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House approves AOPA-backed legislation

The Alexandria, VA-based American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) reported the US House of Representatives on July 25 voted to approve a bill that includes an O&P provision recognizing the orthotist-prosthetist’s notes as part of the medical record in Medicare Medical Necessity Determinations.

The bill, H.R. 3178, is aimed at cutting red tape and making noncontroversial changes to Medicare. Go to aopanet.org for more information.

AOPA, in partnership with the Center for O&P Learning & Evidence-Based Practice (COPL), also in Alexandria, in July announced the recipients of its 2017-2018 pilot grant awards.

The 2017 COPL grants went to: Sarah Anderson, La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, for “Comparison of quality of life in people with partial foot or transtibial amputation;” Brian Kaluf, BSE, CP, Exton, PA-based Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics, for “Hydraulic and microprocessor controlled ankle-foot prostheses for limited community ambulators with unilateral transti­bial amputation;” Sarah Chang, PhD, Northwestern University, Chica­go, for “A pilot study to evaluate the effects of the hydraulic ankle-foot prostheses on standing and walking in K2-level ambulators;” Benjamin Padilla, MD, University of California San Francisco Benoiff Children’s Hospital, for “The effects of a custom pectus carintum orthosis on dosing response and quality of life;” Eric Weber, CPO, Hanger Clinic, Department of Clinical and Scientific Affairs in Seattle, WA, for “Mobility and global health among users of lower limb orthoses: the establishment of a national database;” Chris Hovorka, PhD, CPO, LPO, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, for “Gait and motion control benefits of custom molded passive-dynamic AFOs versus custom fit carbon composite AFOs in persons with neuromuscular impairment;” and Kenton Kaufman, PhD, the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, for “Prevalence, correlates, and risk of prescription drug use and abuse in individuals with above knee amputations.”

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