1/15/2008
NAAOP 2008 Priorities and 2007 Accomplishments
NAAOP 2008 Priorities:
NAAOP will work to ensure that the O&P field maintains its 2008 Medicare CPI update, as well as subsequent increases as Congress considers Medicare legislation throughout this year.
NAAOP will work to compel CMS to heighten quality standards and qualifications of suppliers of O&P care and link these requirements to payment under the program.
NAAOP will work to ensure that orthotics and prosthetics continue to be excluded from the Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment and supplies.
NAAOP will advocate for enhanced federal funding for research and education in the O&P field.
NAAOP will continue to work with the VA and DoD to improve research and access to O&P care for injured soldiers, including the establishment of a Veteran Amputee “Bill of Rights.”
NAAOP 2007 Accomplishments:
NAAOP worked closely with the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees to ensure that the O&P field received its scheduled 2008 Medicare CPI update of approximately 2.7% over current fees. This was particularly important during the negotiations of an end-of-the-year Medicare bill in which many Medicare providers were facing potential cuts to pay for a physician payment fix. NAAOP also met with key policymakers to discuss the need to improve CMS standards as well as qualifications of suppliers of quality O&P care.
NAAOP met with Congressional leaders on the Veterans Affairs Committee, including House Chairman Bob Filner, as well as the VA Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service, in an attempt to resolve outstanding issues with respect to veterans’ access to O&P care. NAAOP also took a lead role in what occurred last year in Southern California and Nevada, where approximately 70% of prosthetists with long-standing VA relationships had their contracts discontinued. As a result of these efforts, NAAOP is currently developing a proposal to legislate a Veterans “Bill of Rights” for amputees and other users of O&P care.
NAAOP was invited to, and participated in, a Pentagon meeting with the head of the Department of Defense’s initiative to better coordinate and manage the care between the DoD and the VA that injured soldiers receive after experiencing a war-time injury, including amputations and other musculoskeletal injuries. This meeting developed a much better line of communication between the O&P field and the Department of Defense.
NAAOP, in concert with many other organizations, advocated for increased funding for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The final FY 2008 omnibus spending bill provided the VHA with $37.2 billion, a $4.5 billion increase from FY 2007. Under this total, Medical and Prosthetic Research at the VA would receive $480 million, $69 million above the President’s request and $66 million more than FY 2007.
