IN THE NEWS
Cost Savings of O&P Underscored in Groundbreaking Report Patients who receive orthotic and prosthetic services generally experience greater independence, better or comparable health outcomes, and lower Medicare payments than those patients who do not, according to a new study, “Retrospective Cohort Study of the Economic Value of Orthotic and Prosthetic Services Among Medicare Beneficiaries.” The study, commissioned by the Amputee Coalition and funded by AOPA, was conducted by Allen Dobson, PhD, health economist and president of Dobson DaVanzo. Dobson, who also authored the report, formerly served as senior vice president of The Lewin Group and director in the office of research at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), then called the Health Care Financing Administration.
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Calling the study “a clear win for patients and taxpayers,” AOPA President Thomas F. Kirk, PhD, says the targeted use of O&P services and physical therapy with patients leads to fewer emergency room and acute care hospital admissions. “This reduction in health-care utilization ultimately makes O&P services cost-effective for the Medicare program and increases the quality of life and independence of the patient.” The retrospective study explores the financial benefits of O&P interventions to both the government and American taxpayers. Using data sets provided by CMS, researchers analyzed 42,000 claims filed between 2007 and 2010 of patients who either received full prosthetic and orthotic care or did not receive such care. All
Thank You!
AOPA would like to send a special thank you to Tamarack Habilitation Inc. (Booth #827) and Cascade DAFO (#1631) for contributing to the O&P World Congress Travel & Scholarship Program. With their help we were able to provide travel support for individuals who otherwise would not be able to share their significant research or attend the show.
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study participants were required to have received lower-extremity orthoses, spinal orthoses, or lower-extremity prostheses and to have a specified etiological diagnosis. When compared with those who did not receive O&P care, the study finds that patients who received lowerextremity orthoses experienced fewer falls and fractures, fewer hospital trips, and had 10 percent lower Medicare episode payments. Patients who received spinal orthoses not only had Medicare episode payments that were $93 lower, but also had a higher rate of ambulatory and home-based care. Those who received lower-extremity prostheses had 1 percent higher Medicare payments, but experienced improved quality of life, increased independence, and the likelihood of more home-based care. The findings were presented in a webinar jointly hosted by AOPA and the Amputee Coalition, August 27, which garnered interest and involvement from top media outlets, including NBC News, Kaiser Health News, Scripps Howard News Service, National Public Radio, and others. The full report is available online at www. amputee-coalition.org.