Memorandum
DATE: June 8, 2011
TO: TAOP Members
FROM: Thomas A. DiBello (Houston), President, AOPA
Mitchel E. Presley, Jr., LPO, President (Nacogdoches), TAOP
SUBJECT: AOPA Joining with TAOP in Fighting Proposed 18% Medicaid Reimbursement Cuts for O&P Services
One of the things that binds TAOP members together is that, in times of challenge and adversity, we are no longer competitors, but we enlist together in a common cause. With the pending state effort to impose an 18% cut in reimbursements for O&P services to Medicaid beneficiaries, it is a time for everyone to join together. Over the past six months, AOPA has assisted O&P professionals in California, Arizona, Nevada and Minnesota in their fights against Medicaid cutbacks. We have been cooperating over the past ten days, working on ways that AOPA can help with our efforts here in Texas to fight these massive proposed reimbursement cuts.
There are three things we want to advise you about, as the fruits of this cooperation.
(1) We are looking for as many business owners as possible to attend the following Public Hearing to make comments on the proposed reduction in reimbursement.
TEXAS HEALTH and HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE:
Proposed Medicaid Payments
Tuesday, July 12th **********************PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE***************************************
9:00 a.m.
Meeting Site:
Health and Human Services Commission
Braker Center
Building H
Lone Star Conference Room
11209 Metric Blvd.
Austin
(2) You will find attached a letter we have jointly forwarded to our legislators, together with a poster AOPA developed to demonstrate in an impactful way, just what these cuts mean to our patients.
(3) AOPA has offered to provide assistance with placement of similar print advertising, PR/article placement efforts with media in the state, and potentially with billboards at selected locations in Texas. We are still discussing which of these opportunities TAOP may wish to access in advancing our fight.
(4) AOPA has worked with the Amputee Coalition to develop a public service announcement (PSA) about Medicaid cuts that is starting to air in media markets across the country. We encourage you to go to: www.limbsareessential.org. You’ll be able to view the PSA there, and you’ll see that it offers an easy mechanism for patients to contact their legislators about Medicaid cuts. We URGE you to consider informing your patients about this site, and to enlist their help in our cause, by using the website to communicate to their legislators. AOPA is also assisting with insights and advice on our strategy and content of official communications the TAOP generates.
We are unified in our opposition to this unfortunate effort to undercut both our patients and fairness in reimbursement for our work. We will stay in touch with more information and joint efforts as this proceeds.
DATE: June 8, 2011
TO: TAOP Members
FROM: Thomas A. DiBello (Houston), President, AOPA
Mitchel E. Presley, Jr., LPO, President (Nacogdoches), TAOP
SUBJECT: AOPA Joining with TAOP in Fighting Proposed 18% Medicaid Reimbursement Cuts for O&P Services
One of the things that binds TAOP members together is that, in times of challenge and adversity, we are no longer competitors, but we enlist together in a common cause. With the pending state effort to impose an 18% cut in reimbursements for O&P services to Medicaid beneficiaries, it is a time for everyone to join together. Over the past six months, AOPA has assisted O&P professionals in California, Arizona, Nevada and Minnesota in their fights against Medicaid cutbacks. We have been cooperating over the past ten days, working on ways that AOPA can help with our efforts here in Texas to fight these massive proposed reimbursement cuts.
There are three things we want to advise you about, as the fruits of this cooperation.
(1) We are looking for as many business owners as possible to attend the following Public Hearing to make comments on the proposed reduction in reimbursement.
TEXAS HEALTH and HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE:
Proposed Medicaid Payments
Tuesday, July 12th **********************PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE***************************************
9:00 a.m.
Meeting Site:
Health and Human Services Commission
Braker Center
Building H
Lone Star Conference Room
11209 Metric Blvd.
Austin
(2) You will find attached a letter we have jointly forwarded to our legislators, together with a poster AOPA developed to demonstrate in an impactful way, just what these cuts mean to our patients.
(3) AOPA has offered to provide assistance with placement of similar print advertising, PR/article placement efforts with media in the state, and potentially with billboards at selected locations in Texas. We are still discussing which of these opportunities TAOP may wish to access in advancing our fight.
(4) AOPA has worked with the Amputee Coalition to develop a public service announcement (PSA) about Medicaid cuts that is starting to air in media markets across the country. We encourage you to go to: www.limbsareessential.org. You’ll be able to view the PSA there, and you’ll see that it offers an easy mechanism for patients to contact their legislators about Medicaid cuts. We URGE you to consider informing your patients about this site, and to enlist their help in our cause, by using the website to communicate to their legislators. AOPA is also assisting with insights and advice on our strategy and content of official communications the TAOP generates.
We are unified in our opposition to this unfortunate effort to undercut both our patients and fairness in reimbursement for our work. We will stay in touch with more information and joint efforts as this proceeds.
| Letter to Senator |
| texas_poster.pdf |
Texas Medicaid: HHSC proposed rate reduction for the provision of O and P care to Medicaid patients in Texas
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE:
Proposed Medicaid Payments
Tuesday, July 12th ***************************************DATE CHANGE**************************************
9:00 a.m.
Meeting Site:
Health and Human Services Commission
Braker Center
Building H
Lone Star Conference Room
11209 Metric Blvd.
Austin
Resources for Texas O&P Providers
AOPA Medicaid “landing area” website. Limbs Are Essential.
You may be familiar with the AOPA Medicaid TV PSA which is accessible there. But perhaps even more important is the AOPAVotes action area. Folks responding to the PSA are directed here to generate letters to their legislators (state and federal) and to their Governor, protesting against state Medicaid cuts to O&P care.
Please review the sample letters. They are not tightly linked just to cuts in benefits availability to patients, but are equally applicable to Medicaid reimbursement cuts. Texas practitioners should encourage Medicaid beneficiaries to attend the hearings to weigh in—those patient letters will go to TX legislators who will be considering your O&P “carve-out”/repeal bill.
These have successfully been utilized in Nevada and Minnesota and in Wisconsin where the verdict is still out.
Proposed Medicaid Payments
Tuesday, July 12th ***************************************DATE CHANGE**************************************
9:00 a.m.
Meeting Site:
Health and Human Services Commission
Braker Center
Building H
Lone Star Conference Room
11209 Metric Blvd.
Austin
Resources for Texas O&P Providers
AOPA Medicaid “landing area” website. Limbs Are Essential.
You may be familiar with the AOPA Medicaid TV PSA which is accessible there. But perhaps even more important is the AOPAVotes action area. Folks responding to the PSA are directed here to generate letters to their legislators (state and federal) and to their Governor, protesting against state Medicaid cuts to O&P care.
Please review the sample letters. They are not tightly linked just to cuts in benefits availability to patients, but are equally applicable to Medicaid reimbursement cuts. Texas practitioners should encourage Medicaid beneficiaries to attend the hearings to weigh in—those patient letters will go to TX legislators who will be considering your O&P “carve-out”/repeal bill.
These have successfully been utilized in Nevada and Minnesota and in Wisconsin where the verdict is still out.
| nevada_medicaid_provider_to_patient_letter_01_28_11.doc |
| nevada_medicaid_patient_to_representative_letter_01_28_11.doc |
Legislative Advocacy
The Texas Association of Orthotists & Prosthetists believes it is important to provide policymakers with factual and compelling account(s) of the challenges and obstacles that face the quality of Orthotic, Prosthetic and Pedorthic patient care, and overall Orthotic, Prosthetic and Pedorthic profession.
TAOP supports state licensure as it protects the Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic patient by demonstrating that only practitioners with sufficient education, experience, and appropriate patient care facilities can provide complex Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic patient care. TAOP does not support attempts by other healthcare providers and organizations to expand their scope of practice to include Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic patient care through legislative and regulatory processes. TAOP asserts that comprehensive Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic care requires the unique qualifications that only members of the Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic profession possess. Many areas of concern relating to the Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic profession, are, but not limited to: Þ Patients that are being denied access to advanced technologies relating to Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic patient care. Þ Patients that are being denied access to Qualified Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic patient care and facilities. Þ Patients that are being treated by unqualified providers who are not skilled and/or trained effectively in Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthics, to provide optimal patient outcomes. The Texas Association of Orthotists & Prosthetists has a separate Political Action Fund that is utilized solely for the purpose of protecting our profession. Please consider making a donation to help TAOP with our lobbying efforts. Stay Connected…visit Texas Legislature Online http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/ Þ Insurance reimbursement challenges of reductions, limitations, and/or denials that ultimately impacting the Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic practice, and the financial burdens on the patient who receive Orthotic, Prosthetic and/or Pedorthic patient care. |  White Papers
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