Dankmeyer Hosts Senator Pamela Beidle for So EveryBODY Can Move!

So EveryBODY Can Move!

Insurance Coverage of Activity Specific Devices

On October 25, 2023, Dankmeyer hosted several guests in support of legislation for the “So EveryBODY Can Move” initiative. Maryland State Senator Pamela Beidle, patient advocate John Edward Heath, our own Emerson Spekis, patient advocate (and our patient) Steven McDonald, and Wendy Spekis (Emerson’s mom), were invited by Dankmeyer CPO Sheryl Sachs for a Dankmeyer tour and discussion of orthotics and prosthetics. This educational effort is part of a national initiative that Sheryl is involved in, and in her role as a Maryland coordinator, she is part of a group of O&P professionals who are advocating for Maryland legislation to clarify that insurance coverage of medically necessary prosthetic limbs and custom orthoses MUST include coverage of activity-specific O&P care.

Sheryl, a long time patient advocate, writes about the So EveryBODY Can Move initiative, and reports on Senator Beidle’s involvement:

We believe that movement is medicine. However, it is far too often that we see individuals who are unable to receive medically necessary orthotic & prosthetic devices, beyond their every-day prostheses/orthoses that would allow them to participate in physical activities like their peers. The “So EveryBODY Can Move” initiative is a national initiative, and in Maryland, our goal is to clarify that insurance coverage of medically necessary prosthetic limbs and custom orthoses MUST include coverage of activity-specific O&P care. Provision of such devices will enable individuals, including those with limb loss and limb difference, to participate in exercise, recreation, and physical activities to remain healthy, fit, and functional.  

The initiative was initially viewed as most relevant to growing children with limb loss and limb difference, but expanded to include all children and adults who strive to remain healthy, fit and functional. This initiative is supported by the O&P field broadly, including organizations such as the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA), the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP), the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP), Forrest Stump, and the Amputee Coalition, to name a few. The Maryland initiative is being run by a team of individuals across O&P organizations and companies and is an effort to improve care for patients.  

To date, five states have enacted laws to provide individuals with state-regulated commercial insurance with coverage of activity-specific prostheses and custom orthoses to enhance their ability to participate in fitness, physical activities, and sports such as running, biking, swimming, fitness training, and even the ability to shower or bathe with prostheses or custom orthoses. 

In Maryland, we are fortunate to have Senator Pamela Beidle as our primary bill sponsor, who will be introducing this legislation into the Maryland Senate for the upcoming session in 2024! We are in the process of working with the bill drafter to finalize the initial language for the proposed legislation, and we are also hoping to cross-file in the Maryland House of Delegates. 

 Do you want to get involved?? We’d love your support! There are a few different ways that you can support this initiative: 

• Provide written testimony as to why this legislation is so important. AOPA will be helping to generate a draft letter, but the more personalized, the better! These written letters will be presented to the committee at the bill hearing. Once our bill is introduced, we can send you instructions for how to upload your testimony.  

• Reach out to your state legislative members (senators and delegates) and ask them to support the bill once it is introduced! Even if they are not on the committees that will hear the bill, it doesn't hurt to ask for their support. 

• Ask individuals in your communities to support this legislation. They can also submit written testimony! 

• Share the word about this initiative on your social media pages--LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. 

If you are interested in supporting the initiative, please fill out this form through AOPA or send an email to SEBCM.MD@gmail.com. To quote Kyle Stepp, one of the patient advocates from New Mexico and our state coach for this initiative, “Everyone deserves to run their race and cross their finish line. Movement is a right, not a privilege.” 

Thank you for your support in making this a reality in Maryland! 

 Dankmeyer’s Sheryl N Sachs, MSPO, CPO is one of the national leaders in this initiative and is working hard in Maryland to promote legal action to accomplish these goals. A long time patient advocate, Sheryl has written more about advocacy efforts on our Advocacy page.

Dankmeyer Joins National Quality Limb Loss and Preservation Registry

Dankmeyer has joined the National Quality Limb Loss & Preservation Registry (LLPR). The goal of the LLPR is to generate knowledge about which advances and treatments impact the care of patients with limb loss and limb difference. Consistent with quality registries that focus on other health populations, the LLPR will collect universal data elements and link hospital-, provider- and patient-reported outcomes over time. The registry strives to alleviate significant data gaps, increase access to care and improve care models related to prosthetics and limb preservation in the U.S.

“The Limb Loss & Preservation Registry is critical for the future of patient care, advances in technology, and a range of other sustainable efforts in the field of prosthetics,” says Mark Hopkins, CEO, PT, CPO, MBA. "The data gap is considerable, and, in some cases, available statistics are over two decades old, and longitudinal data has never been collected.”

The registry is led by Mayo Clinic under contract with the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. The registry is enrolling both prosthetic/orthotic providers and hospital systems. It will transition to further operate within a nonprofit parent organization to be named this year. The LLPR represents key stakeholder groups including health care team members, researchers, regulators, manufacturers, payers, industry representatives, and patient groups.  The LLPR provides data to compare the effectiveness of different surgical approaches, assess the efficacy of different clinical practices, and evaluate different assistive technologies.

With patient care locations in four offices in Maryland, Dankmeyer is excited to participate across those geographies. "The Limb Loss and Preservation Registry addresses a substantial public health knowledge gap by giving stakeholders the ability to benchmark limb loss statistics, and analyze data by age, gender, type of limb loss or preservation surgery, prosthetic device as well as ask new questions”, says Mark Hopkins, “Registries are extremely valuable to all practice sizes because you can leverage the high volume of data to your patients’ positive outcomes.”

For more information about the LLPR, email us at info@dankmeyer.com.

Dankmeyer Hosts Delegation from Ukraine

On Thursday, March 16, 2023, Dankmeyer was pleased to host a delegation of medical professionals from Ukraine. The doctors were visiting Maryland to learn about trauma centers and treating trauma patients.  The request to visit Dankmeyer came from the World Trade Center Institute, the first and only international exchange agency in the U.S. Legislative Branch controlled by Congress.  The delegates were interested in learning more about providing services for amputees.

The visiting surgeons and the Minister of Health from Ukraine joined members of the Dankmeyer team at our Baltimore office, along with Ed Lyons PT from Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and other clinical partners, including Dr. James Ficke Chair of the Department of Johns Hopkins Orthopedic Surgery, and Marlies Gonzalez-Fernandez MD, PhD Managing Director, Outpatient Relations Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation participating via Zoom.  The Ukrainian delegates were accompanied by a facilitator and interpreter during the hour and a half tour of the Dankmeyer main facility, observing some 3D printing techniques, digital residual limb cast modification, lamination of a lower limb prosthesis, and a discussion of current osseointegration practices.

We received a lovely thank you.  They were very impressed and grateful to us for sharing our knowledge and time to support their efforts to treat the wounded from war. 

(Photos courtesy of Ed Lyons PT)

UPDATE: Dankmeyer and Legs4Africa

This year, to prepare for a Day of Service sponsored by our clinical partners in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), we decided to participate in APTA’s drive for donations to Legs4Africa. Many countries in Africa have underserved communities who need affordable rehabilitation. You can read about our preparations for our donations in last month’s article.

Jesse Yingling (pictured above) was ready and waiting for a UPS pickup with a number of packages containing the components that had been carefully examined, cleaned and sorted for donations. Legs4Africa provided special shipping labels for the October pickup. Jesse weighed in the nine boxes at a total of 259 pounds.

We received a thank you from Tom Williams at Legs4Africa:

This is just a quick message to say a huge thank you for your recent donation. The components you’ve sent are being processed and will be stacked on our shelves until the next shipment to our partners in sub-Saharan Africa.

This was a labor of love, and we look forward to hearing from Legs4Africa any stories they are able to share about recipients. Participation in our local communities as well as the world wide community of those with limb loss or limb difference is an important part of our mission.

Dankmeyer and a Day of Service: Legs4Africa

Over the last several years, we have collected a number of prosthetic components which have been used as demonstration devices, teaching tools, or are from outgrown devices. Some may have been donated by family members or are samples from vendors. We have been holding on to these since the early days of COVID, because at the time, no one knew if it was safe to donate them.

This year, to prepare for a Day of Service sponsored by our clinical partners in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), we determined to participate in APTA’s drive for donations to Legs4Africa. Many countries in Africa have underserved communities who need affordable rehabilitation.

Their website states, “We recycle prosthetic legs that would otherwise end up in landfill and facilitate support groups so amputees in sub-Saharan Africa can live more independent, fulfilled lives.”

A team of Dankmeyer volunteers examined all the stored components for safety, and then cleaned and organized the parts into groups for packaging. On October 8, 2022, they will be delivered to a drop-off site where collections will be assembled for shipment to Legs4Africa.

Participation in our local communities as well as the world wide community of those with limb loss or limb difference is an important part of our mission. Take a look at the items going to the Day of Service.