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HME NEWS / NOVEMBER 2011 / WWW.HMENEWS.COM Mobility BY ELIZABETH DEPREY, Associate Editor ARK SULLIVAN has seen firsthand in countries like Jordan and Colom- bia what happens to people who don't have access to complex rehab equipment. His new book, "Complex," features stories and photos from his international travels to promote the importance of complex rehab. Mark Sullivan The self-pub- lished title—a follow-up to "Denied," pub- lished in 2009— also looks at what happens when people do have access to complex rehab equipment. Sulli- van, global vice president for the power wheelchair and seating categories at Invacare, recently spoke with HME News about his reasons for publishing the book. HME NEWS: Why did you want to write this book? Mark Sullivan: There's a big initia- tive in the marketplace for a com- plex rehab separate benefit. We have such a hard time telling our story. It's a tough one to tell, visu- ally, and put it in a format that pay- ers can understand. I would say, if anything, the book really was AOTA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 early as November. "It will be used to educate leg- islators about complex rehab technology and its importance to secure better funding," said Kit- telson-Aldred, owner of Missoula, Mt.-based Access Therapy Services. "It also could be used to educate OTs and to educate families and patients." The other document is a "knowl- edge and skills document" focused solely on complex seating and wheeled mobility. The documents are the latest step in a yearlong effort by The Cli- nician Task Force to garner more support for CRT from professional associations like AOTA, Kittelson- Aldred said. Having the weight and influence of AOTA behind CRT would be a boost to stakeholder efforts for a separate benefit, she said. AOTA has published several "knowledge and skills documents" for different areas of the OT profes- sion that require specialized knowl- edge and expertise. CRT, however, is currently part of an existing document. Creating a separate document for CRT further establishes it as its own specialty. The AOTA in April passed two motions that call for the develop- ment of the documents. HME © 2011, J M SMITH CORPORATION. QS/1 and SystemOne are registered trademarks of the J M Smith Corporation. Keeping your Days Sales Outstanding down requires reliable HME business management software that tracks everything from order entry through final payment. QS/1® 's SystemOne® for HME provides effective, reliable business management from financials and inventory to Medicare compliance. QS/1's end-to-end technology and services work together to help your business thrive. Every day. 1.800.231.7776 www.qs1.com directed at people who pay the bills, to get them to understand just how involved this process is. HME: Why is it so difficult for the complex rehab industry to prove outcomes? Sullivan: If you really did a true outcomes study, you'd have to put 10 (patients) in a control group and not give them any product. Who would do that? But as I trav- eled in these developing nations, they don't have (the equipment), so essentially, in the book, that becomes the control group. HME: How does "Complex" com- pare with your first book? Sullivan: The first book was very much a general overview of what complex rehab was. With this book, what I wanted to do was take a much deeper dive.The heart of the book is the case study with Mathew. What we really wanted to show: It's not just about plopping someone in a chair and making them feel comfortable or look good. It's all about making (Mathew's left hand) functional. HME: What do you hope readers will 31 Book: 'It's not just about plopping someone in a chair' M While you're keeping their confidence up, we're helping keep DSOs down. take away after reading this book? Sullivan: These are good people; every one of these consumers has something to offer. They need the technology. So I wrote a factual book on what these people are capable of, given the right equip- ment, and how much effort and skill it takes to put them in the right equipment. HME