Non-American Members of the List, please forgive us again for talking
American Politics, but understanding the uniqueness of O&P is critical
to all of us. (And forgive Steve for his “Call to Arms” pun by a
prosthetist.)
It was also my 1st time at the Forum and I want to echo Steve’s comments
and also thank and complement the AOPA staff and NAAOP’s General
Council Peter Thomas. They did a great job preparing us for the “trip
up the hill” and made us comfortable meeting with the Members of
Congress or their staffers. For those of you that could not attend, I
encourage you to contact your Senators and Representative(s) NOW while
O&P is still fresh in their minds. Contact Walt Gorski at AOPA for the
four contact points that where brought up at the Forum and with the
Members of Congress. Because of the Anthrax problem, sending an e-mail
to D.C. or contacting them though their local district office is the
best way to get our message to Congress .
Again, contact them NOW! It is your professional responsibility.
Terry Supan, CPO, FAAOP, FISOP
Steven L. Fries, CPO wrote:
>Dear Friends and Colleagues:
> Some words of encouragement seem to be in order following the efforts of
>well over one hundred practitioners from every state in the nation who
>presented their concerns to Congress last week as part of the AOPA Policy Forum in
>Washington, DC. This was the first time I had chosen to participate in a
>political exercise such as this because, like you, I had grown weary of unnecessary
>Medicare audits, demands for copious amounts of documentation, arbitrary
>denials, redeterminations, hearings, etc., and decided that something had to be
>done. Filing appeals, writing letters and complaining to Medicare was not
>making a significant difference despite the fact that, like you, I was operating in
>good faith and submitting clean claims based clearly on medical need. My
>feeling was that if I was not willing to take a personal stand and involve myself
>in some organized attempt to resolve issues adversely affecting patient care
>and the operation (survival) of my practice, indeed, our profession, then I no
>longer had any right to complain. I chose to enlist in AOPA’s ascent upon
>Washington to make legislators and policymakers aware of the threats facing our
>patients and our profession and discovered that I was able to play a part in a
>very well organized campaign which will decide our goals, our objectives and
>our future.
> It’s do-or-die time. We are all acutely aware of the serious challenges
>facing us and, as individuals and as a profession, we MUST become more
>proactive in our efforts to overcome them. I would like to encourage as many
>practitioners as possible to get involved by scheduling appointments with your local
>congressional representatives, attending and actively participating in your
>state meetings, supporting state licensure, making donations to the AOPA
>political action committee and… by supporting the profession that is supporting
>you. You are needed now! There is strength in numbers and we need to make our
>voices heard! If you love what you do and would like to make a difference,
>sign up today! Don’t wait! If you would like to help change Medicare’s
>reimbursement policies, put an end to fraudulent billing by unqualified non-licensed
>personnel, affect the SNF’s non-payment for orthotics, challenge the PT’s
>attempts to expand their scope of practice to include what YOU have been
>clinically trained to do and help to thaw the payment freeze that has been in effect
>since 2003, then by all means, join the fray! Get involved! It is the mark of
>a professional.
> I will step off of my soap box now, but needed to encourage as many as
>possible to join this call to arms. It’s important to us all and to the
>patients we serve and care for. Thank you for indulging me on this most critical
>matter.
>With best wishes to all,
>Steven Fries, LPO
>
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