Tag: prosthetics

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...

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 (BOC), is seeking nominations for the Jim Newberry Award for Extraordinary Service. Now in its fourth year, the award recognizes outstanding individuals for their services to BOC. Nominees for the award must have a proven history of service and volunteerism with BOC, and might include—but are not limited to—certificants, vendors, consultants, business partners or former BOC board members. The award is named after James Newberry,...

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,...

ATLANTA - Amoena has launched its Balance portfolio, a line of premium prosthetic breast shapers to help survivors restore their body symmetry after treatment. The line includes a range of shapes, sizes, weights and thicknesses, made of high-quality silicone. Unlike a full prosthetic, the shapers can compensate for missing tissue. “Amoena's mission is to be? a trusted partner in supporting women's confidence, and we understand that breast asymmetry can impact a woman's self-esteem,” said...

WASHINGTON - The DME MACs are retiring the “Dear Physician” letter for artificial limbs, according to a bulletin from the American Orthotics & Prosthetics Association. The letter is being retired following recently passed legislation that requires the recognition of the prosthetists' notes as part of the patient's medical record. The letter, originally published in 2011, dramatically changed the standards for approving a prosthetic claim by disregarding the prosthetist's notes as part...

Home medical equipment companies looking to compete effectively in the orthotics and prosthetics market need the right people in place to conduct this business. That means having certified O&P professionals on staff to work with clients in this field.Having certified staff seems like a no-brainer, but HME companies that don't have them are being heavily scrutinized by the Office of Inspector General for “huge increases” in billing for off-the-shelf back and knee braces going back to 2014....

WASHINGTON - The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association has submitted comments on a proposal to provide individual states with increased flexibility to define essential health benefits. In its comments on the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2019”, AOPA reiterated its position that orthoses and prostheses must remain essential health benefits and that any action by CMS to restrict or reduce access to O&P services is not...

BOSTON - A growing gap between technology advancements and what Medicare and other payers will cover creates safety issues for amputees, says a new study.The Rand Corporation, in a study released in October, says microprocessor-controlled knees (MPKs) prevent falls better than older artificial lower limbs. Twenty-six percent of patients with MPK limbs fall per year, compared to 82% of patients with non-MPK limbs.“As a clinician, I have experienced with my patients that they are at a greater...