Re: Urgent !:Federal legislative O&P initiative
Tony Barr
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Title:
Re: Urgent !:Federal legislative O&P initiative
Creator:
Tony Barr
Text:
Bob,I am responding to your e-mail and alll your recipients. I have stated before to you and to your board of directors in person at the legislative summit in February at your offices in Alexandria, I wanted unity and agreement by all the professional associations to support this legislative initiative.For the past 3 months I have been told to be patient and and not rock the boat.I have waited twenty years so I feel I have been patient.I agree that co-ordination with your sister orgainizations and NAAOP would have been the best scenerio.But you got to go with whatyou have!
To date,with the exception of ABC who has provided a position statement , unity and agreement on a simple one paragraph statement has yet to be delivered from AOPA or the Academy.I have read analogies of AOPA being structured like the senate with 850 voting members and 1900 facilities including suppliers.The control and decision making of supporting this one paragraph position statement apparently has opposition from the majority of your members or it would have been provided months ago.Who are these members?Certainly they are not the the culpurts that have been scrutenized by the October 1997 OIG report on Medicare orthotics or the unscrupulous durable medical equipment suppliers who have been billing medicare for medically unnecessary orthotics and questionable billings.As you know under the present system anyone with a HCFA provider number can provide and bill for orthotics.Certainly your membership is not immune to making the system more accountable with a new criteria that would require specific educational standards be established for these providers?
Your sister orgainization's Academy president Tom Brown recently eloquently pointed out that all O&P orgainizations are facing value scrutiny.The multitude of credential and membership orgainizations has fragmented the profession.Think of the power of a united profession for the mutual benefit of your profession as a whole.He also says this cant happen until,and unless,a vast majority of practitioners and business people trust each other.It cant happen until the need is so critical that each orgainization faces a crisis it can't handle on its own.It can't happen until the leadership of each orgainization recognizes the value of working together for a common cause.Think of the good we could do.
Tom is very perceptive.Maybe the trade associations have too many business people members and not enough practitioners that are willing to change the system and support the consumer, the taxpayer and Wexlers bill.One thing is for certain ,the crisis is now!The key to obtaining mutual benefits to the profession is unilateral support to this meaningful legislation from all the trade associations.
Regarding your inquiry of the degree of my support for Wexlers campaign commitee,I assure you we would not be this far if those contributions were not made.However support or not ,Congressman Wexler is focused on the need of the establishing industry standards(not regulation) for the benefit of the medicare consumer and all the tax payers who end up paying the frieght for the abuse of wide open billing practices by scammers and often times 'business people!
His tardiness of the introduction of this bill is most likely 1)awaiting the results of further investigations as to the culprits of O&P fraud and abuse and the associations to which they belong and 2) obtaining bipartisian support that has been promised by AOPA ,NAAOP and the Academy to get this accomplished this congressional year.
As to your accusation of slander,Iam merely stating that if one of AOPA's goals is to fight for fair reimbursement policies for their members and the physically challenged, here is your opportunity to rise to the occassion and put accountability and common sense into the system before demanding more money!
With or without you it's going to happen because the timing is now.
I applaud AOPA's prior commitment to reach out to help co-ordinate the efforts of all orgainizations.How are you doing?Hope to see you in Washington next week!Tony
.
To date,with the exception of ABC who has provided a position statement , unity and agreement on a simple one paragraph statement has yet to be delivered from AOPA or the Academy.I have read analogies of AOPA being structured like the senate with 850 voting members and 1900 facilities including suppliers.The control and decision making of supporting this one paragraph position statement apparently has opposition from the majority of your members or it would have been provided months ago.Who are these members?Certainly they are not the the culpurts that have been scrutenized by the October 1997 OIG report on Medicare orthotics or the unscrupulous durable medical equipment suppliers who have been billing medicare for medically unnecessary orthotics and questionable billings.As you know under the present system anyone with a HCFA provider number can provide and bill for orthotics.Certainly your membership is not immune to making the system more accountable with a new criteria that would require specific educational standards be established for these providers?
Your sister orgainization's Academy president Tom Brown recently eloquently pointed out that all O&P orgainizations are facing value scrutiny.The multitude of credential and membership orgainizations has fragmented the profession.Think of the power of a united profession for the mutual benefit of your profession as a whole.He also says this cant happen until,and unless,a vast majority of practitioners and business people trust each other.It cant happen until the need is so critical that each orgainization faces a crisis it can't handle on its own.It can't happen until the leadership of each orgainization recognizes the value of working together for a common cause.Think of the good we could do.
Tom is very perceptive.Maybe the trade associations have too many business people members and not enough practitioners that are willing to change the system and support the consumer, the taxpayer and Wexlers bill.One thing is for certain ,the crisis is now!The key to obtaining mutual benefits to the profession is unilateral support to this meaningful legislation from all the trade associations.
Regarding your inquiry of the degree of my support for Wexlers campaign commitee,I assure you we would not be this far if those contributions were not made.However support or not ,Congressman Wexler is focused on the need of the establishing industry standards(not regulation) for the benefit of the medicare consumer and all the tax payers who end up paying the frieght for the abuse of wide open billing practices by scammers and often times 'business people!
His tardiness of the introduction of this bill is most likely 1)awaiting the results of further investigations as to the culprits of O&P fraud and abuse and the associations to which they belong and 2) obtaining bipartisian support that has been promised by AOPA ,NAAOP and the Academy to get this accomplished this congressional year.
As to your accusation of slander,Iam merely stating that if one of AOPA's goals is to fight for fair reimbursement policies for their members and the physically challenged, here is your opportunity to rise to the occassion and put accountability and common sense into the system before demanding more money!
With or without you it's going to happen because the timing is now.
I applaud AOPA's prior commitment to reach out to help co-ordinate the efforts of all orgainizations.How are you doing?Hope to see you in Washington next week!Tony
.
Citation
Tony Barr, “Re: Urgent !:Federal legislative O&P initiative,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/210308.
