The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics & Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released a new video webcast. In the association’s September webcast, NAAOP General Counsel Peter Thomas provides an update on the requirement of face-to-face physician visits, Medicare audits, and physician documentation of O&P care.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published a proposed “physician fee schedule rule,” which provides details about the statutory requirement for a face-to-face physician meeting to occur before any kind of durable medical equipment (DME) can be provided to a Medicare beneficiary. There was some question if CMS would extend this same face-to-face physician requirement to O&P as the statute permits CMS to do so. However, the proposed rule states it will not go forward and implement the face-to-face physician visit requirement for O&P at this time. This treats DME very differently than O&P, which is additional evidence that CMS recognizes a real difference in how it regulates DME and O&P, Thomas said, adding that the Orthotic & Prosthetic Alliance (O&P Alliance) and the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the Academy), which is part of the O&P Alliance, will be submitting comments to CMS regarding this proposed rule and supporting the exemption.
Further, problems with insufficient physician documentation to justify Medicare coverage and payment of O&P care continue to impact providers, manufacturers, and patients across the country. Thomas said that based on the calls being received by NAAOP from rank-and-file members, as well as comments on the OANDP-L listserv, this problem has reached a critical point.
“This is a major problem…that your Washington [DC]-based organizations, including NAAOP, are very focused on, and we are trying to make sure the federal government understands the concerns that are out there across the field,” Thomas said.
The webcast is posted on the NAAOP website, shared with members via e-mail, and made available through the NAAOP page on Facebook.
