In the News
Former BOC Board Members Resign
Five former board members of the Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC) recently resigned their positions amid questions of BOC's financial practices, policies and procedures.
"We resigned to demonstrate our conflict with the direction the BOC board is taking," explained E. Beth Durham, BOCPO, CMF, who resigned as chairman in mid-October 2005.
The resignations—all submitted between October and mid-December 2005—came from Durham, former chairman; Michael P. Madden, BOCPO, former chairman following Durham's resignation; Keith L. Crownover, BOCPO, former vice chairman; J. Michael Wheatley, BOCPO, C.Ped., former director; and Garry Moore, former public director.
"In my role as a fiduciary, which is essentially the role you take on when elected to serve on a board, my responsibility is to the people who hold the certification and to ensure the integrity of the certification and the certification process is maintained," stated Michael Madden, BOCPO, in comments to the O&P Almanac. "Part of that responsibility is to also make sure the operations of the organization are done in a legal, moral and ethical manner.
"The board of directors made some significant decisions during a special meeting in December 2005," he continued, "and based on those decisions, I did not think it was advantageous to continue on as chair of the board."
According to the former board members, at that special meeting in mid-December 2005, a 72-page document outlining their financial and legal concerns was not reviewed and was instead shredded. However, the board had previously agreed at a September 2005 meeting to review the material.
"We did not vote in favor of covering this up and destroying the evidence," said Durham. "We wanted the public to see our conflict with the board's direction."
BOC's Director of Communications Trisha Tatam remarked, "A few board members insist we have unresolved financial issues, but these issues have all been researched by our accounting firm and are false claims."
According to a BOC-issued statement, the research produced no evidence of "gross misappropriations, embezzlement or anything meeting the test of improprieties."
"My concern is that some BOC certificants may fear that if their certification agency is eliminated, they may lose their jobs," Tatam said. "But this is scaring the certificants unnecessarily as there is no basis for these charges. We're not going under. BOC has a very positive future, and we're growing."
Signed confidentiality agreements inhibit Tatam, BOC staff and board members, and the five resigned board members from elaborating on further details surrounding the resignations and the BOC practices in question.
"It's been a difficult situation," said Keith Crownover, BOCPO. "All I can say is that I desire only the best for the certificants and my chosen field of orthotics and prosthetics. Consequently, I am deeply saddened by the recent direction and action taken by the BOC leadership."
Visit www.AOPAnet.org for continuing coverage on this story.
South Florida is "Ground Zero" for Medicare Fraud
State and federal authorities have labeled South Florida as "ground zero" for the staggering number of Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases in the region.
This year, investigations in Florida produced charges in 28 cases, with $20 million in Medicare or Medicaid losses and an additional $14 million in frozen assets.
In 2004, an estimated $1 billion in health care fraud losses occurred in southeastern Florida, representing one of the highest amounts of any region in the country.
State and local officials have vowed to crack down on fraud and abuse, adding agents, prosecutors and investigators to work on both large- and small-scale fraud and abuse cases.
Currently, 17 percent of Florida's population is enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid, giving Florida one of the highest concentrations of Medicare participants in the country.
This high percentage of Medicare and Medicaid participants is believed to contribute to the increasing number of health care crimes in the area.
Pre-Order 2006 AOPA Coding Products at www.AOPAnet.org
The 2006 CodingPro CD-ROM, the 2006 Illustrated Guide and the 2006 Quick Coder are available for pre-ordering through the AOPA Bookstore.
These O&P-specific products are developed by AOPA experts so O&P businesses and their staff can quickly locate 2006 codes, code descriptors, fee schedules and detailed illustrations of each code to help ensure appropriate billing.
The Quick Coder is already available for purchase. The CodingPro software and Illustrated Guide are expected to ship in early March. To order, visit www.AOPAnet.org.
For more information about AOPA products, contact Kerry Stalknecht at (571) 431-0876, ext. 254, or kstalknecht@AOPAnet.org.
Donate Online with ACA and Help People with Limb Loss
The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) has announced that individuals can now shop at their favorite stores through www.iGive.com and, at the same time, donate a portion of their purchases to support the ACA's programs and activities.
The Web site donates an additional $5 with a shopper's first time purchase. The site has raised more than $1.8 million dollars for nonprofit organizations and worthy causes since 1997.
For more information, visit www.amputee-coalition.org.
Your Time-Consuming Personnel Issues Addressed
AOPA has announced the dates and topics for its 2006 Powerful Personnel Strategies track of telephone audio seminars. The seminars are worth 1.5 CE credits each.
Experts from Administaff, a leading professional employer organization, will provide O&P businesses and their staff with insights and strategies on how to handle an array of personnel issues which can take a toll on any company.
The dates and topics include:
- March 23: "Develop a Simple, Top-Notch Employee Training Program"
- May 18: "Have Productive Employees from Day One"
- July 20: "Avoid Employment Lawsuits"
- Oct. 12: "Employment Laws Made Simple"
- Nov. 9: "Using Employee Benefits to Attract and Retain the Best Talent"
The cost to participate per listening site is $99 for AOPA members and $199 for nonmembers.
To register, visit www.AOPAnet.org. Questions? Contact Heather Franklin at hfranklin@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0876, ext. 205.
New American Disability Coalition Web Site Launched
The American Disability Coalition (ADC) recently launched its Web site, www.americandisabilitycoalition.com. The new site features statistics on amputation, the organization's newsletter, ADC products and more.
ADC was created after its founder, Jason P. Boockoff, experienced an amputation in January 2003 and found few resources available to those with limb loss in the southern tier of New York and the northern tier of Pennsylvania.
Boockoff has designed the Web site to give individuals a greater awareness about amputations and to provide preventive steps to help lower the associated risks.
O&P-Specific Reimbursement Seminars Announced for 2006
The first AOPA Coding & Billing Seminar of the new year will take place April 4-5 at the MGM Grand Resort, Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Attendees can earn 14 CE credits at this two-day event.
The special room rate at the MGM Grand is $179 if attendees make their reservations by March 3. Attendees can call the hotel at (800) 929-1111 or (702) 891-7777.
AOPA will also host additional Coding Billing Seminars on June 5-7 and Nov. 14-16. The AOPA Documentation Seminar, worth 7 CE credits, will be held in conjunction with the June and November Coding & Billing Seminars. Visit www.AOPAnet.org for updates.
The AOPA Profitability Seminar will take place on Sept. 26 in Hollywood, Fla., at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa. This seminar, worth 7 CE credits, precedes the 2006 Assembly on Sept. 27-30.
For more information and to register for these seminars, visit www.AOPAnet.org or contact Heather Franklin at (571) 431-0876, ext. 205, or hfranklin@AOPAnet.org.
February Deadline to Reserve Priority 2006 Aseembly Exhibit Space
Exhibitors from the 2005 AOPA National Assembly have less than a month to reserve prime exhibit hall space for their company at the 2006 AOPA National Assembly in Hollywood, Fla., being held on Sept. 27-30 at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa.
The deadline to submit an exhibitor space application, signed contract and 50 percent deposit is Feb. 28. After the deadline, space in the exhibit hall will be available to all O&P companies wanting to take part in the largest national O&P products show of the year.
Visit www.AOPAnet.org to download exhibit space materials. For more information about exhibiting at the National Assembly, contact Kelly O'Neill at (571) 431-0876, ext. 252, or koneill@AOPAnet.org.
O&P Groups Assist Amputees in Mexico
O&P volunteer organization Limbs of Freedom hosted a two-day clinic last October that gave four amputees from Ensenada, Mexico, new prosthetic limbs.
Cascade Orthopedics, Knit-Rite, Otto Bock Health Care, The Barr Foundation, Rotary Club of Coronado and Rotary Club of Ensenada/Calafia in Mexico also helped support the event, which is part of an ongoing series of assistance trips led by Limbs of Freedom.
A volunteer limb-building team fitted prostheses on site. This group included Herb Barrack, CPO, owner of Inline Prosthetics and Orthotics, Feliz Marques, Gerardo Guzman, RTPO, CP, BOCP, and Floyd Thompson of Progressive Orthopedics of San Diego. Hector Reyes, prosthetist, also joined the team from Ensenada.
For more information, visit www.oandp.com/barr.
MedTees.com Donates to Nonprofit Health Organizations
The online health-related T-shirt and merchandise store, www.cafepress.com/medtees, announced that a portion of their T-shirt sales will be donated to several targeted charities and nonprofit organizations.
The T-shirts display "humorous" slogans referring to specific chronic illnesses. Created by a cardiologist and psychologist husband-and-wife team, the T-shirts are designed to help those living with chronic illness cope and raise awareness of the disease.
Sales from the shirts support the company's Web site maintenance costs and several nonprofit organizations, including the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists.
In Memoriam
Jeffrey W. Green, RTPO, died on Jan. 6 in Forsyth County, Ga. He was 35.
Green entered the O&P industry in 1991 as a technician at Southern Prosthetic Supply (SPS) in Alpharetta, Ga. He was promoted to supervisor and then, in 2000, was promoted again to manager of technical services/education.
In this role, Green worked on the product evaluation team, directed both customer and SPS education programs and supported the sales team. According to an SPS press release, Green's vast knowledge of prosthetics extended to all levels of componentry and hardware.
Green was also a founding member of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Technological Association (OPTA). He originally served as treasurer of the organization but was later elected to serve as president.
"Not only has OPTA lost its president and leader, but technicians everywhere have lost one of their most prolific and vocal proponents," said Steve Hill, BOCO, CO, secretary of OPTA. "And we have all lost a beloved brother."
Throughout his years in O&P, Green gave numerous presentations at various state and regional meetings and wrote articles for the O&P Almanac.
When not working at SPS, Green held a sideline job of making customized inline racing skates and enjoyed bicycling.
