The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) is hosting the 2022 Virtual Congressional Fly-in on Thursday, July 28.
The day-long event is designed to help encourage Congress to pass the Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act (H.R. 1990 and S. 2556) as well as to educate policymakers on impending policy issues involving osseointegration (OI). NAAOP has a target list of Senate and House members that they will be reaching out during the event.
The Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act would accomplish key priorities for the orthotic and prosthetic profession which would help distinguish O&P clinical care from durable medical equipment (DME).:
- Limits the definition of off-the-shelf (OTS) orthotics to devices that truly require only “minimal self-adjustment” by the beneficiary only
- Bans drop-shipping to patients of custom fit and custom fabricated orthoses and prostheses to ensure access to clinical care, and
- Exempts licensed and certified O&P practitioners from OTS competitive bidding, treating them similarly to physicians and therapists by allowing them to provide OTS orthoses to their patients without a contract at the competitive bidding rate.
The virtual meeting will also include a discussion on OI in an effort to educate legislators and inform policy.
The two Breece Fellows, Lucas T. DeLuca & Nikki Grace-Strader, have organized the event and Grace-Strader will discuss her experiences with OI.
For more information on the virtual event, visit the NAAOP website.
