AOPA
in AdvanceBreaking News for O&P Professionals
March 20, 2007 ♦ Volume 11 Number 6
Printer-Friendly Version
News from AOPA
O&P News
O&P Resources from AOPA
2007
AOPA National Assembly
| News From AOPA |
The O&P coding expertise you have come to rely on
from AOPA will soon be available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week!
| O&P News |
AOPA representatives joined with NCOPE
and other O&P
professionals to collaborate on an O&P workforce demand study
in
2006. The results of the study are now available.
The key finding of the report is that there is an expected
shortage of certified O&P practitioners of 4.2% by 2030 based
on
population growth. The rate of the need for certified O&P
practitioners increases by 0.4% annually, so by 2030 a 9.5% shortage
may exist if no new schools are opened.
The study did not look at forecasting the number of users
and the
impact on orthotic and prosthetic services, but only made projections
based upon population growth and graduation rates from O&P
education programs.
Read
the full study for more information and findings. Want to
purchase a copy of the study? Contact NCOPE at (703) 836-7114.
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New
Jurisdiction C DME MAC Launches Web site
CIGNA Government Services has launched a Web site to guide Jurisdiction C providers through the transition of DME MAC responsibilities from Palmetto GBA to CIGNA. CIGNA Government Services is scheduled to assume operational responsibility for the Jurisdiction C DME MAC on June 1, 2007.
In addition to the states that are currently included in Jurisdiction C (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Virginia and West Virginia will also fall under the Jurisdiction C DME MAC as of June 1, 2007.
CIGNA Government Services has launched a Web site to guide Jurisdiction C providers through the transition of DME MAC responsibilities from Palmetto GBA to CIGNA. CIGNA Government Services is scheduled to assume operational responsibility for the Jurisdiction C DME MAC on June 1, 2007.
In addition to the states that are currently included in Jurisdiction C (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Virginia and West Virginia will also fall under the Jurisdiction C DME MAC as of June 1, 2007.
CIGNA Government Services requests that providers complete a
revised Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) agreement (CMS 588) in order to
ensure that there will be no interruption in electronic claims payment
once the June 1 transition occurs.
Visit the CIGNA
Government Services Web site, which contains transition
information and a blank copy of the EFT agreement form.
Questions about the transition of Jurisdiction C
responsibilities
from Palmetto GBA to CIGNA Government Services? Contact Joe McTernan at
jmcternan@AOPAnet.org
or (571) 431-0811.
The scheduled implementation of the new CMS 1500 (08-05)
claim
form is delayed due to a formatting error. As a result, CMS extended
the acceptance of the previous CMS 1500 (12-90) claim form past the
April 1, 2007 deadline and hopes to have the error on the new form, CMS
1500 (08-05), resolved after July 1, 2007. AOPA
will provide information on the availability of the corrected form in
future editions of the AOPA
In Advance.
CMS requests that contractors return any of the new CMS 1500 (08-05)
claim forms they receive. By returning the form back to the provider,
it will ensure documentation of the problem. This will allow you to go
back to the company that sold you the forms to obtain replacements.
AOPA previously reported on the release
of the new CMS-1500 (08-05) claim form in the Jan.
23 AOPA
In Advance.
Questions? Contact Daniel Gurley at dgurley@AOPAnet.org
or (571) 431-0812.
| O&P Resources from AOPA |
New
Arrivals: AOPA Coding Products
Streamline your O&P coding and billing processes while saving valuable staff time with the 2007 AOPA CodingPro software and Illustrated Guide! To purchase, visit the AOPA Bookstore.
Streamline your O&P coding and billing processes while saving valuable staff time with the 2007 AOPA CodingPro software and Illustrated Guide! To purchase, visit the AOPA Bookstore.
Both the CodingPro and Illustrated
Guide have
been updated to include the 23 new codes and 10 codes with
changed
descriptors, while the 49 deleted codes were removed. The products also
provide illustrations of each O&P device and the CodingPro
includes fee schedules.
If you pre-ordered the 2007 AOPA
CodingPro software or 2007 AOPA Illustrated
Guide, you should receive your order within 7-10 business
days.
Questions about AOPA products? Call the AOPA
Bookstore at (571) 431-0865.
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Showcase
Your Products in the Only O&P Buyer’s Guide and Get a
FREE Web Listing!
Included in the June issue of the O&P Almanac, the Buyer’s Guide to O&P products is the biggest advertising opportunity of the year! Reach over 16,000 O&P practitioners, facility owners and health care professionals in the U.S. and abroad.
Bonus: You will receive a FREE Web listing on AOPA’s O&P Yellow Pages AND FREE distribution at the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) Meeting in Atlanta, June 15-17!
E-mail 100 words describing your product or service, along with a .jpg image at 300 dpi to jkingery@AOPAnet.org by April 3.
Get more information about other advertising opportunities in the O&P Buyer’s Guide and June O&P Almanac. Contact Amy Clontz at (888) 557-7277 and select option 2 or e-mail aclontz@AOPAnet.org for more information.
Included in the June issue of the O&P Almanac, the Buyer’s Guide to O&P products is the biggest advertising opportunity of the year! Reach over 16,000 O&P practitioners, facility owners and health care professionals in the U.S. and abroad.
Bonus: You will receive a FREE Web listing on AOPA’s O&P Yellow Pages AND FREE distribution at the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) Meeting in Atlanta, June 15-17!
E-mail 100 words describing your product or service, along with a .jpg image at 300 dpi to jkingery@AOPAnet.org by April 3.
Get more information about other advertising opportunities in the O&P Buyer’s Guide and June O&P Almanac. Contact Amy Clontz at (888) 557-7277 and select option 2 or e-mail aclontz@AOPAnet.org for more information.
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Coming soon: AOPA Coding & Billing and Documentation Seminars in Newark, June 6-8. If you attend both seminars you save $100.
Visit www.AOPAnet.org to register or contact Heather Franklin at hfranklin@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0876, ext. 205.
Learn From
the Experts and Earn Credits at AOPA Seminars
Register today to attend the only west coast seminars of 2007:
Register today to attend the only west coast seminars of 2007:
|
AOPA Coding
& Billing and Documentation seminars (21 CE credits)
Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. April 10-12 Save $100 when you register for both seminars. |
Join the AOPA experts as they discuss
these topics and more during the interactive seminars:
-Medicare medical policy and coding guidelines
-Billing for hospital and SNF patients
-Coding tricky items such as shoes, TLSOs/LSOs and
prosthetic liners
-Proper documentation to meet insurers’
requirements
-How to tell if you are under review and what to do if you are
-How to tell if you are under review and what to do if you are
Coming soon: AOPA Coding & Billing and Documentation Seminars in Newark, June 6-8. If you attend both seminars you save $100.
Visit www.AOPAnet.org to register or contact Heather Franklin at hfranklin@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0876, ext. 205.
Promote
Your Services in the 2007 AOPA Yearbook
Advertise in the 2007 AOPA Yearbook, the annual print publication listing all AOPA member companies and their products and services. With a circulation of over 2,100, the AOPA Yearbook is referred to throughout the year by O&P practitioners and health care professionals alike. Reserve your ad space by March 28. All artwork is due April 3.
Advertise in the 2007 AOPA Yearbook, the annual print publication listing all AOPA member companies and their products and services. With a circulation of over 2,100, the AOPA Yearbook is referred to throughout the year by O&P practitioners and health care professionals alike. Reserve your ad space by March 28. All artwork is due April 3.
|
2007
AOPA National Assembly
|
Turn Heads at the AOPA Assembly
AOPA can put your name in front of customers before, during and after the AOPA National Assembly with value-added sponsorship opportunities. Be the first to sign up for new and exclusive sponsorships.
To get more information and pricing or to request a sponsorship brochure, contact Kelly O’Neill at koneill@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0852.
AOPA can put your name in front of customers before, during and after the AOPA National Assembly with value-added sponsorship opportunities. Be the first to sign up for new and exclusive sponsorships.
To get more information and pricing or to request a sponsorship brochure, contact Kelly O’Neill at koneill@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0852.
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| Insider's
Track |
| The Only Up-to-the Minute O&P Newsline |
People In the News
Steven Mirones, president of the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based prosthetics firm Arimed, was honored in March by New Direction Services for his contributions to the community. New Direction Services is a nonprofit organization that serves residents of Staten Island, N.Y. Mirones and his firm have donated C-Legs and other prosthetic devices to victims of violence, accidents and war since 1999.
Businesses In the News
The California Orthotics & Prosthetics Association (COPA) has added a section to its Web site for patients in California. It includes tips on choosing a practitioner and a list of practitioners in California.
Steven Mirones, president of the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based prosthetics firm Arimed, was honored in March by New Direction Services for his contributions to the community. New Direction Services is a nonprofit organization that serves residents of Staten Island, N.Y. Mirones and his firm have donated C-Legs and other prosthetic devices to victims of violence, accidents and war since 1999.
Businesses In the News
The California Orthotics & Prosthetics Association (COPA) has added a section to its Web site for patients in California. It includes tips on choosing a practitioner and a list of practitioners in California.
Effective Apr. 1, the National
Association for the
Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) will
have a new address: 1501 M Street NW, Seventh Floor, Washington, DC,
20005-1700.
Ohio
Willow Wood of Mt.
Sterling, Ohio, recently donated a full version of OMEGA
Tracer®
software, tracing hardware, a T-Ring® II, an OMEGA scanner and
an
OMEGA carver to the Fallen Heroes Fund to be used at the Center for the
Intrepid, the San Antonio-based military facility for U.S. soldiers
recovering from amputation.
Otto
Bock HealthCare,
based in Minneapolis, recently contributed $10,000 to become the first
gold level sponsor of the Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund
(OPAF).
PSL
Fabrication of
Fulton, Mo., has started a blog that focuses on fabrication, prosthetic
components, outsourcing, opinions on the industry and more. It is
available at www.prostheticfabrication.typepad.com.
UnitedHealth
Group Inc. of Minneapolis has agreed to acquire Sierra
Health Services
Inc.
for more than $2.4 billion. Sierra is a Las Vegas-based health benefits
provider to 310,000 members in Nevada and 320,000 people in senior and
government programs throughout the United States.