The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has asked Family Voices of California to collect information about families' experiences with durable medical equipment (DME) to help inform The California Children's Services (CCS) Redesign Team. DME includes but is not limited to: wheelchairs, walkers, bed products, lifts, monitors, etc. Specifically, the Redesign Team is hoping to better understand the concerns and problems CCS families have with accessing DME, and suggestions for possible solutions. Your feedback is critically important and much appreciated.

PLEASE NOTE: All responses submitted by February 17 will be sent to the DHCS, but we welcome and encourage responses past this date as they will be used in future advocacy efforts. Responses may be examined and disseminated for use by other organizations researching DME.

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* 1. Please list any concerns or problems you've had with DME.

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* 2. If possible, please provide specific, real-life examples of when access to DME has been an issue.

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* 3. Has your child ever had to remain in the hospital because he/she was waiting for a specific piece of DME? Please describe.

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* 4. Outside of a hospital setting, have you ever had to wait an extended period of time for DME? How long? Please describe.

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* 5. How have delays in getting DME impacted your child?

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* 6. As a parent/caregiver, how does time spent dealing with DME delays impact the care of your child?

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* 7. Have you ever paid for DME out of pocket when you felt it should have been covered by another party? Please describe.

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* 8. In the case of your family (or families you know), are delays in getting DME ever related to the time it takes for decision to be made by others about who is responsible for paying for the equipment? Please describe.

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* 9. Please outline possible solutions to the DME problems you've encountered.

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* 10. Please feel free to add anything else you feel the DHCS should be aware about concerning DME.

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* 11. Please enter your name, email, phone number, and city below if you're willing to be contacted for a follow-up. 

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