Gain International Recognition * Advance your Career * Improve Patient Care AOPA has announced the call for papers for the Second O&P World Congress to be held September 6‐9, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. AOPA is seeking high‐quality educational and research content to set the stage for a broad curriculum of […]
News
OIG Releases 2017 Work Plan
HHS OIG Releases 2017 Work Plan-Two Longstanding Objectives in Orthotics Remain; No Other/New Prosthetic or Orthotic Items Listed Each year, the HHS Inspector General releases its annual Work Plan, which lists the topics where the OIG believes there are significant potential items of fraud or other inappropriate or inefficient operations by HHS (including CMS and […]
AOPA’s Post-Election Analysis
GOP Runs the Table, Trump Wins Presidency, and Maintains Control of Both Senate and House In an election unprecedented in American history, Donald Trump defied the polls, conventional wisdom and notions of political correctness for a convincing win of the Presidency in the Electoral College, despite a roughly break even in the popular vote. What […]
CMS Releases 2017 HCPCS Codes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the new HCPCS codes for 2017, and there were only a few minor changes. The biggest change was the deletion of the temporary K codes (K0901 & K0902), which became effective on October 1, 2014, to describe off the shelf (OTS) versions of custom fitted […]
CMS Announces New RAC Contractors
As we reported in July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), placed all the activities of four existing Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC) contractors on hiatus as a result of the upcoming award of new RAC contracts.This hiatus was to allow for a smooth transition to the new RAC contractors, including the single, national […]
The O&P Almanac Wins Two Graphic Design Awards of Excellence
The O&P Almanac continues its award-winning performance netting TWO Graphic Design Awards of Excellence for the O&P Almanac from Graphic Design USA’s 53rd Annual Design Competition. The two entries submitted were the December 2015 and June 2016 issues. The December 2015 design will be featured in the Graphic Design USA Award issue. 2016 AMERICAN GRAPHIC […]
Noridian Prepayment Review Results
Noridian, the Jurisdiction D Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractor (DME MAC), recently released their quarterly results of its review for claims involving the HCPCS codes L1832, L1843, L0648, L0650 and L4361. Between April 2016 and July 2016 Noridian reviewed 161 claims involving the L1832 and 152 claims were denied; resulting in a 99% error/denial […]
AHRQ Announces Systematic Review of Clinical Literature on Lower Limb Prostheses
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 […]
O&P and Other Subject to RAC Audits Greatly Interested by U.S. District Court Decision to Reject an HHS Request for Delay of Court Action in Hospital Suit Challenging ALJ Delays in Excess of Statutory 90 Day
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 Design For All Showcase
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 […]