Get Informed

"There is so much information coming out of Washington these days that an educated advocate is the most effective advocate. NAAOP helps the O&P community distinguish between the important message and the noise. We work with leaders in the field to present a positive and proactive message on Capitol Hill and in the federal agencies: a message that benefits O&P patients and the providers who serve them."

Peter W. Thomas, General Counsel

Thank you for your interest. Well-informed constituents translate into healthcare public policy effectiveness.

This section primarily focuses on educational and informational sources. Here you will find a general summary of NAAOP's position on some key issues facing O&P as well as links to NAAOP government relations updates and alerts. Updates and alerts contain very specific information regarding all aspects of healthcare policy formation and the corresponding implications for the O&P patient and for professional O&P patient care. Also in this section you will find links to governmental bodies involved in the healthcare policy development process. This information will enable you to contact various policymakers as well as serve as an important resource for relevant source material on issues impacting professional O&P patient care.

For more information on NAAOP, its history, how it functions within the realm of healthcare legislation and regulation, its role as in education and advocacy, please read About NAAOP.

NAAOP's Efforts on Key Issues Facing O&P

Funding
A NAAOP priority is funding for education and research. One of NAAOP's first successes in the legislative process resulted in the Claude Pepper Act for Amputees, which provided research funding through the National Institutes of Health. NAAOP continues to support efforts to fund research with the goal of advancing professional O&P patient care through reliable outcome measures, evidence of clinical efficacy, and advancements in O&P technology.

Quality and Qualifications
NAAOP members are dedicated to the highest standards of O&P patient care. NAAOP practitioner members are ABC certified and /or state licensed practitioners. Reliance on state licensure or ABC accreditation protects O&P patients.

NAAOP supports state licensure because it protects the O&P patient by demonstrating that only practitioners with sufficient education, experience, and appropriate patient care facilities can provide complex O&P patient care. It also gives the O&P consumer legal recourse for substandard care.

NAAOP opposes attempts by therapy organizations to expand their scope of practice to include O&P patient care through legislative and regulatory processes. NAAOP asserts that comprehensive O&P care requires the unique qualifications that only members of the O&P profession possess.

Reimbursements
Raising awareness of O&P and educating policymakers regarding what O&P is and why it is so important has assisted NAAOP's efforts to separate O&P from durable medical equipment. This has resulted in more favorable treatment for O&P in the areas of competitive bidding and fee schedule freezes. NAAOP continues to supports all efforts to ensure prompt, accurate, and reasonable Medicare reimbursements of O&P services and devices.

Coverage
In the area of coverage for professional O&P care, NAAOP supports orthotic and prosthetic state parity legislation because it assures that patients have access to comprehensive O&P care and will receive appropriate treatment over their lifetime. NAAOP also supports state efforts to defend against Medicare restrictions in coverage.

Contacting Policymakers

To facilitate your involvement in self-advocacy this section contains contact information of policymakers. Congress plays a major role in the development, financing, and oversight of public and private sector health policies. Regulators interpret and implement the statues. This resource information will keep you well informed on the issues facing O&P patients. Constituents are in a unique position to influence policy, which includes funding allocations for various programs that can affect the O&P patient. To do this you need to deliver your message of concern to policymakers.

The most effective method of communications with policymakers is in person. During congressional recesses you may wish to visit your representative's local office. This information can be found in the blue government pages of your local phone book. You may also choose to inform and educate your representatives by inviting them to visit your patient care facility. For more information concerning patient care facility visits please contact NAAOP.

Faxing your message to your representatives also carries significant impact, followed by letter writing sent through US mail and finally by e-mail. You can find more information on formulating an effective message to representatives by viewing the respond to policymakers section of this site.

NAAOP Resources

Search NAAOP's Government Relations Updates and Alerts

View Current Year Government Relations Updates and Alerts
Update and alerts demonstrate the government relations advocacy process in the context of actual events. Each update and alert is a response to an opportunity and/or threat with the potential to impact professional O&P patient care.

View Past Updates and Alerts – Archives
The archives are a historical chronology of NAAOP's leadership in national and state policy formation going back to 1995.

More Resources

Links to legislative sites, regulatory sites, and other government resources

CMS Medicare/Medicaid 2007 HCPCS O&P Procedure Codes (MS Excel format)