The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the “government agency tasked with producing evidence to improve the quality of healthcare while working with partners to ensure that the evidence is understood and used” recently announced that it will be initiating a systematic review for lower limb prostheses. The systematic review will be performed through […]
In 2014, the American Hospital Association filed suit in the federal District Court seeking relief because HHS and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) have for many years egregiously exceeded the statutory provision which assures a provider who must return money to Medicare as a result of an audit a final ALJ decision […]
White House Fashion Show celebrates inclusive design, assistive technology, and prostheses. #DesignForAll See a video of the fashion show, provided by the White House, as well as a recording of the closing remarks by Alison Cernich, Director of NICHD National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, below. Alison Cernich discusses an ambitious research plan mapped by […]
AOPA has submitted comments on the publication entitled Technical Considerations for Additive Manufactured Devices: Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff which was published in the Federal Register on May 10, 2016. AOPA submitted comments pertaining to additive manufacturing in the design and fabrication of external prosthetic components and orthotic devices, specifically through the use […]
Earlier this year, Medicare implemented a new policy on Comprehensive Care of Joint Replacement. While positioned as a pilot test, all hospitals were forced to be involved. Under this new program, hospitals are given financial incentives to reduce the total cost for hip and knee replacements. If hospitals succeed in driving down the total costs, […]
The four Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractors (DME MAC), recently released a joint correct coding bulletin reminding DMEPOS suppliers that it is each supplier’s responsibility to select the proper HCPCS codes for billing. To aid suppliers in their selection of the proper HCPCS code(s) the DME MACs provided the following tips: Check the PDAC […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have notified the four existing RAC contractors that as a result of the upcoming award of new RAC contracts, current RAC audit activity will be placed on hiatus to allow the RACs to complete their open audits prior to the completion of their contracts. CMS has provided the […]
On July 15, 2016, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) released its latest update on the Consumer Pricing Index for Urban Areas (CPI-U). From June 2015 through June 2016 the CPI-U increased by 1.0%. This figure is relevant to O&P providers because it is used as the base for determining the adjustment for the […]
AOPA has recently received reports of increased RAC activity (details here) and has scheduled several educational webinars to help you prepare. The first webinar will cover the basics of what the renewed RAC audits mean for O&P providers and how to be prepared to respond to an audit request when it is received. The second webinar […]
AOPA members should be aware of proposed education standards by the Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) that could potentially encroach on the O&P profession. AOPA encourages members to make public comments about a proposed set of Assistive Technology education standards that are currently being advanced by the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North American (RESNA). The […]
