This Just In
Legislators Put Forth Bill To Improve Standards for O&P in Medicare Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act introduced in 115th Congress
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OW IN ITS FIFTH VERSION since 2009
and its original introduction in the 111th Congress, the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2017 was introduced by co-sponsors Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia) as Senate Bill S. 1191 in the 115th Congress on May 22. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-Illinois) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) have since joined as co-sponsors. The introduction of the bill brings O&P another step closer to accomplishing several major achievements for O&P patients and their providers. A companion bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 2599 by Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-Pennsylvania) and Mike Thompson (D-California). The bipartisan legislation would apply accreditation and licensure requirements to providers and suppliers for Medicare payment purposes. It would modify the designation of accreditation organizations for orthotics and prosthetics to recognize O&P suppliers as independent professional providers of medical care for Medicare beneficiaries. “Orthotics and prosthetics, like other medical equipment, is an area that attracts a lot of fraud,” Grassley said when introducing the bill. “The good actors in this industry want to distinguish themselves from the bad actors who cheat Medicare. Having accreditation and licensing will help weed out bogus products. This will benefit the people who rely on orthotics and prosthetics for their health and mobility, and it will protect the taxpayers at risk of paying for fraudulent equipment.”
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JUNE 2017 | O&P ALMANAC
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Illinois) speaks at the 2017 Policy Forum.
“The Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act puts in place needed reforms that will improve the quality of orthotic and prosthetic care for seniors on Medicare while reducing fraud,” said Warner. Bills cannot be carried over from one Congress to the next so new bills must be introduced in each new Congress, carrying new bill numbers.