"WE THE PEOPLE" PETITION GARNERS 100,000 SIGNATURES IN 17 DAYS
NAAOP
Description
Collection
Title:
"WE THE PEOPLE" PETITION GARNERS 100,000 SIGNATURES IN 17 DAYS
Creator:
NAAOP
Date:
8/17/2015
Text:
PRESS STATEMENT
August 17, 2015 (11:08 a.m. Eastern Time)
Contact: Peter W. Thomas
(800) 622-6740
<Email Address Redacted>
WE THE PEOPLE PETITION GARNERS 100,000 SIGNATURES IN 17 DAYS
White House Obligated to Respond to Request to Rescind Draft LCD
Washington, D.C. - The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics
and Prosthetics (NAAOP) announced today that it had surpassed the 100,000
signature mark on its We the People White House petition. The petition,
which calls for the Obama Administration to rescind the Medicare proposal
restricting access to prosthetic limbs and returning amputees to 1970's
standards of care, started only 17 days ago. Achievement of this milestone
requires the White House to formally respond to the petition's rescission
request.
This is a significant achievement, said David McGill, President of NAAOP
and an above-knee amputee himself. 100,000 signatures in only 17 days
demonstrates that the public recognizes the major deficiencies of the draft
LCD. Clearly, the restrictions on access to appropriate care resulting from
this proposed policy resonate with amputees, the health care professionals
who treat them, and the American public. NAAOP looks forward to the White
House's response.
Peter Thomas, General Counsel for NAAOP and counsel to the O&P Alliance, a
coalition of orthotic and prosthetic organizations, noted that the 40-page
proposed LCD completely re-writes coverage, coding and reimbursement policy
for artificial legs in a way that will severely limit access to modern
technology and standards of prosthetic care. As a bilateral below-knee
amputee since age ten, I have witnessed modern prosthetic care become an
American health care success story. The Proposed LCD will relegate amputees
like me to antiquated and less functional prostheses. It will turn back the
clock on lower limb amputees, who in recent years have achieved remarkable
levels of health, function, activity, and independence, he said.
Numerous organizations endorsed and promoted the petition, including the
Amputee Coalition, a consumer organization, as well as professional
organizations such as the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA),
the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP), the American
Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC), the
Board of Certification, International (BOC), the National Commission on
Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) as well as multiple organizations
representing rehabilitation hospitals, physician organizations and
disability groups through a coalition known as the ITEM Coalition.
NAAOP helped coordinate efforts by designing a webpage at
www.SaveProsthetics.org which proved to be highly effective in educating the
amputee, the prosthetic profession, and the general public about this
issue, stated Paul Prusakowski, Past President of NAAOP and a certified
prosthetist. The site has a wealth of information on this proposed policy.
George Breece, Executive Director of NAAOP, pointed out that cracking the
100,000 signature mark is only the first step in a multi-pronged effort to
get the draft LCD rescinded. While we're gratified at the response to the
petition, there are still a number of actions we need people to take in
order to keep the momentum rolling and build on the petition's success.
Formal comments on the draft policy must be submitted to the government by
the end of August and the DME MACs are holding a public meeting on August
26th to obtain comments about the proposed policy. NAAOP intends to be
highly engaged in these ongoing efforts, Breece said, adding, Medicare
patients paid all their lives to receive care when they need it. They
deserve better than this policy allows in their time of need.
We encourage all members of the public who care about access to health care
to submit comments to the Medicare contractors on this policy. The
www.SaveProsthetics.org webpage has everything anyone needs to make this
happen, stated Ashlie White, Chair of NAAOP's Social Media Committee and
member of the NAAOP Executive Committee. Anyone can find out more by
linking to NAAOP's Twitter ( <URL Redacted>) and Facebook page
( <URL Redacted>
As a practicing prosthetist who treats amputees every day, I can attest to
the absurdity of this Proposed LCD and the furor it has set off in the
amputee community, stated Jim Rogers, CPO and NAAOP Vice President. The
policy ties the hands of prosthetists, physicians and therapists in
designing the optimal treatment plan for each individual patient and,
thereby, does a disserve to Medicare beneficiaries and, eventually, all
lower limb amputees who use prostheses to function, he said, adding, The
policy must be stopped in its tracks.
************
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
August 17, 2015 (11:08 a.m. Eastern Time)
Contact: Peter W. Thomas
(800) 622-6740
<Email Address Redacted>
WE THE PEOPLE PETITION GARNERS 100,000 SIGNATURES IN 17 DAYS
White House Obligated to Respond to Request to Rescind Draft LCD
Washington, D.C. - The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics
and Prosthetics (NAAOP) announced today that it had surpassed the 100,000
signature mark on its We the People White House petition. The petition,
which calls for the Obama Administration to rescind the Medicare proposal
restricting access to prosthetic limbs and returning amputees to 1970's
standards of care, started only 17 days ago. Achievement of this milestone
requires the White House to formally respond to the petition's rescission
request.
This is a significant achievement, said David McGill, President of NAAOP
and an above-knee amputee himself. 100,000 signatures in only 17 days
demonstrates that the public recognizes the major deficiencies of the draft
LCD. Clearly, the restrictions on access to appropriate care resulting from
this proposed policy resonate with amputees, the health care professionals
who treat them, and the American public. NAAOP looks forward to the White
House's response.
Peter Thomas, General Counsel for NAAOP and counsel to the O&P Alliance, a
coalition of orthotic and prosthetic organizations, noted that the 40-page
proposed LCD completely re-writes coverage, coding and reimbursement policy
for artificial legs in a way that will severely limit access to modern
technology and standards of prosthetic care. As a bilateral below-knee
amputee since age ten, I have witnessed modern prosthetic care become an
American health care success story. The Proposed LCD will relegate amputees
like me to antiquated and less functional prostheses. It will turn back the
clock on lower limb amputees, who in recent years have achieved remarkable
levels of health, function, activity, and independence, he said.
Numerous organizations endorsed and promoted the petition, including the
Amputee Coalition, a consumer organization, as well as professional
organizations such as the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA),
the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP), the American
Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC), the
Board of Certification, International (BOC), the National Commission on
Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) as well as multiple organizations
representing rehabilitation hospitals, physician organizations and
disability groups through a coalition known as the ITEM Coalition.
NAAOP helped coordinate efforts by designing a webpage at
www.SaveProsthetics.org which proved to be highly effective in educating the
amputee, the prosthetic profession, and the general public about this
issue, stated Paul Prusakowski, Past President of NAAOP and a certified
prosthetist. The site has a wealth of information on this proposed policy.
George Breece, Executive Director of NAAOP, pointed out that cracking the
100,000 signature mark is only the first step in a multi-pronged effort to
get the draft LCD rescinded. While we're gratified at the response to the
petition, there are still a number of actions we need people to take in
order to keep the momentum rolling and build on the petition's success.
Formal comments on the draft policy must be submitted to the government by
the end of August and the DME MACs are holding a public meeting on August
26th to obtain comments about the proposed policy. NAAOP intends to be
highly engaged in these ongoing efforts, Breece said, adding, Medicare
patients paid all their lives to receive care when they need it. They
deserve better than this policy allows in their time of need.
We encourage all members of the public who care about access to health care
to submit comments to the Medicare contractors on this policy. The
www.SaveProsthetics.org webpage has everything anyone needs to make this
happen, stated Ashlie White, Chair of NAAOP's Social Media Committee and
member of the NAAOP Executive Committee. Anyone can find out more by
linking to NAAOP's Twitter ( <URL Redacted>) and Facebook page
( <URL Redacted>
As a practicing prosthetist who treats amputees every day, I can attest to
the absurdity of this Proposed LCD and the furor it has set off in the
amputee community, stated Jim Rogers, CPO and NAAOP Vice President. The
policy ties the hands of prosthetists, physicians and therapists in
designing the optimal treatment plan for each individual patient and,
thereby, does a disserve to Medicare beneficiaries and, eventually, all
lower limb amputees who use prostheses to function, he said, adding, The
policy must be stopped in its tracks.
************
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, “"WE THE PEOPLE" PETITION GARNERS 100,000 SIGNATURES IN 17 DAYS,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/237547.
