News

O&P Education & Funding

Senate VA Bill S. 1950 Would Establish the Joint AOPA & NCOPE Priority of New Federal  Education Program to Support Both New O&P Masters  Programs and Expansion of Existing O&P Advanced Education Programs We reported to you last week that AOPA, through the hard work of its lobbyist Catriona Macdonald of Linchpin Strategies, was successful in […]

Congress Approves New Funding for O&P Research

Congress Approves New Funding for O&P Outcomes Research Pushed by AOPA During the current Congressional session, AOPA, through the hard work of its legislative consultant Catriona Macdonald of Linchpin Associates, worked with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) toward developing funding support for both: (1) new appropriated moneys for outcomes research in O&P (via S. 521) and […]

Take Action on H.R. 3112

Take Action on The Medicare O&P Improvement Act Today! Adding to the excitement of the 2013 O&P World Congress, the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2013 (H.R. 3112) was introduced by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Rep. Mike Thompson (R-CA) on September 17, 2013.  It takes a very constructive approach to tackling fraud and abuse […]

Dobson DaVanzo Study: Medicare Scandal

STUDY: MEDICARE SCANDAL CONTINUES WITH SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF PAYMENTS FOR ORTHOTIC AND PROSTHETIC DEVICES GOING ILLEGALLY TO UNLICENSED PROVIDERS CMS Payments to Unlicensed Providers Violates 2000 and 2005 Laws; Regulatory “Overkill” by Agency Adds Insult to Injury by Tying Up Legitimate Industry in Red Tape. WASHINGTON, D.C. September 17, 2013 – Despite laws passed by Congress […]

Student/Resident Poster Awards made possible by Becker Orthopaedic and WillowWood

AOPA invites O&P Students and Residents to present research findings or a particular case study via a poster presentation at the 2013 O&P World Congress to be held September 18-21  in Orlando, FL, USA. The Student – Resident Poster award will honor two meritorious scientific papers submitted for presentation as a poster at the 2013 […]

AOPA to Testify Today during SBA Hearing on Regulatory Fairness

AOPA will be testifying during today’s Regional SBA Hearing being held in Seattle, WA titled “Regulatory Fairness Hearing for Small Business.”  AOPA will testify on behalf of our members on the RAC and Pre-payment audit practices jeopardizing the economic viability of our members. You may read AOPA’s submitted testimony online. Background This hearing is being […]

Jurisdiction B Publishes Encouraging Results of O&P Pre-Payment Reviews

National Government Services (NGS), the Jurisdiction B DME MAC, recently reported results of their first quarter pre-payment audit activity on high error rate services, including orthotics and prosthetics. While the overall error rate for all claims reviewed remains relatively high at 72%, NGS reported that the error  rate for O&P claims has been significantly reduced. […]

CMS Publishes Draft Clinical Template Designed to Assist Physicians to Properly Document Medical Need for Lower Limb Prostheses

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a draft document on its website that, in its words, “will assist physicians with documenting the physician notes that substantiate the need for a Lower Limb Prostheses.”  AOPA believes that the draft template, in its proposed form, actually represents imposition by CMS of a serious […]

Complete the 2013 Operating Performance & Compensation/BenefitsReports Today!

You should have received by now the 2013 Operating Performance Compensation and Benefits Report survey questionnaire. By completing the questionnaire you automatically reserve your FREE copy of the survey, your customized Company Report and you obtain an opportunity for a one-to-one consultation with one of AOPA’s consulting at experts, Industry Insights. Industry Insights has conducted […]