|
|
| August 8, 2006 | Volume 10 Number 16 |
| Breaking News for O&P Professionals | |
Medicare
News
Attention Region D: Transition Update
AOPA
National
Assembly
Run A More Profitable Practice
O&P News
DiBello Appointed to Open AOPA Board Position
O&P
Resources from AOPA
O&P Job Board: Gateway to O&P Employment
Advertise in the Official AOPA Assembly Magazine!
| Medicare News | |
Medicare Payments Delay: Sept. 22-30, 2006
From September 22 through September 30, 2006, Medicare will process claims but hold any payments until the new federal fiscal year begins on October 1, 2006. This is due to a provision of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which requires Medicare to place a temporary hold on all Medicare payments during the last 9 days of the federal fiscal year.
Since the nine-day hold is required by law, no timely payment interest will accrue and these days will not count toward Medicare's timely claims payment requirements. Any claims processed during the nine-day hold will not be paid until October 1, 2006.
Questions? Contact Joe McTernan at (571) 431-0811 or jmcternan@AOPAnet.org.
>>Back to Top <<
Attention Region D: Transition Update
The DME Carrier for Region D will change from CIGNA to Noridian Administrative Services on Sept. 30, 2006. This change is part of the transition from the current DMERC to the new DME Medicare Administrative Contract (MAC) structure.
After 5 p.m. EDT on September 28, 2006, you will need to use Noridian’s contractor ID (19003) on your electronic claims, instead of CIGNA’s ID (05655). If you are using Region D’s ExpressPlus software, you will need to install a software upgrade, available soon on CIGNA’s Web site. This upgrade must be installed after 5 p.m. on September 28 and before you send any claims electronically.
Also be aware that due to the system switch, you will not be able to send any electronic claims or do anything else electronically (such as checking eligibility or the status of your claims) between 5:01 p.m. EDT and 6 p.m. EDT on September 28.
Visit the Noridian Web site, www.noridianmedicare.com, to obtain contact information, phone numbers, etc. Because this site will be updated frequently, AOPA recommends you check this Web site periodically over the next two months for changes and updates about this transition.
Questions? Contact Virginia Torsch at (571) 431-0812 or vtorsch@AOPAnet.org.
| AOPA National Assembly | |
Award-Winning Thranhardt Presentations
Don’t miss out! Attend the award-winning Thranhardt lectures at the 2006 AOPA National Assembly. These presentations take place from 2-3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29 and are part of four days of top-notch clinical and business management programs.
Comparing Alternative Knee Design
Hugh Herr, Ph.D.
Learn how biomechanical mechanisms relate to metabolic cost differences between alternative knee designs. Also, learn about the characteristics of the Magnetorheologic Actuator design and its contributions to knee control.
Update on a Five-Year, 1,000 Patient Study of Post-Operative Hip Abduction Orthoses Treatment Outcomes
Richard Miller, CO
Post-operative total hip revisions are more susceptible to dislocation than primary total hip abduction. This presentation includes a literature review along with the contributing factors of dislocation, re-operative rates and brace design variables.
2006 AOPA National Assembly and Profitability Seminar
September 26-30
Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Fla.
Register at www.AOPAnet.org
Earn up to 43 credits in five days!
Don't wait to register-the special hotel rate of $175 per night is only available as long as hotel rooms are available. Hotel rooms for the Assembly have sold out the past two years, so act today!
Questions? Contact Sheila Pasquini at spasquini@AOPAnet.org or call (571) 431-0834.
Run a More Profitable Practice
Get advice directly from the experts!
Attend the AOPA Profitability Seminar (7 CEUs)!
Sept. 26 at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa, Hollywood, Fla.
$359 members ($499 nonmembers)
Attend the Assembly and save $100.
Plus, get the O&P Profitability Guide CD-ROM (a $325 value), FREE!
In
a time of increased discounting and falling reimbursements, this
seminar gives you the tools to determine how decisions made today
affect the bottom line tomorrow.
Offered only once in 2006, at least one person from every facility
should attend this seminar to learn how to keep your cash flow on track.
>> Back to Top <<
| O&P News | |
DiBello Appointed to Open AOPA Board Position
Tom DiBello, CO, FAAOP, LO, president and CEO of Dynamic Orthotics & Prosthetics in Houston, Texas, has been appointed to the AOPA board of directors as director-at-large. DiBello will run for election to fill the remainder of the term (expiring Nov. 30, 2007) vacated by William P. Gustavson, who resigned from the board in June.
This and other director and officer elections will take place at the AOPA Annual Business Meeting and Member Breakfast during the 2006 AOPA National Assembly on Friday, Sept. 29 from 7:30 – 10 a.m. Every voting member of AOPA should send a representative to this event to participate in board elections and learn about important AOPA activities.
| O&P Resources from AOPA | |
Job Board
The O&P Job Board is the only interactive, O&P-specific, online employment network for job seekers and O&P businesses looking to hire new talent. At no cost, job seekers can create career profiles, post resumes, search for jobs by state and keyword and apply for jobs directly through the Web site.
In addition to advertising job openings, employers can create company profiles and include the company logo with each listing.
AOPA member companies pay only $75 to post a job to the Job Board. Limited time offer: receive a five percent discount on your O&P Almanac text ads when you order a Job Board posting! To post employment opportunities, contact Jennifer Kingery at jkingery@AOPAnet.org.
Advertise in the Official AOPA Assembly Magazine!
Be seen by thousands at the 2006 AOPA National Assembly in Hollywood, Fla. (Sept. 26-30, Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa). Advertise in the October O&P Almanac to be included in the ONLY O&P publication to be delivered directly to attendees' hotel rooms during the Assembly. Order a display ad before Aug. 25; submit all art before Aug. 30.
Contact Amy Clontz today at aclontz@AOPAnet.org or (888) 557-7277.
| O&P
Insider's Track |
|
| The Only Up-to-the-Minute O&P Newsline | |
People In The News
Sarah Reinertsen, a recent ESPY™ award winner and member of Team Ossur, will be the first amputee to compete in CBS’s Emmy®-winning reality series, The Amazing Race, premiering this September…Kyle and Cindy Underwood, members of Team Hanger, will swim in a four-person team of amputees across Long Island Sound in an event to raise money for cancer screening.
Businesses In The News
The American Board for Certification in Orthotics & Prosthetics (ABC), based in Alexandria, Va., joined the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Provider Partnership Network. ABC will post information related to the partnership on its Web site, www.oandpcare.org.
Hanger Orthopedic Group Inc. of Bethesda, Md. has acquired Regional Artificial Limb & Brace Company Inc., based in Fargo, N.D.
Spine Source America LLC of Lexington, Ky., has changed its name to BridgePoint Medical and has acquired Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates Ltd., based in Lexington, Ky.
In Memoriam
Carl M. Brashear, 75, the Navy’s first black master deep-sea diver and first amputee diver, died July 25 at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed Brashear in the 2000 film Men of Honor.
Brashear joined the Navy in 1948 and endured years of racial taunts as he worked toward a diving career. He lost his leg in a 1966 shipboard accident, but quickly returned to diving with the help of a prosthetic leg. He retired in 1979.
Brashear is survived by three sons and 12 grandchildren.
>> Back to Top <<