AOPA NEWS ALERT
AOPA
Description
Collection
Title:
AOPA NEWS ALERT
Creator:
AOPA
Date:
9/13/2002
Text:
A NEW FRONT IN THE BATTLE AGAINST COMPETITVE BIDDING:
AOPA Outlines Case Against O&P Competitive Bidding To Medicare Commission
In a meeting yesterday of the highly respected Medicare Payment Advisory
Commission (MedPAC), AOPA outlined its case in opposition to competitive
bidding for orthotic and prosthetic services.
In the Association's presentation to the Commission, AOPA's director of
legislative affairs Walter Gorski told the panel that AOPA believes farming
out health care services simply to the low or lowest bidder is unwise...that
[such a program] would restrict access to trained providers who are skilled
in the provision of orthotic and prosthetic devices and that it would
adversely affect the quality of orthotic and prosthetic services.
MedPAC is an independent federal body, created by the U.S. Congress, to
advise lawmakers on issues affecting the Medicare program. The Commission's
17 members meet publicly several times a year to discuss health care policy
and make policy recommendations to the Congress. According to MedPAC staff,
the panel is currently collecting information on alternative Medicare
payment mechanisms such as competitive bidding. Congress has traditionally
viewed MedPAC as an unbiased resource and has adopted many of its policy
recommendations.
The panel is looking to develop a policy recommendation, expected to be
published in June 2003, examining the feasibility of competitive bidding for
DMEPOS services based on the Medicare demonstration projects in Florida and
Texas. MedPAC is also looking at whether competitive bidding or alternative
payment mechanisms would be appropriate for other health care services.
Following the meeting Gorski said, AOPA took the initial step today
outlining the negative effects competitive bidding would have on patients as
well as the O&P profession. We also offered to serve as a resource to the
MedPAC panel as they work toward a policy recommendation. Gorski added,
Our concern, however, is that due to the pace of congressional activity on
this issue, any recommendation will be too late and Congress, in a
shortsighted effort to save money for other Medicare priorities, will start
the ball rolling on this issue before the implications of competitive
bidding are thoroughly examined.
While several commissioners raised concerns about competitive bidding for
health care services, AOPA views this panel as favoring competitive bidding
to reduce Medicare expenditures. AOPA is extremely concerned that if MedPAC
finds nothing wrong with the current limited demonstration projects now
underway in Florida and Texas, one of which includes certain orthotic
services, it would then recommend mandating nationwide competitive bidding
to all prefabricated devices, the full range of custom fabricated orthotic
services and even all prosthetic services.
American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA)
www.aopanet.org
330 John Carlyle Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314
Ph: 571/431-0876 Fax: 571/431-0899
Email: <Email Address Redacted>
AOPA has been delivering successful, cost-effective business products and
solutions for over 85 years.
AOPA Knows the Business of O&P. Become a member today!
AOPA Outlines Case Against O&P Competitive Bidding To Medicare Commission
In a meeting yesterday of the highly respected Medicare Payment Advisory
Commission (MedPAC), AOPA outlined its case in opposition to competitive
bidding for orthotic and prosthetic services.
In the Association's presentation to the Commission, AOPA's director of
legislative affairs Walter Gorski told the panel that AOPA believes farming
out health care services simply to the low or lowest bidder is unwise...that
[such a program] would restrict access to trained providers who are skilled
in the provision of orthotic and prosthetic devices and that it would
adversely affect the quality of orthotic and prosthetic services.
MedPAC is an independent federal body, created by the U.S. Congress, to
advise lawmakers on issues affecting the Medicare program. The Commission's
17 members meet publicly several times a year to discuss health care policy
and make policy recommendations to the Congress. According to MedPAC staff,
the panel is currently collecting information on alternative Medicare
payment mechanisms such as competitive bidding. Congress has traditionally
viewed MedPAC as an unbiased resource and has adopted many of its policy
recommendations.
The panel is looking to develop a policy recommendation, expected to be
published in June 2003, examining the feasibility of competitive bidding for
DMEPOS services based on the Medicare demonstration projects in Florida and
Texas. MedPAC is also looking at whether competitive bidding or alternative
payment mechanisms would be appropriate for other health care services.
Following the meeting Gorski said, AOPA took the initial step today
outlining the negative effects competitive bidding would have on patients as
well as the O&P profession. We also offered to serve as a resource to the
MedPAC panel as they work toward a policy recommendation. Gorski added,
Our concern, however, is that due to the pace of congressional activity on
this issue, any recommendation will be too late and Congress, in a
shortsighted effort to save money for other Medicare priorities, will start
the ball rolling on this issue before the implications of competitive
bidding are thoroughly examined.
While several commissioners raised concerns about competitive bidding for
health care services, AOPA views this panel as favoring competitive bidding
to reduce Medicare expenditures. AOPA is extremely concerned that if MedPAC
finds nothing wrong with the current limited demonstration projects now
underway in Florida and Texas, one of which includes certain orthotic
services, it would then recommend mandating nationwide competitive bidding
to all prefabricated devices, the full range of custom fabricated orthotic
services and even all prosthetic services.
American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA)
www.aopanet.org
330 John Carlyle Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314
Ph: 571/431-0876 Fax: 571/431-0899
Email: <Email Address Redacted>
AOPA has been delivering successful, cost-effective business products and
solutions for over 85 years.
AOPA Knows the Business of O&P. Become a member today!
Citation
AOPA, “AOPA NEWS ALERT,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/219564.
