Letter from the President: February 2021

Published in Orthotics & Prosthetics on February 16, 2021

Todd Eagen Greetings to the OPGA community! I hope this edition of our newsletter finds you and your team well into the routine of a new year, as well as seeing light at the end of the tunnel as it relates to the pandemic. I have heard from many of you that have been able to receive the vaccination and are being allowed to get back into hospitals and care facilities to timely treat the patients that need your care. That is fantastic!

As we head into the spring, I would like to point out two important initiatives that OPGA is directly involved with and could have a profound impact on the profession. First, unfortunately, the O&P Patient Centered Care Act did not get tied onto any year end bills. However, there are commitments by leading sponsors in both the House and Senate to reintroduce this bill early this spring. When this does happen, we will be asking for all hands-on deck to contact your local congressional representatives to garner their support. A key provision of this bill is the separation of O&P from DME, which has been a long sought-after goal of the profession.

Second, sometime this spring, Dr. Ken Kaufmann and his team will roll out the first ever Prosthetic Patient Registry. When this happens, OPGA will be asking and encouraging you to participate in this potentially game-changing endeavor. There are many positives that can potentially result due to this registry, including a better understanding of O&P intervention and an improvement in reimbursement and access to contracts. Please keep an eye out for more information coming soon.

At Your Service,

Todd Eagen