Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study scope
The observational study used aggregated traditional Medicare claims from 2015 through 2022 to compare rural and urban vendors. Researchers calculated annual vendor counts and per-vendor rates for wheelchair sales, rentals, repairs, and accessory sales. The record summarizes the available abstract, not the full paper, and does not support treatment recommendations.
Vendor participation and rentals
Traditional Medicare vendor counts fell from more than 1,292 in 2015—918 urban and 374 rural—to 986 in 2022, comprising 804 urban and 182 rural vendors. The source reports these counts for traditional Medicare; it does not identify them as a nationwide total. Rentals per vendor fell among urban vendors from 322 to 178, while rural rentals changed from 69 to 66.
Sales, repairs and policy relevance
Sales per vendor increased among urban vendors from 8.7 in 2015 to 16.7 in 2022, but remained low among rural vendors, rising from 0.6 to 1.4. Repairs per sale or rental increased for urban vendors, from 0.32 to 0.44, while declining for rural vendors, from 0.31 to 0.18. The authors say policies should consider rural wheelchair access and maintenance.
