Major Bills Introduced and Policies Advanced as COVID-19 Drags On

Significant developments occurred over the past several weeks impacting the orthotics and prosthetics community including the following: Introduction of Senate Bill 4503: Senators Daines (R-MT), Warner (D-VA), Cassidy (R-LA), Duckworth (D-IL), and Cornyn (R-TX) and introduced S. 4503, a companion bill to H.R. 5262, the Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act of 2020.  This long-awaited legislation is bipartisan, mirrors the House version of the bill, and provides the O&P community with a legislative goal in the Senate. S. 4503 separates DME … read more

Major Medicare and VA Developments Impact O&P Care

As the Trump Administration continues to grapple with the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the nation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and the Veterans Health Administration (“VHA”) recently announced policy developments that impact the provision and reimbursement of orthotic and prosthetic care.   CMS Moves Forward with Prior Authorization for Six Lower Limb Prosthetic Codes   On July 1, 2020, CMS announced that it will require prior authorization for six lower limb prosthetic Healthcare Common Procedure … read more

NAAOP Works with O&P Alliance to Request Telehealth Coverage of O&P Care

In response to member requests, NAAOP has been working with the Orthotic and Prosthetic Alliance organizations over the past several weeks on a proposal for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to authorize appropriately credentialed orthotists and prosthetists to submit claims for certain Medicare services furnished virtually (through telehealth) during the COVID-19 public health emergency.  This initiative culminated in an O&P Alliance letter submitted to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Alex Azar, as well as … read more