A month after my new wheelchair was delivered, Medstar finally got all the parts installed on my new wheelchair. Then I figured out all it's deficiencies. My letter to Medstar and St. Charles Hospital summarizes the problems below:
Marc E. Charest
256 Sebonac Road
Southampton, NY 11968
May 13, 2011
Mr. Gerry Dickerson Director of Rehab
Medstar Surgical and Breathing
15-40 128th Street
College Point, NY 11356
(and)
Ms. Laura Beck, Director of Outpatient Rehab
St. Charles Hospital
200 Belle Terre Road
Port Jefferson, NY 11777
Re: New wheelchair.
Dear Sir & Madame,
A month after the delivery of my wheelchair, the abductor supports were finally installed Tuesday May 10. I was very eager to at last use the wheelchair. Over the next two days it’s deficiencies have become obvious.
Cushion and seat height - The cushion provided to eliminate the original seat height problem is inadequate. It does not provide any alignment support, making it difficult to stay comfortably seated. The original cushion did a very good job of providing proper alignment. The cushion change merely replaced one problem with another.
Tie downs - The tie down points protruding from the sides of the seat are perhaps the biggest problem. After several transfers in and out of the chair, I had gotten bruises on the backs of my left calf and left thigh from the tie down points. Because of this one issue, I cannot use the chair, as the risk of injury Is too great. I have owned three chairs and rented many others. The tie downs on this chair are by far the worst design I’ve ever seen, and seem to be an afterthought. My Permobil has tie downs integrated into the frame like many other chairs.
Ground clearance - During my August 11, 2010 visit to the wheelchair clinic, I specifically asked Rudy Rogers from Pride Manufacturing if the new wheelchair was compatible with the “Easy-Lock” lockdown in my van. Rudy stated it was. After trying to get the new chair in my van yesterday, Rudy was obviously wrong. The chair has insufficient ground clearance to get over the lockdown device. A quick check of the owner’s manual confirms this. Why didn’t Rudy check this before answering? If I can’t get it in my van, how can this chair be transported? I don’t have the $1200 to $1500 it would cost to remove the easy-lock and replace it with a strap-type tie down system.
The lack of ground clearance means I cannot use the chair in my yard, something I do daily. It will also mean difficulty on uneven sidewalks or going down to the beach near my home. I understand that chairs aren’t to be used on uneven surfaces, but with a ground clearance under one and a half inches, this chair will get stuck on the sidewalks in Southampton Village, something I’ve done in wheelchairs for twelve years now.
Arm rests - The arm rests on the chair are best described as flimsy. The first Jazzy power chair I had in 1999 had better arm rests than this chair has. The arm rests are too narrow, too hard and the vertical support bar requires two hands to align. Despite this vertical support the arm rests have more than an inch of “wobble”, providing poor transfer support. The broken arm rest on my six-year-old Permobil is more stable than those on the new chair.
Unnecessary options - In addition to not having the options I DO need, and failing to consider seat height, transfer safety and ground clearance, the wheelchair was provided with unnecessary options. The companion controller, lumbar bolsters and trunk support bars were not discussed at the wheelchair clinic, were never discussed with me nor do I need them. I believe they were included only to “pad the bill”.
As a patient, I went to the wheelchair clinic expecting to be provided with an appropriate wheelchair that fits my needs. To my disappointment, the wheelchair clinic merely provided a patient so Medstar can make a sale. The wheelchair Medstar provided is dangerous to my well-being, can’t be used in my own backyard and can’t be transported in my van.
Considering the above, this wheelchair must be replaced. It cannot be modified to fit my needs. The replacement chair will need to take into account all of the above considerations. I strongly recommend the replacement chair be a Permobil. This time I also recommend that you provide me with the specifications of the wheelchair before it is provided to me. I will not accept any chair I have not approved beforehand.
It has been eleven months since this ordeal began. In light of the past problems I have had getting anyone involved to act, I contacted Medicare today for guidance. Janet Cunningham at Medicare stated Medstar must accept the return of equipment that does not meet my needs. Your delays and mistakes will cost me again - my old chair needs another $300 in repairs to fix a broken arm rest.
I am still waiting for my medical records from both Medstar Surgical and St. Charles, as requested in my letter of February 25, 2011.
Sincerely,
Marc Charest
I have another appointment with the wheelchair clinic on May 31, 2011. That is just two weeks short of ONE YEAR since this ordeal began. According to the wheelchair clinic, if I return this useless new wheelchair to Medstar, they (Medstar) will not provide another one and I will have to go to another vendor. That will cost me another six to eight months of delays! My old wheelchair won't last that long. All I want is a wheelchair I can safely use in and around my home and transport in my lift-equipped van. The new wheelchair Medstar provided can't do any of these things, but they don't want to replace it. Medstar has me up against the wall and they know it.
