Bill Includes Comp Bidding

Legislation which includes competitive bidding for all orthotic services that are not custom fabricated was unveiled by the Senate Finance Committee October 1.

The provision, termed "onerous" by the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) is part of a bipartisan $43 billion Medicare reform package, the Beneficiary Access to Care and Medicare Equity Act of 2002.

"AOPA has raised strong objections to this provision and is making every effort to limit the scope of any proposal that would permit competitive bidding for orthotic devices," the association said in an Internet posting.

The Senate Medicare competitive bidding proposal would, according to AOPA:

Allow Medicare to competitively bid all orthotic devices, other than custom-fabricated orthotics as defined by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; Allow for the continuation of the current Medicare competitive bidding demonstration projects now underway in Polk County, Florida and San Antonio, Texas; Be phased in over a four-year period with at least one-fourth of competitive bidding areas established in 2003, one-half in 2004 and three-fourths in 2005; Initially be applied only to Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) with a population in excess of 500,000 (about one-third of the nation); however, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may expand the program to additional areas if he determines that there is clear evidence that the program will result in savings and will not reduce access, diversity, product selection or quality; Require winning bidders to meet quality and financial standards specified by the Secretary or developed by accreditation entities or organizations recognized by the Secretary; Require winning bidders to comply with all federal and state licensure and regulatory requirements; Exclude entities that have been suspended from the Medicare program by any Durable Medical Equipment Regional Carrier (DMERC) anti-fraud unit for billing for items or services not furnished within the previous 12 months of submitting a bid; Stipulate that bids must be lower than what Medicare would have otherwise paid including costs associated with the administration of the contract; Allow small suppliers to join together to form networks for bidding purposes, as long as the combined market share of such suppliers does not exceed 25 percent; Sanction various studies to analyze the impact of this proposal including the effect of competitive bidding on the development of new technology and the coding of such items; Permit competitive bidding for all durable medical equipment and inhalation drugs used in conjunction with durable medical equipment (other than items used in infusion therapy); and Allow the Secretary to create competitive bidding demonstration projects for chiropractic, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, optometric, and other medically related services. Physicians were explicitly exempted from any form of competitive bidding.

Bill Includes Comp Bidding

OPAF Legacy Program

DeRoyal Leaves NOMA

DeRoyal Leaves NOMA

O&P JOBS

Orthotics and Prosthetics Assistant

Certified Orthotist — Full-Time or Part-Time, Pediatric Practice

Certified Prosthetist / Orthotist (CPO/CP/CO)

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Bill Includes Comp Bidding

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Related posts:

OPAF Legacy Program

DeRoyal Leaves NOMA

DeRoyal Leaves NOMA

O&P JOBS

Orthotics and Prosthetics Assistant

Certified Orthotist — Full-Time or Part-Time, Pediatric Practice

Certified Prosthetist / Orthotist (CPO/CP/CO)

Get unlimited access!

EDGE DIRECT

Not enough quota to unlock this post