In June, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) filed a report with Congress, regarding Medicare and the healthcare delivery system, in which there is a section on orthotics and that includes a recommendation to implement competitive bidding for off-the-shelf (OTS) orthotics.
Peter Thomas, JD, general counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP), recently commented on this report in a webcast on the organization’s website. “The report largely focused on abuses of this benefit by non-orthotist providers and even suggested that orthotists, like physicians, should be able to provide OTS orthotics without having a Medicare competitive bidding contract,’ Thomas stated. “Importantly, the report did not recommend expansion of competitive bidding to all orthotics and prosthetics, a policy that had been considered prior to NAAOP and its Alliance partners meeting with MEDPAC staff.”
To access the webcast, visit http://naaop.org.
