Tag: orthotics

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – The BOC board of directors has announced its 2021 executive committee and elected a new board member. The executive committee officers are L. Bradley Watson, president of Clarksville Limb + Brace + Rehab, as chairman; Abel Guevara, COO and corporate compliance officer at New Way Medical Supply as vice chairman; David Regier, consultant, as secretary; Cameron Stewart, co-founder of Alcam Medical Orthotics and Prosthetics, treasurer; Diana Klunk, certified mastectomy...

ATLANTA - Wayne van Halem gets contacted “all the time” by companies that are having issues with audits. A common factor? Lead-generating companies, he says. These are companies that are new to the industry and those that are well established, he says. “They will convince people that they can make them a lot of money,” said van Halem, president of The van Halem Group. “They get told, ‘We’ll do all the work and the paperwork, and all you have to do is...

WASHINGTON - The single payment amounts for off-the-shelf knee and back braces under Round 2021 of competitive bidding will be about 30% to 35%, on average, below Medicare's current fee schedule, based on a preliminary analysis by the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association. The reductions aren't necessarily a surprise, stakeholders say, but they have new meaning during a public health emergency. “The COVID environment business conditions are not anything like what they were when bids were...

WASHINGTON - CGS, the DME MAC for jurisdictions B and C, will be conducting complex post-pay reviews for surgical dressings and knee orthoses, according to AAHomecare.CGS will be reviewing A6196 and A6212, and L1833 and L1851. The DME MAC is conducting the reviews due to data analysis that showed “significantly above expected amounts.”Surgical dressings and knee orthoses also ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively, in total CERT improper payment rates. The reviews will include only claim...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) is seeking nominations for its second annual Certificant of the Year Award. The award distinguishes a professional in good standing in any of BOC's six certification areas (DME specialist, mastectomy fitter, orthotic fitter, orthotist, pedorthist, or prosthetist). Nominees must demonstrate exceptional service to patients, notable achievements in research, commitment to giving back to the community and/or outreach to developing countries...

WASHINGTON - A bill that seeks to differentiate orthotics and prosthetics from durable medical equipment was recently introduced in the Senate.The Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act (S. 4503), sponsored by Sens. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., is a companion bill to H.R. 5262, introduced in November by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif..The bill has four key provisions:Create separate statutory...

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The Board of Certification/Accreditation has launched a new remote proctored testing option, allowing candidates to complete their exams online and earn certification. Delivered by BOC test partner PSI, the remote proctored testing option allows candidates to take their orthotic fitter (COF), mastectomy fitter (CMF) or DME specialist (CDME) certification exams from a location of their choice. “Live, remote proctored testing gives candidates the opportunity to take exams...

ATLANTA - CMS plans to update the Federal Register today to add certain L codes to the prior authorization list for DMEPOS, according to the van Halem Group.CMS will add the following codes to the list of items that require prior authorization as a condition of payment:L5856 - (Addition to lower extremity prosthesis, endoskeletal knee-shin system, microprocessor control feature, swing and stance phase, includes electronic sensor(s), any type)L5857  - (Addition to lower extremity prosthesis,...

WASHINGTON - O&P stakeholders are eyeing a pair of possible legislative vehicles as they seek to pass a bill that would improve patient care and reduce fraud. The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association has been working with lawmakers to fit their bill into either drug pricing legislation or the Cures 2.0 initiative, says Justin Beland, director of government relations.“We're confident that one of those two vehicles will give our bill a ride,” he said.H.R. 5262, the Medicare Orthotics...

Every day in the orthotics and prosthetics field brings something new, with fresh challenges and different patients, but one challenge remains constant—raising the profile of the profession, says John Kenney, MURP, BOCO, and the 2019 recipient of the Jim Newberry Award for Extraordinary Service. “I think it's important when we look at what the specialty is and how we provide products, that advocating for these medical devices to be fit by specialized clinicians is important,” he...