AOPA In Advance SmartBrief

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January 31, 2013

News for Professionals in the Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics Profession

Top Story

Medicare competitive bidding program for DME expands
The Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment that is being tested in nine cities will be expanded to 100 metropolitan regions beginning in July. The expansion is expected to save as much as $26 billion over 10 years and has prompted some experts to call for further use of competitive bidding in the Medicare program. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (1/30)

For more: To learn more about the future impact competitive bidding could have on O&P, read the letter from AOPA Executive Director Tom Fise. To learn more about the second round of DMEPOS competitive bidding, read AOPA Breaking News.

Science and Technology

Bionic man demonstrates scientific advances
A real-world bionic man, created by a U.K television company, a robotics company and a researcher from Zurich University, will be featured on British television and appear at London’s Science Museum. Zurich researcher Dr. Bertolt Meyer, an amputee who uses the iLimb Ultra prosthetic arm, was asked to build himself in bionic form. He agreed, saying, "My aim was to show that prostheses can, instead of conveying a sense of loss, pity, and awkwardness, convey a sense of 'wow' and amazement." The Guardian (London) (1/30)

Medical News

Fewer Hispanics than whites report having diabetes, survey finds
Data from a Pew Research Center survey showed only 51% of Hispanics monitor their weight, diet and exercise, compared with 60% of the general U.S. population. Researchers also found 34% of Hispanics reported having diabetes or other chronic diseases, while 47% of non-Hispanic whites did so. Fox News Latino (1/29)

CoDa's wound care product performs well in clinical trial
CoDa Therapeutics announced that its experimental drug Nexagon to treat chronic venous leg ulcers performed well in midstage clinical trials. The therapy aims to heal wounds faster and increase the incidence of wound healing compared with existing treatment options. Interest.co.nz (New Zealand) (1/28)

Legislative and Regulatory

Crime Bureau estimates DME fraud could go into the billions
As the durable medical equipment industry grows, the cost of DME fraud could fall between $1.5 billion and $5 billion in a single year, according to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The bureau applied the FBI's 2011 estimated fraudulent billing percentages to DME projected spending to arrive at those figures. ClaimsJournal.com (1/30)

For more: To learn more about AOPA's efforts to stop fraud and abuse, including its backing of the O&P Medicare Improvements Act, read this letter from Tom Fise, AOPA executive director.

Trend Watch

TV series episode highlights phantom limb pain
The issue of phantom limb pain was the subject of an episode of the television series "Grey’s Anatomy," as the character Dr. Arizona Robbins coped with the aftermath of her leg amputation. While the character is fictional, she is dealing with a very real problem, writes author Dr. Michele R. Berman. MedPage Today (free registration) (1/28)

First ISPO World Congress in South Asia opens Feb. 7
The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics opens its global conference in Hyderabad, India, on Feb. 7. The ISPO World Congress is the first to be held in India and South Asia, and organizers expect more than 1,000 delegates from 84 countries. Changing demographics, lifestyle-generated disorders and other factors are creating growing demand for O&P professionals, said ISPO President Jan H.B. Geertzan. The Hindu Business Line (India) (1/30)

Maggot debridement aids wound healing
Using medical-grade maggots to clean dead tissue from hard-to-heal wounds can help prevent amputation, according to a doctor in Branson, Mo., who said, “They clean the wounds by dissolving dead and infected tissue, they disinfect the wound and they speed up the rate of healing. They ... help bring blood supply to the surface, allowing for new cell growth.” Springfield News-Leader (Mo.) (tiered subscription model) (1/29)

AOPA News

Breaking news from AOPA
Read the Medicare DMEPOS Round 2 Competitive Bidding Implementation announcement and learn what you need to know. Be sure to read AOPA's take in the Executive Directive Letter link. Read about the Jurisdiction D prepayment review. Advance your career, earn CE credits and improve patient care by speaking at the World Congress. Learn how, plus so much more, in today's AOPA Breaking News.

Learn more about AOPA ->

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