The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released a new video webcast in which NAAOP General Counsel Peter Thomas urges the O&P industry to support Senate Bill 2125 (S. 2125), known as the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act.
According to Thomas, S. 2125, which is updated and refined legislation from companion bill HR 1958, would primarily do three things. If are in a licensure state, Medicare will not pay unless you are in compliance with that licensure law. It would tell the Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services (CMS) to relook at all of the accreditors that it has designated or deemed to have status as accreditors of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) and to ensure that those accreditation organizations are in compliance with a 2000 federal law that requires that the standards for accreditation and certification be equivalent to those standards that are implemented by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC) and the Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC). Finally, it would link provider payment with quality standards, and would divide the O&P benefit according to skill level.
The webcast is posted on the NAAOP website and on oandp.com, shared with members via e-mail, and made available through the NAAOP page on Facebook.
