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": "O. 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": null,
  "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/themes/stat/images/stat-plus-breaker-bg.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/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round-80x80.png\" alt=\"O. Rose Broderick\" srcset=\"https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round-80x80.png 80w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round-328x328.png 328w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round-500x500.png 500w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round-576x576.png 576w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round-160x160.png 160w, https://www.statnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Rose-Broderick2-avatar-round.png 600w\" /></p><div>\t\t<h3>\n\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/staff/rose-broderick/\">O. 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>Rose covers disability and mental health, and she helps write STAT's daily <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://www.statnews.com/category/health/morning-rounds/\">Morning Rounds newsletter</a>. Confidential tips can be sent to 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/?how_can_we_help_=Editorial%20Correction%20Request\">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": 39,
  "type": "article"
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