Tag: Orthotics and Prosthetics

The financial forecast for the orthotics and prosthetics market continues to be bullish, driven by increasing demand, product innovations and technological advancements. In a new market outlook report from Grand View Research, the global O&P market size is listed at $9.2 billion and is expected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate of 4.6% from 2020 to 2027. Researchers cite “increasing incidence of sports injuries and road accidents, rising number of diabetes-related amputations...

Harry “J.R.” Brandt has been volunteering with the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) for 28 years, nearly as long as he's been in the orthotics and prosthetics field.That spirit of helping others was recently recognized by the BOC, which honored Brandt with the inaugural Jim Newberry Award for Extraordinary Service. The award was created by the BOC last year to honor a beloved board member and long-time orthotics and prosthetics practitioner.“I've spent a lot of my life...

The orthotics and prosthetics market is undergoing extensive review by CMS about who should furnish the products and who should qualify for them. It could mean a change in the landscape and HME providers need to consider that, if they are currently working in the field or contemplating adding the category to their business mix.The CMS initiatives have been met with both acceptance and pushback. A proposed rule in January that aims to establish qualifications and requirements for certified O&P suppliers...

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate introduced bills last week that seek to apply accreditation and licensure requirements to O&P providers who bill Medicare.About one-third of O&P providers aren't accredited, says Tom Fise, executive director of the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association, which supports the bills.“Having bills introduced by members of both the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees is a good marker, in my mind (of the strength...

WASHINGTON -Congress has instructed the Department of Defense (DOD) to invest $10 million to research orthotics and prosthetics outcomes and support educational advances, according to the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA). Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., worked with the association to get the funding included in a recently enacted budget bill. AOPA is now in conversations with congressional offices and DOD officials to suggest some of the key areas where these funds should be spent.

WASHINGTON - If you ask a person with a prosthetic limb whether it's a good value, they are likely to laugh at you.“It's the difference between being up and walking, and living life in a wheelchair,” said Susan Stout, interim president and CEO of the Amputee Coalition, during an Aug. 27 press conference to announce the results of a new study.Proving that value to payers has been a tougher sell, so the coalition, which advocates for people with limb loss, commissioned a study compare the...

WASHINGTON - A new bipartisan bill seeks to prevent fraudulent Medicare payments for orthotics and prosthetics (O&P).Introduced Sept. 17 by Reps. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif., H.R. 3112, the Medicare Orthotics & Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2013, would require CMS to only pay for O&P services provided by accredited or licensed providers.“When unlicensed and unaccredited providers deliver prosthetic and orthotic services, both Medicare beneficiaries and the American taxpayer...

Dennis Clark got his start in prosthetics working as a janitor and technician at his father's O&P business in 1968 and obtained his own credentials in 1980. These days, he's a partner in Clark & Associates Prosthetics and Orthotics in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Clark spoke with HME News recently about how the nature of the O&P industry has changed, and why he's never wanted to do anything else.HME News: How has providing O&P changed in recent years?Dennis Clark: We've been protected to a certain extent...

WASHINGTON - An Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that says CMS pays too much for certain back braces misses the mark on some key points, say O&P stakeholders.The Dec. 17 report says that from 2008 to 2011, claims for L0631 back orthoses more than doubled, from $36 million to more than $96 million. With the devices offered in a variety of settings, from home medical equipment suppliers to physician offices, the reasons for the increase could vary, says Tom Fise.“Has the volume been uniform...

WASHINGTON - A bill that aims to tackle fraud and abuse in orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) could change the way some providers do business.The Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2012, S. 2125, was introduced in February by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. The bill seeks to curb fraud and abuse by: prohibiting Medicare payments to unlicensed providers in states that require O&P licensure; and implementing and enforcing accreditation standards for O&P identical to standards adopted by the...