In a September vote, the Alabama legislature’s Sunset Committee moved to disband the state’s O&P board. In an August session, the Sunset Committee met with the Alabama Board of Prosthetists and Orthotists to discuss whether state licensure was necessary and whether the board was financially sustainable.
At the August meeting, board members told the committee that it is collecting less revenue as practitioners retire or leave the state, and that it cut the executive director’s pay to slow declines in its reserves. The board also noted that there is a statewide shortage of O&P providers, which delays patient appointments.
The board members clarified for the legislators that in states without licensure, practitioners who bill Medicare must be certified by the American Board of Certification for Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthics or the Board of Certification/Accreditation, and that some practitioners lacked the educational standards now required for certification.
