1/5/2009
NAAOP 2009 Priorities
NAAOP’s 2009 Priorities
• NAAOP will take the lead to enact legislation creating an “Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights.” NAAOP will work with House and Senate sponsors to reintroduce H.R. 5730 in the 111th Congress, and to mark-up and pass that legislation.
• NAAOP will advocate for the interests of O&P patients and providers in the course of the expected debate on national health system reform.
• NAAOP will continue to work in concert with the O&P Alliance to press CMS to issue appropriate regulations interpreting the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (“BIPA”) that are designed to heighten qualifications and competency requirements of suppliers and providers of O&P care.
• NAAOP will work to ensure that the O&P field achieves a CPI increase to the Medicare fee schedule in 2010, a significant challenge in a very difficult fiscal environment after two years of CPI updates.
• 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’s 2008 Accomplishments
• NAAOP took a lead role in seeking legislation to establish an “Injured and Amputee Veterans Bill of Rights,” aimed at ensuring that veterans know their rights when it comes to orthotic and prosthetic treatment options. The federal legislation, H.R. 5730, was introduced by Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and received a legislative hearing in the Spring of 2008. NAAOP secured the endorsement of this legislation from many veteran and disability organizations. NAAOP President Tom Guth, C.P., also testified before a subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee in support of the legislation.
• NAAOP worked independently and as part of the O&P Alliance to ensure that the cost of the delay to DME competitive bidding that was included in the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (“MIPPA”) was not offset by a cut in the Medicare O&P fee schedule. Following an increase of approximately 2.7% in 2008, another CPI-U increase in 2009 to the O&P fee schedule is a major victory for the field.
• NAAOP strongly opposed a provision in the MIPPA to exempt “professionals” from the O&P section of the quality standards and accreditation requirements of the Medicare program. Despite this opposition, this exemption was enacted, largely due to the strong legislative push by the physician community. NAAOP worked with the O&P Alliance to address this statutory change by pressing CMS to finally regulate the O&P protections established in the BIPA”). CMS ultimately agreed to proceed with the development of these regulations and are expected to announce them in proposed form in 2009.
