Lower Extremity Review
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made available the 2019 fee schedule for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS). The fee schedule is effective for dates of service beginning January 1. A 2.3% increase has been applied to DMEPOS items that are not part of the Competitive Bidding Program.
John A. Szivek, PhD, a scientist at the University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine – Tucson, has received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to launch a study to determine how to heal bone fractures using a combination of 3D printing and adult stem cells.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) review found that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) improperly paid $34 million to suppliers for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) that were provided to beneficiaries during inpatient stays.
The American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), the cornerstone of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) Registry Program, released its 2018 Annual Report on hip and knee arthroplasty patient outcomes. The report includes findings from 1,186,955 cumulative procedures performed between 2012 and 2017, and it provides updates on key initiatives delivered to registry stakeholders…
The American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) has launched a campaign, Look for the “O,” to encourage consumers to take charge of their foot and ankle health and choose a foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon when medical care is needed. AOFAS has an interactive channel on its website that offers informational videos and resources to help consumers make informed choices.
Wearable technology is forecast as this year’s most popular trend in fitness, according to more than 2,000 health and fitness pros surveyed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
Robert Weil, DPM, is a National Fitness Hall of Fame (NFHOF) class of 2019 inductee; he joins four other inductees. Weil specializes in orthotics and sports medicine. He has written a column for the Naperville Sun and Aurora Beacon since 2007 as “The Sports Doctor,” and hosts a weekly radio show by…
Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, has been appointed director of the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC), Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Duncan, an associate professor and clinical educator at NUPOC, assumed this position January 1, succeeding John W. Michael, MEd, CPO, the director since 2009. Michael will continue as an educator and will support and facilitate the transition.
eWellness Healthcare Corporation, Culver City, CA, which developed the PHZIO physical therapy (PT) telehealth platform, recently announced that CEO Darwin Fogt has sold all Evolution Physical Therapy clinics to solely focus on the expansion and success of eWellness. Evolution PT has six locations in California and two in Connecticut. The PHZIO platform allows physical therapists to monitor up to six patients concurrently.
Purdue University researchers have developed a shoe insole that could help make the healing process more portable for people who have diabetes-related foot ulcers. The researchers used lasers to shape silicone-based rubber into insoles and then create reservoirs that gradually release oxygen throughout the day.
Curbell Plastics, Orchard Park, NY, has been named the exclusive supplier of ProComp sheet across the U.S. ProComp is an innovative polypropylene material reinforced with carbon fibers for a 25% increase in stiffness. The individual fibers provide the ability of the composite to flow and stretch during melt temperature vacuum forming. Curbell Plastics was selected due to its orthotic and prosthetic expertise within the Curbell O&P specialty group.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes, effective for claims with a date of service on or after January 1, 2019. The following code changes are relevant to lower extremity care providers…
The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics (ABC) has established a minimum score to pass the therapeutic shoe fitter certification exam. Certified therapeutic shoe fitters participated in an ABC standard setting meeting to set this new criteria. A new form of the CFts exam was also approved earlier this year; it will be administered for the first time in February 2019.
Colfax, Annapolis Junction, MD, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire DJO Global, Vista, CA, for $3.15 billion. The transaction, which will be funded with cash, debt, and equity, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2019. Upon closing of the sale, DJO Global will operate as a new segment within Colfax and be led by current DJO Global President and CEO Brady Shirley, who will report directly to…
Kurt P. Spindler, MD, of Cleveland Clinic and founder of the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) Group, has received a 5-year, $6 million grant to study techniques used for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, supports a multi-center, randomized clinical trial…
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