Hot Off the Press

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  Academy Calls for Papers for 2021 Meeting The American Academy Of Orthotists & Prosthetists (the Academy) has called for abstracts, topics, and peer reviewers for its 2021 Academy Annual Meeting, which will feature in-person and virtual learning experiences. It is scheduled for February 1...
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  AOPA 2020 National Assembly Going Virtual The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) will hold its 2020 National Assembly virtually, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The assembly was scheduled to take place September 9-12 in Las Vegas, and it will now be delivered virtua...
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  Amputee Coalition Conference Going Virtual The Amputee Coalition announced that its 2020 National Conference, scheduled for August 20-22, will become an online virtual conference on those dates due to COVID-19. The Coalition said it is working to ensure the virtual conference will still ha...
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  Weight-activated Knee Joints May Cause Gait Deviation A research team assessed the gait patterns associated with two types of mechanical stance control prosthetic knee joints—a weight-activated braking knee and an automatic stance-phase locking knee. They concluded that stance control affects biomech...
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  Evidence Needed for Children’s Therapeutic Footwear An open-access study that explored the effectiveness of footwear as an intervention for mobility impairment in children found a limited number of studies that investigated the effects of therapeutic footwear and only in a narrow range of mobility...
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  3D-printed Soft Prosthesis Has Multi-articulation A research team in Australia addressed the gap between existing designs of soft prosthetic hands and the practical requirements highlighted in prosthetics research by considering the trade-offs between practicality and performance. Their design sa...
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  Paralympic Winter Sports Get New Logos The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) unveiled new brand identities for US Paralympics Alpine Skiing, Nordic Skiing, and Snowboarding. The move was intended to create unique identities for each sport and to raise awareness of...
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  LIMB-art Helps Support Armed Forces Covenant LIMB-art, Conwy, Wales, has become a supporter of the Armed Forces Covenant, which offers support to that those who serve or have served in the British armed forces and their families. LIMB-art, established by Paralympic swimmer and medallist Ma...
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  SBA Releases PPP Loan Forgiveness Application The Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the US Department of the Treasury, released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application and detailed instructions for completing the application. The PPP was crea...
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  OPAF Ending Operations The board of directors announced that OPAF and the First Clinics will be dissolving as of July 31. OPAF has been known for its philanthropy in the O&P community for the past 25 years. The board of directors said that OPAF, like many nonprofit o...
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  College Park Wins Design Competition College Park Industries, Warren, Michigan, won a Red Dot Award for the design of its Espire Elbow Pro prosthetic elbow. College Park collaborated with Altair Engineering and DornerWorks to win the design competition. "This Red Dot award valida...
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  Telehealth Fulfills Certifying Requirement for Diabetic Shoes, Face-to-Face Required for Shoe Fitting AOPA confirmed with the DME MACs that physicians may use telehealth to fulfill face-to-face encounter requirements for therapeutic shoes...
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  ABC Releases COVID-19 Impact Survey Report At the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC) created a survey to gauge the consequences of the pandemic emergency on ABC stakeholders. The survey focu...
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  Össur Acquires Technology From Standard Cyborg Össur Americas, Foothill Ranch, California, purchased the rights to proprietary design and visualization software used in the shape capture, design, and manufacture of prosthetics and orthotics from Standard Cyborg, San Francisco. The technology a...
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  NAAOP Webcast: A Personal COVID-19 Update Peter Thomas, JD, the general counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics & Prosthetics (NAAOP), lost his parents in the past two weeks to COVID-19 and now has the virus himself. In NAAOP's latest webcast, Thomas shares t...
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  CMS Updates COVID-19 FFS FAQs The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) billing during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The updated FAQs supplement the previously re...
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  Allard USA Offers O&P Business Support In response to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on O&P businesses, Allard USA, Rockaway, New Jersey, announced it is reducing its prices through 2020. "We care about our O&P community and want to help our orthotists be successful; reducing the...
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  Academy Sets O&P Research Priorities The American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists (the Academy) identified a list of O&P research priorities as a resource to inform future funding initiatives. The Academy's Research Council established a process to identify and prioritize resear...
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  Hanger Asks Suppliers to Delay Clinic Sales Calls Hanger, Austin, Texas, sent a letter to its suppliers providing guidance about   sales isits in light of COVID-19 social distancing efforts. Hanger asked that in-person sales calls to its facilities be delayed for at least 60 days for the safety o...
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  Paceline Helping Fight COVID-19 Paceline, Matthews, North Carolina, joined the fight against COVID-19 by producing ear loops for surgical masks. Joe Davant, president and CEO, said the company saw a need within the medical community and lent its expertise in the medical fabrics...
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  Wearable Sensors Give Different Mobility Results Than In-clinic Assessment A team of researchers explored the clinical viability of using wearable sensors to characterize the functional mobility of people with lower-limb amputations. The study results suggested that functional capacity measured in the lab was not necessa...
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  Study: C-LEG Users See Improved Function, Satisfaction Researchers in France observed the performance of active C-LEG users in terms of locomotor ability and activities, satisfaction, and quality of life in people with transfemoral amputations after six months of wearing the prosthesis in real-life co...
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  Five-year Follow-up Reports on Osseointegration Performance A five-year follow-up study reported on safety, prosthesis-wearing time, and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) for patients with femoral bone-anchored prostheses, and found that despite some adverse events, patient prosthetic use and HRQoL im...
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  BOC Offering Remote Proctored Testing The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) announced that candidates for certified orthotic fitter, certified mastectomy fitter, and certified durable medical equipment specialist can complete their certification exams remotely beginning in Ju...
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  Prosthetic Hand Touch Sensation Functions in Real-World Users For the first time, people with arm amputations can experience sensations of touch in a mind-controlled arm prosthesis that they use in everyday life. A study published April 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports on three Swedish pati...
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  Transfemoral Amputees With Running Prostheses Risk Greater Injury A study published online in Science Direct examined the vertical ground reaction force loading in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputations who used running-specific prostheses across a range of running speeds. The results suggested tha...
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  Bionic P&O Donates to Meals on Wheels Bionic Prosthetics and Orthotics, Merrillville, Indiana, donated $5,000 to Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana. "Meals on Wheels is a lifeline for our clients, now more than ever. Our ability to deliver over 1,200 meals daily, while keeping in to...
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  Additional Funding Available from HHS The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has begun distributing the remaining $20 billion of the $50 billion general distribution to Medicare providers allocated through the CARES Act. HHS said its goal is to augment providers' funding so...
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  CMS Reevaluates Accelerated Payment Program, Suspends Advance Payment Program The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it is reevaluating the amounts that will be paid under its Accelerated Payment Program and suspending...
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  CMS Adopts Temporary Policy for the CERT Program The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will not send documentation request letters to or conduct phone calls with providers or suppliers to request medical documentation as part of the Medicare Comprehensive Error Rate Tes...
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  O&P Agencies, Associations Express Support in ‘We Are United’ Video O&P agencies and associations have joined together in a collective voice to show support for the O&P profession during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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  O&P Practices Benefit From Stimulus Funding: Check Your Medicare Account Today The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) released a statement today to alert O&P providers to an important funding benefit included in the CARES Act, summarized below: Today the Centers for Medicare and Med...
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  NAAOP Highlights Programs to Help Offset COVID-19 The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released its latest webcast in which Peter W. Thomas, JD, details two new programs designed to help O&P businesses offset the financial burdens brought on the CO...
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  WillowWood Furloughs Some Employees WillowWood, Mount Sterling, Ohio, will furlough a significant number of its employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the situation improves, WillowWood expects to bring those employees back. WillowWood will also continue to remain focused on pro...
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  CMS Suspends Medical Reviews The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended most Medicare Fee-For-Service medical reviews during the public health emergency period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes pre-payment medical reviews conducted by Medicare Admi...
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  2020 NAAOP Fellowship Postponed Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has postponed its Fellowship program until the summer of 2021. The NAAOP Fellowship selection committee and board previously announced...
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  CMS Postpones O&P Prior Authorization, Makes Policy Changes The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will pause the prior authorization program for the national Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS). Prior authorization for six lower-limb prosth...
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  AOPA Advocates in COVID-19 Legislative Efforts The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) said it has been advocating on behalf of its members to ensure that the needs of O&P practitioners, suppliers, and patients are considered when drafting relief legislation in response to the...
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  Update: Össur Donating Swabs for COVID-19 Testing Össur, Reykjavik, Iceland, is donating 20,000 testing swabs similar to those used to test for COVID-19 that may be usable for the purpose. The number of coronavirus tests being administered in Iceland has decreased daily between March 18 and Marc...
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  Ability P&O Announces COVID-19 Protocol for PA, MD Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics, headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania, announced that it will keep its Pennsylvania and Maryland facilities closed, but will remain available by appointment to provide emergent services to patients and hospitals. Pa...
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  Help Available to File O&P COVID-19 Insurance Claims The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has partnered with Miller Friel, a business insurance law firm in Washington DC, to help O&P practices, manufacturers, and suppliers follow a step-by-step approach t...
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  A Step Ahead Offering Remote Patient Care A Step Ahead Prosthetics, with offices in Boston and Hicksville, New York, is offering remote access options for patients unable to travel to the office for prosthetic care. The company's Remote Assistance program is also available to patients of...
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  AOPA Provides COVID-19 Guidance As state and local governments begin to implement restrictions to population interaction in response to COVID-19, the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) provided its members with guidance regarding the continued operation of O&P b...
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  Hanger Monitoring COVID-19 Hanger, Austin, Texas, is continuing to monitor the evolving COVID-19 situation, specifically, guidance and updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), which will help it develop and imple...
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  Ropp Orthopedic Open During COVID-19 Outbreak Ropp Orthopedic Clinic, Commerce Township, Michigan, announced it is planning to remain open during the COVID-19 outbreak. "I know things have been changing on a day-to-day basis, but we are still open and practicing safe standards with our patien...
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  O&P Company Makes COVID-19 Patient Care Announcement Prosthetic Care Facility of Virginia, Leesburg, announced their plans to serve customers during COVID-19-related closures. The company said that aside from remaining open, owner John Hattingh, CP, LPO, CPO(SA),  will also be available through Face...
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  DMEPOS Replacement Rules Relaxed During COVID-19 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has permitted waivers regarding replacement of Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) to help Medicare beneficiaries impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and quaranti...
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  SBA to Make Economic Injury Disaster Loans Available in Response to Coronavirus The United Small Business Administration (SBA) will make low-interest working capital loans available to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic under the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. In addition,...
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  Updated: COVID-19 Postponements and Cancellations The following O&P organizations have announced cancellations and/or postponements of events due to the increasing spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
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  Coyote Prosthetics Closing to Quarantine Coyote Prosthetics, Twin Falls, Idaho, announced it will cease operations as of the end of business on Thursday, March 19 through April 6 to allow its patients and staff to quarantine due to the COVID-19 virus. "This decision was made in an effort...