Mar 16, 2026
Breece Fellow Selected: NAAOP is pleased to announce that Elijah Brummond has been selected as the 2026 George and Dena Breece Fellow. Following a highly competitive selection process, Elijah distinguished himself among a strong field of applicants. As the ninth recipient of the Breece Fellowship, he will join a growing group of emerging leaders dedicated to advancing public policy and advocacy in orthotics and prosthetics. Elijah grew up in Minnesota and is currently a sophomore at Drake University, where he is studying Business Law. He has been living with limb loss since birth and has used a below knee prosthesis throughout his life. Elijah began participating in advocacy at age seven through his work with “Wiggle Your Toes,” an organization focused on supporting children with limb loss and their families. NAAOP and the Fellowship Selection Committee extend their sincere appreciation to the individuals and organizations whose support makes the Fellowship possible. Special recognition is extended to the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics (ABC) Opportunity Fund and Cathy Carter, as well as Hanger, Inc. and Pete Stoy, for their continued commitment to supporting the Fellowship both now and in the years to come. If you would like to contribute to the Breece Fellowship, you can do so at www.NAAOP.org.
6-Month Moratorium on New Medicare DMEPOS Suppliers: CMS recently announced a six-month moratorium on Medicare enrollment of seven categories of DMEPOS suppliers, impacting medical supply companies, including those with orthotic and prosthetic personnel. See, Moratorium. The reason cited for the moratorium is fraud, waste, and abuse that CMS outlines as a basis for this action. The moratorium is temporary but may be extended for additional six-month periods.
CRUSH Fraud Initiative Seeks Comments by March 30th: CMS also announced a Request for Information from the public to offer suggestions to Medicare on ways to fight fraud, waste, and abuse. Known as CRUSH, Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare, the announcement details multiple instances of fraud and abuse in the off-the-shelf and prefabricated orthotics benefit. NAAOP, in conjunction with the O&P Alliance, will be submitting comments detailing the need for CMS to adopt key aspects of the Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act as well as for CMS to finally implement BIPA Section 427, linking Medicare payment of custom orthotics and prosthetics with the qualifications of the supplier.
Upper Limb Coding and Payment Decisions: The HCPCS coding decisions on upper limb prostheses have been released and, while some progress on coding has been made, there is much work to be done on pricing of several codes. Unfortunately, some of the reimbursement levels announced on specific upper limb and hand/digit codes are well below what practitioners must pay manufacturers before any clinical care is provided, creating a major barrier to patient access to care. Additional work will be necessary to try to correct these misguided decisions.
OTS Competitive Bidding Implementation: NAAOP, in conjunction with the O&P Alliance, recently met with CMS officials to discuss ways to mitigate the negative effects of competitive bidding of OTS orthotics, which CMS expects to implement over the next two years. The meeting was positive and created additional action items for follow up as CMS implements this program for certain knee, back, and upper limb OTS orthotics.