paerreat sedu.m Tmhe amraiizne fde abtuerleos wan.d 
ASS  AUTOMATIC  PNEUMTIC 
ISTO-SEAT  EAY-RISER 
LIFTER SEAT  LIFTER SEAT 
ser
eight 80 to 
150 to  150 to  112 to 
ettings  . 220 lbs.  300 lbs.  250 lbs.  300 lbs. 
ize: 
14 " x16 " x4"  16 in.  16 in.  16. 5 in. 
square square square
, W
eight  7 lbs.  4 . 5 lbs.  5 lbs.  3 . 5 in. 
etail
$148. 50 to  $129 to  $129.  $250. 
rice  99 to 
$159  $169  $149. 
arket
ing catalogue Not yet  Catalogue Catalogue
pproach  and  Direct  Direct 
Surgical  production  Purchase  Purchase 
Suppl iers  Page 3 - Gail R. Wilensky, 
Ph. D.

Seat Lift Chairs

There are several manufacturers of SLCs marketing them under

names such as "Cushion-Lift Chair, " "Action-Lift Chair " "Lift

o 'Matic  " and "Easy-Lift.  All of these chairs operate 
electrically, handle body weights up to 400 pounds
, and

function in one of two ways:

elevation of just the seati and

elevation of the entire chair. 
The SLCs which operate by the elevation of the entire chair

(chair lifts) are currently more heavily marketed than the

standard SLC. 
They are also more expensive. All of these 
models are reimbursed by the Medicare program when all coverage

requirements are met.

ay Only For Seat Lift Chairs

Medicare Carriers 

Medicare carriers are not aware of any current allowed charges

for any seat lift devices other than SLCs. Carriers cover 
electrically or hydraulically operated patient lift devices 
which are different than SLCs and are used primarily for 
immobilized or otherwise nonambulatory persons. 
Some carriers 
are currently reimbursing both types of SLC 
(seat lift/chair
lift. 
lift) without justification for the more expensive chair 
These SLCs are billed at rates of about $300 to $500 more than 
standard SLCs and inflate the prevailing rates for Code 620. 
Current reasonable charge rates for purchase and rental of SLCs 
follow. 
and related items  Code E0620 is for Seat Lift Chairs 
E0621 is for Slings or Seat Patient Lifts, E0625 is for Patient 
Lift-Kartops, E0630 is for Patient Lifts - Hydraulic
, and E0635
Electric: 
is for Patient Lifts -
PURCHASE  RENTAL 
CODE  HIGH  LOW  HIGH  LOW
E0620  $1, 487 *  $689.  $157.
$ 9.  $81. 87
E0621  91. 22  $ 56.  12**  $ 9. 00**
E0625  NONE  NONE  NONE  NONE
E0630  $ 982.  $737.  $ 89.  $71.35
E0635  685.  $692.  $157.  $75. 
All rates will be reduced 15% effective 04/01/90.
Only two of carriers in the sample paid a rental rate.  r 1 
Page 4 - Gail R. Wilensky, Ph. D. 
The Veterans Administration Does Not Usually Provide Seat Lift

Chairs 
Contracting officers for the Department of Veterans Affairs'

(VA) Federal Supply Schedules confirmed that SLCs of the type 
used by Medicare beneficiaries are not contracted for nor 
supplied to VA centers around the country. The VA generally 
provides veterans with a variety of patient lifts--usually 
hydraulically or electrically operated--when they have lost the 
limbs. It 
use of their lower  may be possible for a local VA 
center to provide a device such as a SLC on an individual
basis 
, if it is determined a medical necessity. 
CONCLUSIONS 
This management advisory report is being provided

for HCFA' s use in developing its regulations on SLCs and

seat lifts. We have no formal recommendations.

HCFA COMMENTS

During the exit conference on this report, HCFA staff asked for 
more information on the manufacturer of the "Pneumatic Lifter 
Seat. 
This information was provided informally. No other 
significant comments or suggestions were made. 
Please call me if you have any questions, or your staff may 
contact Barry Steeley at FTS 646-3138.