Welcome to NRRTS!

NRRTS is a professional association supporting individuals who provide Complex Rehab wheelchairs and seated positioning systems for people of all ages and diagnoses who have postural or mobility deficits. These professionals offer quality care and service using specialized knowledge, training, experience and skills to match the consumers' needs to appropriate equipment.

The definition of Complex Rehab Technology requires understanding of five distinct but interrelated factors: The Product; The Person; The Process;The Professional; and The Credential.

Complex Rehab Technology Defined

 The Products

Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) products and associated services 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 purposes of this document, CRT refers to individually configured manual wheelchair systems, power wheelchair systems, adaptive seating systems, alternative positioning systems and other mobility devices.

 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; or
• Anterior horn cell diseases; or
• Traumatic Brain Injury; or
• Post‐Polio Syndrome; or
• Cerebral Palsy; or
• Cerebellar degeneration; or
• Muscular Dystrophy; or
• Dystonia; or
• Spina Bifida; or
• Huntington’s disease; or
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta; or
• Spinocerebellar disease; or
• Arthrogryposis; or
• Certain types of amputation; or
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; or
• Paralysis or paresis; or
• Multiple Sclerosis; or
• Demyelinating diseases; or
• Myelopathy; or
• Myopathy; or
• Progressive Muscular Atrophy; or
• 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.

 The provision of CRT 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 documentation.
• The technology‐related component of providing CRT includes, as appropriate: accessibility survey of the home environment; transportation assessment; technology assessment; equipment demonstration/trial/simulation; product feature matching to identified medical, physical, and functional needs; system configuration; fitting; adjustments; programming; and product related training and follow‐up.

 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. These needs are then matched to products and configured into custom designed systems by the

Rehab Technology Professional with input from the 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.

 The Credentials

CRT products must be provided by individuals who are certified, registered or otherwise credentialed by recognized organizations in the field of CRT and who are employed by a business specifically accredited by a CMS deemed accreditation organization to provide CRT.

NRRTS Registrants are dedicated to the field of assistive technology and service delivery. A NRRTS professional possesses the experience and knowledge to work with the clinician and client to determine the most appropriate enabling technology for people with disabilities.

Become a NRRTS Registrant or Friend of NRRTS. Support NRRTS' mission to assure access to Complex Rehab Technology products and services to all Americans with significant mobility and functional deficits.

Though NRRTS is made up of individual Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) professionals, our mission is to work with all members of the Complex Rehab Technology community to assure access to CRT to all Americans who require these products and services. There are benefits for all stakeholders in this process to support NRRTS and its mission.

Your investment in NRRTS:

• Supports the only organization dedicated exclusively to raising the level of competency and professionalism in the rehabilitation technology supplier community
  • Developed a strong, realistic Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
  • Enforces these codes and standards with the most effective ethical complaint resolution process in the industry
• Supports the on-going partnership among NRRTS, NCART, AAHomecare and RESNA
  • Contributed $25,000 to the Complex Rehab Technology Separate Benefit Initiative
  • Participates on the initiative’s Steering Committee
  • Heads the initiative’s Standards Workgroup
    • Working to assure that future supplier standards recognize skill and experience as well as core knowledge in the development of credentialing for RTSs.
• Established a grassroots Complex Rehab Technology consumer advocacy network across the country
  • Raised over $150,000 to provide 80 scholarships to consumer advocates and their care providers to attend the annual CELA (Continuing Education and Legislative Advocacy) conferences and accompany clinicians and industry professionals to meet with Members of Congress
  • Added over $20,000 from the NRRTS treasury to augment the industry’s contributions to CELA 2010.
• Publishes DIRECTIONS magazine, the de-facto journal of the Complex Rehab Technology profession.
  • The “face” of the Complex Rehab profession and industry to funding and referral sources.
• Provides the industry and profession with affordable, accessible and relevant on-line continuing education webinars (to meet RESNA and NRRTS CEU requirements).
  • These bi-monthly webinars are free to all NRRTS Registrants