NAAOP Has Busy Month on Capitol Hill
NAAOP
Description
Collection
Title:
NAAOP Has Busy Month on Capitol Hill
Creator:
NAAOP
Date:
6/7/2010
Text:
NAAOP Has Busy Month on Capitol Hill
NAAOP leadership came to Washington in May in conjunction with the O&P
Policy Forum organized by the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.
This year's Policy Forum was very successful and well attended. The timing
could not have been better considering the range of O&P policy priorities at
stake. Working with and through a variety of other organizations, NAAOP can
report the following:
.. NAAOP President, Tom Guth, CPO, along with Executive Director, George
Breece, and General Counsel, Peter Thomas, met with House Veterans Affairs
Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) to continue to press NAAOP's goal of
enacting an Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights. Chairman Filner
continues to be committed to reintroduction and eventual passage of this
legislation. This bill would create a list of rights that all veterans in
need of O&P care could use to obtain optimal treatment.
.. NAAOP participated, as a member of the O&P Alliance, in a meeting with the
top fraud and abuse official at CMS, Peter Budetti, Deputy Administrator of
Program Integrity. A comprehensive presentation was made that outlined the
laws and regulations that CMS could be, and should be, actively enforcing to
link Medicare payment with the qualifications of practitioners/suppliers and
the complexity of the O&P care provided.
.. As a member of the O&P Alliance, NAAOP participated in a meeting with
representatives of consumer and disability organizations whose members rely
on prosthetic and orthotic care to familiarize them with the O&P policy
agenda including coverage of O&P as an essential benefit, O&P parity,
linking quality and qualifications, the new medical device tax, threats to
O&P coverage in Medicaid programs, and the status of research in the O&P
field. Over a dozen organizations participated in the meeting including the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Brain Injury Association of
America, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, United Spinal Association and
ACA.
.. NAAOP's President, Tom Guth, participated in a fundraising event for
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the sponsor of the newly-introduced federal O&P
parity legislation in the Senate. Senator Harkin delivered compelling
remarks that clearly established his personal commitment to ensuring access
to high quality O&P care to all who require it.
.. On the Medicaid front, the proposed cuts in O&P coverage beginning to
appear in a number of states will accelerate if Congress does not include a
6-month extension of Medicaid funding increases for states to cope with
rising budget deficits. Congress will work throughout June to enact a jobs
bill which also extends certain tax provisions and it is vital that Medicaid
funding is included in this final bill-it was stripped out of the House bill
in late May-to avert deeper cuts in coverage of O&P care.
.. On the regulatory front, CMS issued a Final Interim Rule that goes into
effect in early July that requires a variety of new documentation, ordering,
referral, and enrollment requirements for DMEPOS suppliers. NAAOP will be
working through the O&P Alliance to submit comments to this new rule.
Please visit our website at: www.naaop.org
NAAOP
1501 M Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-1700
e-mail: <Email Address Redacted>
(800) 622-6740
(202) 624-0064 Phone
(202) 785-1756 Fax
www.naaop.org
NAAOP leadership came to Washington in May in conjunction with the O&P
Policy Forum organized by the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.
This year's Policy Forum was very successful and well attended. The timing
could not have been better considering the range of O&P policy priorities at
stake. Working with and through a variety of other organizations, NAAOP can
report the following:
.. NAAOP President, Tom Guth, CPO, along with Executive Director, George
Breece, and General Counsel, Peter Thomas, met with House Veterans Affairs
Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) to continue to press NAAOP's goal of
enacting an Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights. Chairman Filner
continues to be committed to reintroduction and eventual passage of this
legislation. This bill would create a list of rights that all veterans in
need of O&P care could use to obtain optimal treatment.
.. NAAOP participated, as a member of the O&P Alliance, in a meeting with the
top fraud and abuse official at CMS, Peter Budetti, Deputy Administrator of
Program Integrity. A comprehensive presentation was made that outlined the
laws and regulations that CMS could be, and should be, actively enforcing to
link Medicare payment with the qualifications of practitioners/suppliers and
the complexity of the O&P care provided.
.. As a member of the O&P Alliance, NAAOP participated in a meeting with
representatives of consumer and disability organizations whose members rely
on prosthetic and orthotic care to familiarize them with the O&P policy
agenda including coverage of O&P as an essential benefit, O&P parity,
linking quality and qualifications, the new medical device tax, threats to
O&P coverage in Medicaid programs, and the status of research in the O&P
field. Over a dozen organizations participated in the meeting including the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Brain Injury Association of
America, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, United Spinal Association and
ACA.
.. NAAOP's President, Tom Guth, participated in a fundraising event for
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), the sponsor of the newly-introduced federal O&P
parity legislation in the Senate. Senator Harkin delivered compelling
remarks that clearly established his personal commitment to ensuring access
to high quality O&P care to all who require it.
.. On the Medicaid front, the proposed cuts in O&P coverage beginning to
appear in a number of states will accelerate if Congress does not include a
6-month extension of Medicaid funding increases for states to cope with
rising budget deficits. Congress will work throughout June to enact a jobs
bill which also extends certain tax provisions and it is vital that Medicaid
funding is included in this final bill-it was stripped out of the House bill
in late May-to avert deeper cuts in coverage of O&P care.
.. On the regulatory front, CMS issued a Final Interim Rule that goes into
effect in early July that requires a variety of new documentation, ordering,
referral, and enrollment requirements for DMEPOS suppliers. NAAOP will be
working through the O&P Alliance to submit comments to this new rule.
Please visit our website at: www.naaop.org
NAAOP
1501 M Street, NW
7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005-1700
e-mail: <Email Address Redacted>
(800) 622-6740
(202) 624-0064 Phone
(202) 785-1756 Fax
www.naaop.org
Citation
NAAOP, “NAAOP Has Busy Month on Capitol Hill,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 19, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/231635.
