The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released a new video webcast that provides updates on the Veterans Affairs (VA) Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights (VA Bill of Rights) and the Lower Limb Prosthesis Electronic Clinical Template.
In the video, NAAOP General Counsel Peter Thomas, JD, said that in the past month, the House has reintroduced the Insurance Fairness for Amputees Act, the Medicare O&P Improvement Act is pending reintroduction, and a bipartisan group of representatives are considering reintroduction of the VA Bill of Rights. He added that there is a strong bipartisan commitment to finally address VA prosthetics through legislation, and NAAOP is working closely with key members of Congress to ultimately reintroduce the VA Bill of Rights this fall and prepare the bill for final passage.
Regarding the Lower Limb Prosthesis Electronic Clinical Template, Thomas said that although the process the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has used to introduce and discuss this template does not constitute formal notice and comment procedures, NAAOP has provided significant feedback to CMS, both individually and in concert with the O&P Alliance. NAAOP reports that chief among its comments has been the importance of streamlining the lengthy and detailed template, shifting the focus from medical conditions to functional status and potential, and ensuring that the prosthetist’s records are afforded proper weight in the process of determining medical necessity of prosthetic care.
The webcast is posted on the NAAOP website, shared with members via e-mail, and made available through the NAAOP page on Facebook.
