Lower Extremity Review
A recent report by the US Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General determined that Medicare improperly paid suppliers for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) items provided during inpatient stays. Medicare should not pay a supplier for items furnished to a beneficiary when the beneficiary is still an inpatient.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–M) and a spinoff company, Imbed Biosciences, Fitchburg, WI, have received a $1.5 million, 2-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to test whether adding gallium metal ions to an ultra-thin material carrying antimicrobial silver can defeat the “biofilms” that shield bacteria from antibiotics.
MedShape, Atlanta, GA, an orthopedic device manufacturer, announced the launch of its DynaNail Mini™ Fusion System, which is available in 7mm and 8mm diameters and 60mm to 100mm lengths. Featuring MedShape’s patented superelastic nickel titanium (NiTiNOL) technology, the DynaNail Mini is the first orthopedic device designed specifically for subtalar fusion that offers…
The Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) Policy Article (PA) for Therapeutic Shoes for Persons with Diabetes was recently revised, as follows. The effective date is January 1, 2019.
Effective September 1, the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Qualified Independent Contractor (QIC) contract for administering all reconsiderations (second-level appeals) on processed DME claims has been transitioned to the contract awardee, MAXIMUS Federal Services. All reconsideration requests must now be submitted to Maximus Federal Services…
University of Montana (UM) Assistant Professor Richard Willy, PT, PhD, is the lead author on a paper that offers new guidelines for treating patellofemoral pain (PFP), often known as runner’s knee. PFP affects 25% of the general population every year, with women reporting PFP twice as often as men.
CGS, the Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Administrative Contractor (DME MAC) for Jurisdictions B and C has issued a reminder regarding billing right (RT) and left (LT) modifiers on separate claim lines. There are 6 device categories related to lower extremity care: ankle-foot/knee-ankle-foot orthoses, knee orthoses, lower limb prostheses, orthopedic footwear, surgical dressings, and therapeutic shoes for persons with diabetes.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a proposed rule containing updates to the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) regulations. CMS also published a fact sheet outlining several major provisions in the rule, which are summarized…
A team of researchers at Columbia (University) Engineering have added electronics and computation technology to a walking cane to transform it into a robotic device that can provide light-touch assistance in walking to the elderly and individuals with impaired mobility. A team led by Sunil Agrawal, PhD, professor of mechanical engineering and of…
Biomedical startup Adapttech, Birmingham, England, announced that it has appointed Stuart Mead as chairman ahead of the company’s launch in the United States later this year. Mead is the former CEO of Touch Bionics, Livingston, Scotland, and has been appointed for his insight and leadership in the prosthetics sector. Touch Bionics was acquired by Össur, Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2016.
Össur, Reykjavik, Iceland, has signed an agreement to acquire College Park Industries, Warren, MI, a global provider of lower- and upper-limb prostheses and supporting services. College Park has over 140 employees and shows 2018 total sales of $22 million.
SIGVARIS GROUP North America, Peachtree City, GA, has appointed Barbara Osborne as president and CEO, effective May 30. She has over 30 years of diverse business experience in the medical device field with focused capacity in general commercial and management roles. She started her career in accounting and has since held roles such as president and…
A new website, DME CBP Education, brings together publicly available information from government sources to help suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) prepare for Round 2021 of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) Competitive Bidding Program (CBP). The DMEPOS CBP was established by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA).
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new treatment for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women presenting with a high risk of fracture or who are intolerant to or have not had success with existing therapies. The drug, EVENITY (romosozumab-aqqg; Amgen), was approved April 9 and became available for shipment to wholesalers in the US on April 15.
Hanger, Inc., Austin, Texas, announced that Regina Weger has been promoted to VP and general manager of its subsidiary SPS, Alpharetta, Georgia. Weger has been with SPS for over 20 years, having started her career within the customer service function and taking on additional roles and responsibilities throughout the years.
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