Kalogon Unveils Orbiter Med: A Medicare-Approved Custom Wheelchair Cushion for Pressure Management and Postural Support

MELBOURNE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kalogon, a leader in smart seating solutions, today unveiled a new custom wheelchair cushion, Orbiter Med, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved for the use of Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Code E2609 to bill Medicare. For the first time, Orbiter Med combines Kalogon’s groundbreaking Advanced Pressure Management (APM) system with the individualized postural support of a custom cushion reimbursable by insurance.

Pressure injuries (PI) are one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, and more than 50% of people who use wheelchairs have experienced a PI from sitting. However, people who use wheelchairs have had to compromise by choosing to focus on either structural support or skin integrity.

Orbiter Med is custom fabricated based on each patient’s unique seating and positioning requirements - needs that can’t sufficiently be satisfied by a prefabricated seating system. Each Orbiter Med cushion features Kalogon’s groundbreaking APM system clinically proven to improve blood flow and is built to provide postural support customizations designated by a clinician, seating specialist or therapist.

"Our first Orbiter cushion was created out of a need for innovation in seating for people at higher risk for pressure injuries, who have been ignored for decades," said Tim Balz, CEO and co-founder of Kalogon. "Orbiter has been proven to improve blood flow and has already changed the lives of countless customers living active seated lives, but we know that one size doesn’t fit all. Orbiter Med is a fully customized system that blends the best technology in pressure management with tailored stability and postural support specific to a patient’s needs."

APM uses a combination of machine learning and air cell technology to intelligently redistribute weight based on personalized settings set by a clinician in the Kalogon App. Users and clinicians can fine-tune their pressure levels and optimize their seating experience for different activities with the Kalogon App. Clinicians can select multiple cushion modifications, including variable sizes of medial and lateral supports, options for leg length discrepancies, residual limb support and more. Kalogon has partnered with National Seating & Mobility, North America’s largest provider of comprehensive mobility solutions, as the launch dealer for Orbiter Med in the United States.

“National Seating & Mobility is proud to bring breakthrough technologies to market that will enhance the safety and lifestyle of the people we serve,” said Darren Lowman, chief supply chain officer at National Seating & Mobility. “Our collaboration with Kalogon will secure cushion demos for evaluative purposes in addition to technical training for our Assistive Technology Professionals to ensure our teams are prepared to make this wound prevention solution available in clinics nationally.”

Orbiter Med represents the next stage in Kalogon's commitment to providing top-of-the-line products accessible to everyone who needs them.

“More often than not, health innovation moves faster than regulation, creating economic barriers for the patients who could most benefit from technological advancements,” said Balz. “Patients shouldn’t have to sacrifice insurance coverage for the best technology available on the market. Earning CMS approval for Orbiter Med is a huge milestone in making our seating solutions more accessible. We take every piece of customer feedback to heart and thank all those who helped us test each iteration of Orbiter Med. This achievement is a testament to our team’s relentless effort to continuously improve our products.”

Clinicians and seating specialists can order Orbiter Med by contacting Kalogon to be connected to their local representative at Kalogon.com, with cushions starting to ship in Summer 2024.

About Kalogon

We empower individuals to lead active, seated lives. Kalogon is the trailblazer in smart seating, offering patent-pending solutions for medical, aviation and automotive customers. Kalogon’s core technology integrates custom molding, dynamic motion and ambient sensing to provide personalized, healthy seating. Our products are medically validated to improve blood flow, with customers reporting increased comfort and less fatigue. Learn more at https://www.kalogon.com.