Tag: Lower limb prosthetics

WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has launched an inquiry into the draft local coverage determination for prosthetics.In a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, the committee says the LCD, released in July, relies on outdated data to limit access to clinically appropriate and medical necessary prosthetic care for Medicare beneficiaries.“We are concerned that this draft LCD would deny access to advanced and higher quality...

WASHINGTON - CMS has shelved its plans to change the coverage requirements for lower limb prostheses in favor of forming a workgroup to revisit the issue, but O&P stakeholders say they won't be involved.The workgroup will be comprised of clinicians, researchers, policy specialists and patient advocates from different federal agencies, according to a CMS announcement last week.“One of our disappointments is that this is a working group of federal employees of federal agencies,” said Tom...

BALTIMORE - Proposed changes to coverage requirements for prostheses could severely limit the number of patients who could gain the greatest mobility, say O&P stakeholders.“There are a fair number of leaps that are made that don't have any scientific backing,” said Tom Fise, executive director of the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association. “We think a lot of people are going to be asking, 'Why would Medicare want to do this?'”The four DME MACs released the draft local...

BALTIMORE - The DME MACs have released a draft local coverage determination for lower limb prostheses.Public comments on the draft LCD and policy article will be accepted through Aug. 31, according to a bulletin from the American Orthotics & Prosthetics Association.“AOPA considers this policy revision, some aspects of which appear to be incompatible with quality patient care, as a major priority,” said the association on its website.AOPA has created a comment portal on its website for...