Vol. 7, No.6

July 2002

Board Meets to Review Strategic Plan & Stay the Course

The Academy's Board met at the end of June to perform its annual review of the Strategic Plan and to determine what changes are necessary due to the changing environment for O&P professionals. President Frank H. Bostock, CO, FAAOP, whose term began July 1, praised the Immediate Past President Gary A. Lamb, CO, FAAOP for his leadership in developing the 14-point plan with the Board last year and stressed the need for "staying the course." The Plan lists Funding & Finances as the # 1 priority for the Academy now and in the foreseeable future. "We must keep our finances growing in order to afford to be able to do the many projects needed for the profession," Bostock said. The Board also developed strategic goals within the four core activity areas for the Academy: advocacy, education, literature, and research. Find out more about the Academy's future by visiting our website (www.oandp.org) and reading The President's Corner

MIDWEST CHAPTER MEETING REBOUNDS

Talk about great turnarounds…In recent years the Midwest Chapter's annual meeting had been struggling for the audience numbers it used to see. However, its June meeting in Milwaukee had an abundance of attendees. Some even came from Canada and the United Kingdom giving the meeting more than a 2:1 ratio in attendees to exhibitors in the sold-out exhibit hall of 41 exhibitors.

Chapter President Martin J. Kacen, CPO credits the hard work of program chair Joel Kempfer, CP, FAAOP and others for a unique program of topics and a very cost-effective registration fee. In addition, the meeting included a golf outing, a golf clinic for patients, a fishing tournament, and Endolite's Fitness for Everyone Clinic.

The centerpiece of the scientific program was four speakers in secession on the exciting new developments in stance control orthotic knee joints. Michael Leach, CPO, Otto Bock Orthopedic Industries, spoke on Free-Walk Stance KAFO. Jim Campbell, PhD, CO Becker Orthopedic, spoke on Rational Design & Clinical Application of Three Orthotic Joints That Allow Knee Flexion. John Michael, CPO, FAAOP, FISPO, presented Horton's Stance Control Orthotic Knee Joints for KAFOs, and Ivan Long, CP(E) covered Hybrid Stance Control KAFO for Flail Polio Limb. Long demonstrated a new, innovative concept in managing the flail limb to an amazed audience. The four sessions were then followed by a lively panel discussion with the speakers.

Society Elections In Progress

When the Academy switched from electing Officers and Directors by voice vote at the Annual Business Meeting to mail ballots it also affected the process for society elections. The move to mail balloting was made to allow nominations to be made from the floor and biographical information on each candidate to be included in the mailing. Societies are making the shift to mail ballots and also adjusting the terms of service to coincide with the rest of the Academy offices, July to June. Results have already been received and counted for two societies. The Spinal Orthotic Society has elected Thomas H. Colburn, CO, FAAOP as chair, Patrick Flanagan, CO as vice chair, and Keith Smith, CO as secretary/treasurer. The Lower Limb Prosthetics Society has chosen as chair Gordon Bosker, CP, CPed, LPO, FAAOP, Edward Khu, CPO, LPO as vice chair, and Amy Miller, CP, LP as secretary/treasurer. Ballots for other societies are enroute.

NRP Delayed Until December

According to Lynn Sylvester, who will convene the committee to reach consensus, the first meeting will not be held until December. No explanation was given, although it is widely known that Medicare has procedural issues that need to be reviewed to ensure it is in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee. The year-long delay of this first meeting will probably not affect the makeup of the committee or the issues to be reconciled. Meetings will be open to the public with the minutes posted on a website shortly thereafter. The key issue for practitioners is the interpretation of who is "qualified" to provide services. The legislation defines "qualified provider" in such broad terms that other healthcare providers could make the case that the law deems them qualified to provide O&P care. The Academy's negotiating team of Dennis Clark, CPO and Mel Stills, CO will represent the practitioner's point of view.

HIPAA Compliance Guide: Solving the HIPAA Puzzle

AOPA has just released a new HIPAA Compliance Guide. Written by O&P specialists specifically for the O&P industry, the AOPA Guide is on CD-Rom and it contains all of the forms, office policies and procedures that O&P facilities will need in order to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The forms, policies and procedures are Word documents that can be modified to fit specific office practices.

The AOPA Guide summarizes the three HIPAA rules: (1) standards transactions/codes; (2) privacy; and (3) security. In addition to addressing the final rules as they exist in their present form, the AOPA Guide discusses modifications that have been proposed for the privacy rule and provides guidance on how to comply should those proposed modifications be enacted.

AOPA members who purchase the Compliance Guide will have free access to the staff specialist at AOPA who produced the materials. The specialist will be available to answer compliance questions and provide instruction on how to make best use of the Guide. Free updates to the HIPAA Compliance Guide will be available from AOPA for the duration of 2002.

ABC NEWS: Mike Allen, CPO, FAAOP was elected to represent the Academy on ABC's Board for a second term. Bill DeToro, CO and John Reynolds, CPO, FAAOP will serve as the ABC's representative to the consensus committee meetings. The Board has been evaluating the merits of implementing a new registered assistant program that is designed to recognize individuals who work as orthotic fitters. ABC will begin addressing HIPAA issues as they may affect the ABC's facility accreditation program, particularly with respect to new regulations governing confidentiality of patient information.