AOPA doubles down on bill
By HME News Staff
Updated 10:43 AM CDT, Mon May 3, 2021
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association expects a companion bill to H.R. 1990 to be introduced in the Senate soon. The bill includes provisions that would prohibit the use of drop shipping to deliver orthoses that are not specifically designated as off-the-shelf orthoses. AOPA believes the bills, if passed, would go a long way to curb fraud and abuse through the delivery of medically unnecessary orthoses to Medicare beneficiaries. “AOPA remains steadfast in its support of the elimination of all fraud and abuse in the delivery of orthoses and prostheses, and has taken significant steps to facilitate legislative and regulatory pathways to support the efforts of the DOJ, OIG and CMS,” the association states. “AOPA strong condemns the predatory, criminal behavior that has resulted in significant losses to the Medicare program through the fraudulent provision of orthoses to unsuspecting Medicare beneficiaries.” AOPA noted the upcoming introduction of the Senate bill in response to recent government and media reports that indicate that the fraudulent provision of orthoses through lead generation and advertising schemes continues to pose significant risk to Medicare beneficiaries and the Medicare program. In April 2019, following an extensive investigation named Operation Brace Yourself, the DOJ announced a series of criminal indictments that identified more than $1.2 billion in losses to the Medicare program through the fraudulent provision of orthoses.
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