Tag: Back Brace
Össur upgrades Empower
February 9, 2021HME News Staff
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. – Össur has updated its proprietary Empower program to help physician practices and DMEPOS providers comply with new competitive bidding requirements for knee and back braces that went into effect Jan. 1.
Empower now has built-in prompts for new reimbursement coding and document capture requirements, and automatic mapping to designated contract providers based on a patient’s address.
“CMS’s new competitive bidding practice mandates...
Will Round 2021 crack ‘bedrock’ of O&P care?
December 11, 2020Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine – The majority of competitive bidding contracts for off-the-shelf back braces in Round 2021 went to less than two-dozen companies, including a few that haven't traditionally provided them direct to consumer.
Companies with contracts include Hangar, a national provider of O&P; Medline, a distributor; and Breg, a manufacturer, which all won contracts nationally. Other contracts went to regional providers,...
CMS announces contract suppliers
November 23, 2020HME News Staff
WASHINGTON - CMS on Nov. 21 announced the contract suppliers for off-the-shelf knee and back braces in the next step in Round 2021 of its competitive bidding program.
The agency announced on Oct. 27 that it had set the single payment amounts for the two product categories and had begun the contracting process.
The payment amounts for OTS knee and back braces are, on average, 30% to 35% below Medicare's current fee schedule, based on a preliminary analysis by the American Orthotic & Prosthetic...
Round 2021 & COVID-19: Not a good time to limit access, AOPA says
November 6, 2020Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - The single payment amounts for off-the-shelf knee and back braces under Round 2021 of competitive bidding will be about 30% to 35%, on average, below Medicare's current fee schedule, based on a preliminary analysis by the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association.
The reductions aren't necessarily a surprise, stakeholders say, but they have new meaning during a public health emergency.
“The COVID environment business conditions are not anything like...
Legal: Attorneys brace for fallout
March 21, 2016Liz Beaulieu, Editor
YARMOUTH, Maine - With more scrutiny than ever from Medicare for popular back, knee and ankle braces, some HME providers are getting a little too creative to capture business in this market, industry attorneys fear.Some providers who are trying to improve their chances of obtaining and qualifying Medicare beneficiaries for braces are setting up questionable arrangements with companies that provide leads and companies that provide remote physician services, says healthcare attorney Jeff Baird, chairman...
Back braces: AOPA says data needed to paint detailed picture
January 25, 2013Theresa Flaherty, Managing Editor
WASHINGTON - An Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that says CMS pays too much for certain back braces misses the mark on some key points, say O&P stakeholders.The Dec. 17 report says that from 2008 to 2011, claims for L0631 back orthoses more than doubled, from $36 million to more than $96 million. With the devices offered in a variety of settings, from home medical equipment suppliers to physician offices, the reasons for the increase could vary, says Tom Fise.“Has the volume been uniform...