O&P stakeholders receive response from petition
By HME News Staff
Updated Tue October 20, 2015
YARMOUTH, Maine - O&P stakeholders are underwhelmed by the president's response to their “We the People” petition asking the White House to rescind Medicare's proposed coverage requirements for prostheses. It took only 17 days for 100,000 people to sign the petition, the number required to prompt a response from the president. Part of the response reads: “The coverage determination process is still ongoing, but CMS wants to make clear that they're committed to providing high quality care to all Medicare beneficiaries. They also wanted to make sure you know that HHS has met with stakeholders on this important issue, and both CMS and its contractors understand the questions that have been raised about access to the right prosthetic care. We will be in touch with another update.” Stakeholders point out that the response comes 60 days after the petition hit 100,000 signatures. “While we remain confident that the final resolution of this draft LCD will be a favorable one for the O&P professional and the patients we serve, the question remains: Is the 'We the People' promise merely PR fluff, or will it ultimately prove more substantive? Whichever, it clearly does not reflect timeliness, fairness and responsiveness,” stated the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.
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