Orthotic and Prosthetic Victory – Thanks to Your Help! But the Fight Continues…

Thank you to our members for your support in contacting your senators and representatives, which resulted in preserving our rights as OTs and PTs to fabricate and dispense orthoses to Medicare beneficiaries. In fact, we heard from many members these past few weeks just how important it was for us to work together on this issue; and work together we did! We got significant support from our partnership with AOTA, APTA and HTCC. ASSH also was instrumental in doing its own outreach per our request. The membership went to work in fact; we want to call out TriState Hand & Occupational Therapy in Cumberland, MD for writing more than 140 letters from its office. Thank you for this extraordinary effort.

The fight continues. Congresswoman Shelly Berkley, Las Vegas, NV, who is the key sponsor for HR2479 still needs to withdraw her support. Click here for our letter requesting your continued outreach to Congresswoman Berkley and Senator Max Baucus (amongst others) since this bill is not dead yet and members of the Senate Finance Committee have been given a huge misrepresentation of information that this bill would be effective in reducing fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicare System – this is not true!

We will continue to keep you updated on the latest progress with this bill and ask for your continued outreach. This affects all OTs and PTs and it’s critical that we all take action.

4/1/2009: Elastic Garments – Noncovered
CMS has determined that elastic garments do not meet the statutory definition of a brace because they are not rigid or semi-rigid devices. Therefore, effective for claims with dates of service on or after April 1, 2009, these items will be denied as noncovered, no benefit category.
This determination applies to the following HCPCS codes:

L3700 Elbow orthosis, elastic with stays, prefabricated
L3701 Elbow orthosis, elastic, prefabricated
L3909 Wrist orthosis, elastic, prefabricated
L3911 Wrist hand finger orthosis, elastic, prefabricated

For more information on these changes, please click here.

Splinting & Orthotics
Learn about updates directly from CMS and other organizations that will affect your practice 

CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

NBAOS (National Board of Accreditation for Orthotic Suppliers)

Click here to read a joint letter from ASHT, AOTA and APTA to CMS regarding Orthotic and Prosthetic Services Provided by Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists under the Medicare Program