As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs

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  "title": "As private equity dominates wheelchair market, users wait months for repairs",
  "type": "story",
  "url": "https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/01/wheelchair-repair-delay-numotion-national-seating-mobility/"
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{
  "author": "Rose Broderick",
  "date": "2024-09-27T22:32:24.000Z",
  "description": "Over the last decade, private equity firms acquired scores of wheelchair makers. Now, users routinely wait months to get their chairs repaired.",
  "image": "https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0474-1024x576.jpeg",
  "logo": "https://logo.clearbit.com/statnews.com",
  "publisher": "STAT",
  "title": "After private equity firms gobbled up wheelchair makers, users pay the price in long repair times",
  "url": "https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/01/wheelchair-repair-delay-numotion-national-seating-mobility/"
}

{
  "url": "https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/01/wheelchair-repair-delay-numotion-national-seating-mobility/",
  "title": "After private equity firms gobbled up wheelchair makers, users pay the price in long repair times",
  "description": "When Maureen Amirault purchased her first electric wheelchair in 2020, she had been living with muscular dystrophy for decades. Braces and a cane helped, but walking became too arduous, so she got a chair...",
  "links": [
    "https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/01/wheelchair-repair-delay-numotion-national-seating-mobility/",
    "https://www.statnews.com/?p=1150836"
  ],
  "image": "https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_0474-1024x576.jpeg",
  "content": "<article>\n\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><span>\n\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/stat-plus/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/themes/stat/images/stat-plus-logo.svg\" alt=\"STAT+\" />\n\t\t\t\t</a>\n\t\t\t</span></p>\t</div>\n<section>\n\t<p><span><span>W</span></span>hen Maureen Amirault purchased her first electric wheelchair in 2020, she had been living with muscular dystrophy for decades. Braces and a cane helped, but walking became too arduous, so she got a chair through a company called Numotion.</p>\n<p>The first few months were great. The headrest fell off, but Numotion fixed it in a matter of days.</p>\n<p>“That was my expectation moving forward,” said the lifelong Connecticut resident. “But for the past three years, I’ve never been without a repair issue, and I’ve usually had multiple repair issues.”</p>\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<p>STAT+ Exclusive Story</p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Already have an account? <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/login/\">Log in</a></p> \n\t\t\t</div>\n\t\t\t<p><img src=\"https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/stat_plus_hero_new-2048x502.png\" alt=\"STAT+\" /></p><div>\n\t\t\t\t<p><span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/stat-plus/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/themes/stat/images/stat-plus-logo-white.svg\" alt=\"STAT+\" />\n\t\t\t\t\t</a>\n\t\t\t\t</span></p><h2 id=\"restricted-story-heading\">This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers</h2>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 id=\"restricted-story-description\">Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.</h3>\n\t\t\t\t<p>Already have an account? <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/login/\">Log in</a></p>\n\t\t\t\t<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/stat-plus/\">View All Plans</a>\n\t\t\t</p></div>\n\t\t</div>\n\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTo read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.\t\t\t\t\t</p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/stat-plus/\">Subscribe</a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</p></div>\n\t\t</section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t<h2>About the Author\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https://www.parsintl.com/publications/stat/\" target=\"_blank\">Reprints</a>\n\t\t</span>\n\t\t\t\t\t</h2>\n\t\t\t<div><p><img src=\"https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round-80x80.png\" alt=\"Rose Broderick\" srcset=\"https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round-80x80.png 80w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round-328x328.png 328w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round-500x500.png 500w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round-576x576.png 576w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round-160x160.png 160w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Rose-Broderick-avatar-round.png 600w\" /></p><div>\t\t<h3>\n\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/staff/rose-broderick/\">Rose Broderick</a>\n\t\t</h3>\n\t\t\t<p>Disability in Health Care Reporting Fellow</p>\n\t\t\t\t<p>O. Rose Broderick reports on the health policies and technologies that govern people with disabilities' lives. Before coming to STAT, she worked at WNYC’s Radiolab and Scientific American, and her story debunking a bogus theory about transgender kids was nominated for a 2024 GLAAD Media Award. You can reach Rose on Signal at rosebroderick.11.</p>\n\t\t</div></div>\t\t</div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>To submit a correction request, please visit our <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/contact/\">Contact Us page</a>.</p>\n\t\t\t\t\t</article>",
  "author": "@rosebroderick_",
  "favicon": "https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-STAT-Favicon-Round-192x192.png",
  "source": "statnews.com",
  "published": "2024-09-27T22:32:24+00:00",
  "ttr": 45,
  "type": "article"
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