Keep Cool and Dry with Ride®

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When it comes to the well-being of people who use wheelchairs, comfort and skin health are paramount.  Pressure injuries can be a significant concern.  Along with increased pressure on certain areas of the body, increased heat and moisture can result in a higher risk of tissue damage.

Ride Designs® products are designed with mechanisms that help manage heat and moisture. 

Breathable Materials and Innovative Design

Even under significant load, the spacer fabric outer cover of our Forward Cushion does not compress, allowing air to move between the sitter and the cushion. 

Our Java® Cushion  features a vented base design, contoured top foam, and a breathable spacer mesh fabric cover work together to help keep skin cool and dry.

The cushion contours and spacer mesh fabric cover of our Custom 2 Cushion promotes airflow to help keep the sitter dry and comfortable in virtually any climate. In addition, an optional Ventilation Channel, specifically located for each shape, can be placed at the position of best opportunity for air flow.

On the Custom AccuSoft® Cushion, the breathable spacer fabric material promotes airflow to help keep the sitter dry and comfortable. The AccuSoft cushion comes with an inner incontinent-proof liner.

The spacer fabric cover on our Java and Java Decaf Backs promotes air circulation and wicks moisture away from the back for improved comfort and sitting tolerance.

On our Ride Custom Back, we offer an ultra-breathable 3D mesh liner option that, along with the breathable spacer mesh cover provide the ultimate in airflow for heat and moisture management.

If you are a wheelchair user or caregiver seeking superior seating solutions that help mitigate increased heat and moisture, look no further than Ride Designs.  Discover the difference our products can make in providing an improved seated experience.

Order a Ride Custom AccuSoft® Cushion without a scan!

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“Even the simplest tools can empower people to do great things.”
— Biz Stone

Do you remember when Ride Designs Custom Cushions meant only firm materials designed for off-loading?

In the spring of 2019, that all changed with the introduction of the Ride Custom AccuSoft Cushion.  A Ride custom, full-contact cushion made specifically to match an individual’s unique shape, using a soft, forgiving foam. It’s hard for us to believe our baby is four years old! (Learn more about this amazing product here.)

If you ever have the opportunity, ask Ride Designs co-founder Joe Bieganek to tell you the story of how this soft, Ride custom cushion came to be.  Ask him to tell you about the “cupcake”.  Great story!

The suggested method for capturing a client’s shape to order a Custom AccuSoft Cushion has been the bead bag and vacuum system, which is then scanned and submitted to Ride via the RideWorks® app. While this remains a fantastic tool for determining the specs of an AccuSoft cushion, we offer an even simpler way to order the AccuSoft Cushion –- by using the Java Cushion as an evaluation tool.

An inventory of sample Java Cushions can now serve an additional purpose. Use them to specify an AccuSoft Cushion from a trial evaluation, adjustment, and measurements.

When appropriate, this easy and time-saving method can replace the bead bag and vacuum pump method.  Review the instructions for using the Java Cushion as an evaluator tool on page 5 of the Custom AccuSoft Cushion order form, here, and available on the RideWorks app.

Q: Has there been a change to the Custom AccuSoft Cushion?

A: Nope! The AccuSoft Cushion has not changed. We are simply offering another method by which to order the Accusoft Cushion, specific to a user’s needs.

Q: When is it appropriate to use the Java Cushion to evaluate a client for a Custom AccuSoft Cushion?

A: Clients who present with pelvic asymmetry that reduces towards neutral, but persists in unique, though relatively less severe postural deviations, may be good candidates for specification of an AccuSoft Cushion by evaluating, adjusting, and measuring on a Java Cushion. Using the Java Cushion as an evaluator is a great place to start. If not successful, pull out the bags and capture a shape.

Q: Can the Java Cushion be used to evaluate a client for a Ride Custom 2 Cushion?

A: No. The off-loading design of the Custom 2 Cushion requires the precise client shape that results from utilizing our bead bag and vacuum pump method. The Ride Custom 2 Cushion material is firm and less forgiving by design. This is necessary for off-loading at-risk bony prominences, while safely supporting those parts of the body that can tolerate support.

Q: Is the Custom AccuSoft an off-loading cushion?

A: The AccuSoft Cushion is not a fully off-loading cushion. Two contour options are offered: 1) Ride Contour, made with Ride’s patented mechanism of support which reduces forces at high risk areas and provides slightly greater forces at low risk areas, and 2) Full Contact.

Give it a try!
For additional information, please contact your area Ride Representative, or our product manager, Shelly Young, at 303-513-5445.

Watch the process for scanning captured shapes on an iPad Pro with built-in LiDAR scanner!

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You may recall that as of May 1, 2022 we are no longer providing scanners with our shape capture tool kits.

We have introduced a new, amazing scanning method, utilizing LiDAR technology.  To order Ride Designs custom products, scans of captured shapes are taken using an app called “Scaniverse” installed on an iPad equipped with a LiDAR scanner (iPad Pro 2020 or later).  Not only does this method not require the attachment of a separate scanning device to the iPad, but the 3D image is incredibly high resolution.  The details that are visible on these scans are next-level!   

We’re excited to share a video we’ve published that provides step-by-step instructions for scanning a captured shape using an iPad Pro with LiDAR.  Watch it here and see how quick and easy it is!

Important reminder:  we have a dedicated team of subject matter experts standing by to help with any of your custom seating challenges!  Call us at 866-781-1833.

Ride On!

Modify the Ride Custom Back (RCB200) in the field!

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One of the many outstanding features of the Ride Custom Back is that it can be modified in the field. When the need for modifications is identified at a final fitting, the mods can be completed on-site preventing delays in delivery.

In this series of short videos, Ryan Crosby, Ride’s Senior Education and Technology Specialist demonstrates the correct methods to use when modifications to the Ride Custom Back (RCB200) are necessary.

Note:  Practitioners who were certified for Ride custom products prior to 2023 are most likely familiar with the methods recommended to modify the Ride Custom Back.  We encourage even these folks to watch these videos to learn about the few, subtle differences between modifying our legacy RCB shell material and our new, 3D printed RCB shell material.

Ride Custom Back (RCB200) T-Nut Installation

Ride Custom Back (RCB200) Heating and Flaring Laterals

Ride Custom Back (RCB200) Trimming Lateral Supports

Ride Custom Back (RCB200) Heating and Rolling Top Edge of Lateral

Ride Custom Back (RCB200) Heating and Bulging Relief

Learn more about the Ride Custom Back:

Features and Benefits

Bundled Pricing

Why Bundled Pricing?

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Bundled pricing came about after a review of how frequently orders, purchase orders and prior authorizations were having to be revised as a result of a flawed sequence in the normal process of providing custom molded seating systems. The current process is as follows:

  1. Client is evaluated for seating and mobility.
  2. Determination for custom molded seating is made after all lesser costly alternatives are ruled out.
  3. Therapist and ATP guess what specific options and components are necessary for the seating system.
  4. Lengthy order forms are filled out, quotes are generated and LMN is drafted based on that guesswork.
  5. Prior authorization is generated and submitted based on the specifications the clinical team thinks the client needs.
  6. Medicaid reviewer reviews detailed line items to determine if medical necessity is established.
  7. Prior authorization is granted.
  8. Client returns to clinic for shape capture and actual specifications for the seating are determined and differ from the original ones quoted and authorized.
  9. The supplier, therapist, manufacturer and reviewer must all revise their work to accommodate the changes in the order. Order, order form, purchase order, LMN and prior authorization must now all be revised to accommodate the changes. This creates more work for everyone and delays order fulfillment.
  10. Once revised PAR is approved, then PO can be issued along with revised order form to the manufacturer for production. 
  11. Additionally, ATP’s and clinicians may over spec the system in the beginning to ensure that they have the necessary authorizations in place to accommodate for the unexpected changes identified at the time of shape capture.

There is tremendous inefficiency in the current process and all of the detailed line item work for the ATP, therapist, funding specialist, reviewer and manufacturer is largely wasted. A non-clinician may ask why the shape capture does not occur at the time of initial evaluation. There are many reasons for that. Number one is that it is imperative to deliver custom molded systems as close as possible to the shape capture date, because the client’s posture can change. The longer the time-frame between shape capture and final delivery, the higher the chances of that new system failing and needing to be remade. Also in busy clinics, the scheduled appointment time may not allow for the additional time required to perform a shape capture. Moreover, clients with complex needs oftentimes lack the endurance for a seating and mobility evaluation AND a shape capture all at one appointment.

Bundled pricing allows the sequence of events to be placed in the correct order, simplifies the process for all concerned and eliminates a lot of wasted time for all stakeholders. Bundled pricing provides for a flat rate price that includes all of the most frequently ordered options and accessories. All high cost options are excluded from the bundled price. Using bundled pricing means that the supplier and therapist can specify and prescribe custom molded seating utilizing as few as two line items, one for the seat and one for the back. The Medicaid reviewer only has two line items to review.

The sequence utilizing bundled order forms then flows as follows:

  1. Client evaluated for seating and mobility.
  2. Determination is made for custom molded seating.
  3. No detailed order form needed at this point. Streamlined manufacturer’s quote, order, LMN, prior authorization are all generated and submitted.  Reviewer only has to review two line items.
  4. Medical necessity determined and authorization granted.
  5. Client is seen at clinic for shape capture and specific specs are determined.
  6. Detailed order from generated and submitted to manufacturer with PO for production.

Bundled pricing eliminates a tremendous amount of duplication of work for all concerned and speeds up the order process.