Re: On the path to the slaughter house!
William Lifford
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: On the path to the slaughter house!
Creator:
William Lifford
Date:
8/1/2015
Text:
Hello Colleagues,
Jan is right... the Draft LCD is really troublesome for our field.
Some of the bullet points are:
- The removal of the word potential from all the K-Levels
- The assistive devices restrictions on K-Level -- meaning use of a
walker or crutches = automatic K1, use of a cane = automatic K2, no
assistive devices plus all previous K3 criteria = K3.
- The elimination of the bilaterals don't fit neatly into the K-Levels
wording
- The elimination of elevated vacuum sockets
- The insistence on primitive, barely functional preparatory
prostheses covered by one all-inclusive code
- The virtual elimination of many codes
- The prohibition of flexible inner socket code when using a gel liner
- The prohibition of auxiliary suspension systems
- The prohibition of flexible protective outer surface covering, except
in extremely limited cases/situations
There is a comment period that runs through August. Use this email address:
* <Email Address Redacted> < <Email Address Redacted> >*
to regicter your complaints, suggestions, and comments. Yes, those are
underscores between the words.
Bill Lifford, CP
Progressive O&P, Inc.
On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 8:03 AM, Jan Saunders < <Email Address Redacted> > wrote:
> We only have a very short period of time, a very short walk to the
> slaughter
> house, yet we sit by as we have always done idly and continue to allow this
> to happen To our profession, and to the patients we serve. Yes I am talking
> about the new PROPOSED changes to the LCD¹s, the guideline which CMS first,
> and then every other insurance company in the country will follow. Let¹s
> look at this, If Congress woman Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran who lost
> both lower extremities was covered by Medicare, which she will be someday,
> uses a cane to ambulate she would not qualify for the components she
> currently has and needs. ACA the largest amputee advocate group has the
> largest list of amputees in the country, yet they stand idly by and do
> nothing to head this change off, instead of being proactive by using their
> power to voice their disgust . By changing the LCD the way they are
> proposed, it will devastate our industry, as it will be devastating to
> 70%-80 % of the patients we serve.
>
> Don¹t you think we as practitioners and business people have insulated our
> patient population long enough? Haven¹t we given them components in the
> past
> where the cost has been coming out of our pockets? It is time to have
> them
> stand up for themselves with our support. There is only one way to stop
> this
> from passing, because if it does pass, you hold some level of
> responsibility for sitting by and not being proactive. Here is what you can
> do NOW! Designate one person in your office for 1 day to call every
> amputee you have ever seen in your office,. Inform them on what is about to
> happen to their benefits thru medicare, and for those not yet covered by
> medicare, private insurance will follow, as they always do when they see
> the money being save thru denial of services and components. If a patient
> uses a cane periodically they will not qualify for any advanced components.
> Don¹t misunderstand I am not advocating they are all K-3¹s, but all of the
> ones who are will loose.
>
> There is only a couple of weeks left for patients to call the news papers,
> Congressmen & women, Senators, State Representatives, any political figure
> who will listen. No political figure wants to have on there record , they
> are against helping the disabled, war veteran who are now covered by the
> VA,
> but will in the future bee covered by medicare. Tell them they must call
> today if we want to get this delayed for more discussion. It would help if
> you had local political figures office numbers available for them to copy
> down.
>
> Do it today or don¹t complain!
>
> Jan A. Saunders, CPO, LPO
>
>
>
>
>
>
Jan is right... the Draft LCD is really troublesome for our field.
Some of the bullet points are:
- The removal of the word potential from all the K-Levels
- The assistive devices restrictions on K-Level -- meaning use of a
walker or crutches = automatic K1, use of a cane = automatic K2, no
assistive devices plus all previous K3 criteria = K3.
- The elimination of the bilaterals don't fit neatly into the K-Levels
wording
- The elimination of elevated vacuum sockets
- The insistence on primitive, barely functional preparatory
prostheses covered by one all-inclusive code
- The virtual elimination of many codes
- The prohibition of flexible inner socket code when using a gel liner
- The prohibition of auxiliary suspension systems
- The prohibition of flexible protective outer surface covering, except
in extremely limited cases/situations
There is a comment period that runs through August. Use this email address:
* <Email Address Redacted> < <Email Address Redacted> >*
to regicter your complaints, suggestions, and comments. Yes, those are
underscores between the words.
Bill Lifford, CP
Progressive O&P, Inc.
On Thu, Jul 30, 2015 at 8:03 AM, Jan Saunders < <Email Address Redacted> > wrote:
> We only have a very short period of time, a very short walk to the
> slaughter
> house, yet we sit by as we have always done idly and continue to allow this
> to happen To our profession, and to the patients we serve. Yes I am talking
> about the new PROPOSED changes to the LCD¹s, the guideline which CMS first,
> and then every other insurance company in the country will follow. Let¹s
> look at this, If Congress woman Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran who lost
> both lower extremities was covered by Medicare, which she will be someday,
> uses a cane to ambulate she would not qualify for the components she
> currently has and needs. ACA the largest amputee advocate group has the
> largest list of amputees in the country, yet they stand idly by and do
> nothing to head this change off, instead of being proactive by using their
> power to voice their disgust . By changing the LCD the way they are
> proposed, it will devastate our industry, as it will be devastating to
> 70%-80 % of the patients we serve.
>
> Don¹t you think we as practitioners and business people have insulated our
> patient population long enough? Haven¹t we given them components in the
> past
> where the cost has been coming out of our pockets? It is time to have
> them
> stand up for themselves with our support. There is only one way to stop
> this
> from passing, because if it does pass, you hold some level of
> responsibility for sitting by and not being proactive. Here is what you can
> do NOW! Designate one person in your office for 1 day to call every
> amputee you have ever seen in your office,. Inform them on what is about to
> happen to their benefits thru medicare, and for those not yet covered by
> medicare, private insurance will follow, as they always do when they see
> the money being save thru denial of services and components. If a patient
> uses a cane periodically they will not qualify for any advanced components.
> Don¹t misunderstand I am not advocating they are all K-3¹s, but all of the
> ones who are will loose.
>
> There is only a couple of weeks left for patients to call the news papers,
> Congressmen & women, Senators, State Representatives, any political figure
> who will listen. No political figure wants to have on there record , they
> are against helping the disabled, war veteran who are now covered by the
> VA,
> but will in the future bee covered by medicare. Tell them they must call
> today if we want to get this delayed for more discussion. It would help if
> you had local political figures office numbers available for them to copy
> down.
>
> Do it today or don¹t complain!
>
> Jan A. Saunders, CPO, LPO
>
>
>
>
>
>
Citation
William Lifford, “Re: On the path to the slaughter house!,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/237605.
