As the 2023 Breece Fellowship comes to a close, NAAOP is proud to congratulate Kate Ketelhohn for a very productive summer and a successful fellowship. Kate’s highlights are below.
-NAAOP continues to work on analyzing the impact of the proposed orthotics definition that CMS announced on June 30th, comments for which are due at the end of August.
-For those who missed the Medicare Advantage webinar, which featured a detailed explanation of new tools that O&P practitioners and patients have to challenge MA denials, please find the recording of the webinar on our website.
-If you have not yet written to your Representative in Congress, please go to the Legislative Action Center on the NAAOP website to send an email to your Member of Congress asking them to support and cosponsor H.R. 4315, the Medicare O&P Patient-Centered Care Act. The website can be found at www.NAAOP.org.
Highlights of Kate’s Breece Fellowship:
1. VA Memo: The VA rescinded their VA Handbook and released a series of regulations and
directives replacing their practices and procedures for treating O&P patients. Kate researched these changes and summarized them in a memo that will be available soon.
2. Osseointegration White Paper: Osseointegration is a novel way to attach prostheses
directly to a patient’s skeleton that is a promising new fitting technique for individuals who
have difficulty with traditional socket technology. Kate did a thorough examination into the
state of osseointegration today and created a white paper of her findings. This too will be
available soon to NAAOP members and friends.
3. Field Trips: Kate visited NAAOP clinical members in Gainesville, Florida (Gainesville
Prosthetics) and Waterloo, Iowa (OPGA). She gained a better understanding of O&P care
from the clinician’s perspective.
4. NAAOP Virtual Congressional Fly-In: The NAAOP Virtual Congressional Fly-In that
occurred on July 18th was a resounding success. Kate helped organize and schedule the
meetings with Congress so NAAOP members could advocacy about the Medicare O&P
Patient-Centered Care Act.
5. Webinar on Medicare Advantage: The webinar on Medicare Advantage occurred on July
27. The webinar was well attended but if you missed the discussion of this important topic, a
recording is available on the NAAOP website. https://youtu.be/JfyDQzR1y2I
NAAOP would like to thank Kate for her service and especially thank all NAAOP members and
friends who contributed financially and offered in-kind contributions to make the 2023 fellowship a resounding success!
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