Dankmeyer welcomes Kristen and Kevin to the team!

Please joins us in welcoming two new members to the Dankmeyer patient care team!  Kristen Beltran and Kevin Hughes recently joined Dankmeyer in different capacities.

Kristen is our new Resident Prosthetist Orthotist.  Kristen first became interested in P&O in high school, where she had a soccer coach who wore a prosthesis. While working in the therapeutic recreation field in Denver, CO, Kristen worked with adaptive sports and recreation programs. She comes to us after completing her Master’s in Prosthetics and Orthotics from Northwestern University.  Like all Residents, she will spend some time refining her fabrication skills before you see her in the exam room!

Kevin is our Patient Navigator, a newly-created role that will help to facilitate our Long Term Patient Care initiatives. Kevin is the go-to person for Dankmeyer's patients. He helps guide our patients through all phases of their care plans, providing assistance and connecting our patients with resources, to ensure the timely delivery of their treatments and follow-up care. Kevin also administers patient education to ensure a thorough understanding of the use and care of orthotic and prosthetic devices and to increase health literacy for our patients with chronic conditions.  Kevin is grateful to refocus his attention on a rewarding mission of patient care, after a long term consulting career with Fortune 100 companies.

White House Responds to "We the People" Petition

In August of this year, Dankmeyer asked for patients, friends, family and other interested parties to protest a new proposal for Medicare coverage of lower limb prosthesis wearers.  As part of that movement, we asked that you go and sign a WE THE PEOPLE Petition in protest. If 100,000 people signed this petition in one month’s time, then by law, the White House would have to respond.  Over 100,000 signatures were received in two weeks time - a record by some accounts.  That in itself caused some to sit up and take notice.

In the meantime, AOPA (American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association) organized a patient rally of 150 amputees at Health and Human Services headquarters. A meeting of Medicare top officials, AOPA and other stakeholders followed to discuss the areas of concern. Four AOPA representatives gave statements at the Medicare contractor’s open meeting. Over 350 news stories nationally were generated from these efforts! Your support was essential to this success.

Since that petition was submitted, we have been waiting to see just what the White House response would be.  And finally, on November 2, we got a response.  From the AOPA article:

“The White House just announced that CMS “will not finalize” the July 16, 2015 Draft LCD. That may be clarified further when comparable announcement text from both CMS and from the DME MACs are released and can be analyzed.  The White House report appears to confirm the information that AOPA shared at the recent San Antonio National Assembly that O&P could be confident that the July 16 proposed LCD for Lower Limb Prosthetics would not be enacted in anything close to its proposed form.

Unfortunately, there are aspects of this document which raise concerns…”.  For the full text of the article and analysis, click here.

We had all hoped for the Medicare contractors to completely rescind the policy.  This did not happen.  However, the response can be regarded with some optimism as a partial win.  What does happen next?  AOPA will continue to work with other professionals to monitor the situation and advise on any action that must taken to protect the interests of our patients.  We will keep you informed, and thank you for your contribution to the fight.

(For more much more detail about the policy, you can scroll through our earlier news here and click on a variety of links.)

Charles Dankmeyer in Washington Times

We have been posting all kinds of information about the proposed new policy regarding patient eligibility and reimbursement for Lower Limb Prosthetics which Medicare contractors recently sprung on the amputee community.  You can scroll down below to read previous news items on this issue, where there are a number of links to documents and action items.  While some constructive meetings have been held between the interested parties from both sides, the fight is not over and the proposed policy has not been changed or rescinded.  The debate continues on a number of levels.

Charles Dankmeyer, former CEO of Dankmeyer, Inc.  was recently featured in a editorial in the Washington Times.  His father, the founder of Dankmeyer, was an amputee and who worked tirelessly on behalf of amputees and changing the way they were regarded in society.  Charles, a Certified Prosthetist Orthotist and currently President of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA), has been in the thick of the work against the policy.  He writes:

"It is very difficult to imagine any other aspect of American health care where millions of people would be denied available and appropriate treatment and devices that can speed their return to the fullest and most active possible life. Even worse, there is no medical or scientific justification for these unreasonable and inappropriate hurdles that would reverse advances in care for amputees. In fact, quite the opposite is true. There is medical and scientific evidence supporting today’s standard of care." ......
"The millions of people at risk deserve the standard of care they have now and the dignity it affords them. They have today what my father never had — and all fair-minded Americans should be intent on not letting Medicare turn back the hands of time."

For the full text of his article September 6, 2015, please click here.

Updates on MEDICARE Proposal = Bad News for All Prosthesis Users

Important UPDATE:

For more recent news about what has happened since the public comment meeting on 8/26/15, the AOPA's September Monthly Recap provides this information:  AOPA submitted 43 pages of comments on the draft policy, and over 5070 comments were submitted through AOPAvotes.org and the patient postcards sent to members.

AOPA organized a patient rally of 150 amputees at HHS headquarters and requested to meet with CMS officials, which led to a productive meeting of CMS top officials, AOPA and other stakeholders. Four AOPA representatives gave statements at the DME MAC open meeting. Over 350 news stories were generated from these efforts! Read about all of the August 26th events and the news articles here. 

Previous text: Contractors of MEDICARE have recently issued a proposed new policy regarding patient eligibility and reimbursement for Lower Limb Prosthetics. This new policy, if enacted, would adversely impact the availability of prostheses to Medicare beneficiaries.  And, soon thereafter, we believe that commercial insurances will follow with the same policies - as they usually do. This would touch everyone from children, to those affected by tragedies (such as veterans, cancer survivors and traumatic injuries), to the general population who may find themselves in need of prostheses.  It would gravely impact both patients and the prosthetic profession--who deliver such highly unique and customized care to amputees. 

The proposed changes, published July 16, 2015, take direct aim on disabled Americans' ability to qualify for prostheses. The proposal creates many troubling barriers that make it nearly impossible to qualify for anything other than very basic outdated limbs.  It even would keep many amputees from using a prosthesis if they failed to meet the subjective standard of "the appearance of natural gait" while using the prosthesis. It would set back innovations and Research and Development completed over the past 50+ years, all done to help patients to return to their functional levels of mobility, improving their safety, quality of life, and pushing the envelope for some of the amazing athletes we have seen over the years. For all of these reasons, this draft policy must be defeated.

We are trying to fight this proposal and spread the word. Below are links with more information about the proposal, including a the actual coverage draft itself, the petition to the White House to rescind the proposal, as well as a letter drafted to amputees, explaining the implications of this proposed policy on their coverage for prosthetic limbs.

The draft policy:http://www.medicarenhic.com/viewdoc.aspx?id=3109

Petition the White House (this petition accumulated over 100,000 signatures in two weeks.  We still need yours): https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/rescind-medicare-proposal-restricting-access-prosthetic-limbs-and-returning-amputees-1970s-standards-care

Send a letter to Medicare: www.saveprosthetics.org

Letter to Amputees:http://mobilitysaves.org/2015/07/proposed-medicare-lower-limb-prosthesis-policy-will-significantly-limit-your-access-to-clinically-appropriate-and-medically-necessary-prosthetic-care/

Public Meeting 8/26/15: In addition, there will be a DME LCD Open Comment Meeting in Linthicum, MD on August 26th from 8AM - 12PM EST, where individuals will have the opportunity to express their concerns about the proposal: http://apps.ngsmedicare.com/ADC/EventList.aspx?fromdate=8/1/2015&todate=8/31/2015&display=Month&type=public&eventidn=3031&view=EventDetails&information_id=5739

Watch this YouTube video of a young man explaining how this policy would affect his father and their family should it become standard policy:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-vX32AKvM0&feature=youtu.be

There are also a number of white papers which have been prepared for presentation to CMS about various aspects of the policy:

 

Let your voice be heard!  Understand how you might lose a great deal of what you have gained with current technology and the relationship you have built with your prosthetist.  Act NOW!

Arms and Legs are #NotALuxury

As a prosthesis user, what do you do every day that you would find difficult to do without your prosthesis?  What is something you take care of daily that is not a luxury, or something you do often that you cannot imagine doing without - what are the things you take for granted you can do, as long as you have your prosthesis? Make the bed? Take care of your children? Your grandchildren?  Go to work?  Clean the house?  Mow the lawn? Walk your dog? Go to church? Grocery shop? Cook? Work out at the gym? Dance? Run?  

These are the kinds of things that the social media campaign #NotALuxury is trying to communicate to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning the new Lower Limb Prosthetic proposal. Having access to the newest technology, not back to the 70’s tech, and access to your complete medical care team - including your prosthetist’s expert evaluation of your needs and prosthesis fabrication - these are things to fight for.  And, as we know, what Medicare does, other private insurers will follow with. No amputee is safe.

“Mommyblogger” Peggy, an amputee who blogs about her life as an amputee, started this social media campaign to encourage amputees to share a short 14 second video on their Facebook page, YouTube, Twitter, or any other social media they participate in - with the hashtag #NotALuxury.  Also, if you tweet, send it to @CMSgov - the official Twitter handle of the organization behind this proposal.  In her 8/6/15 blog post, Peggy describes fully the impact that this proposal would have on her life as a mother - how returning to old technology would impact her life as an amputee with an active child and an infant.  “We are looking for average activities, not super athletic feats. Whatever you are able to do because of your prosthesis, please film a clip. We want to flood social media with videos demonstrating the impact of a prosthesis on regular life. “

The Amputee Coalition also states on their website “The Amputee Coalition has always maintained that arms and legs are not a luxury and shouldn’t be treated as such. If you’re interested in sharing your concerns about this draft proposal, the Amputee Coalition encourages you to use #NotALuxury on all social media posts about this issue so we can show a unified and cohesive voice.”  They sum up the proposed policy on their website:

  • Medicare will no longer consider your potential functional abilities with an appropriate device when determining your prosthetic needs.
  • If you are using an assistive device such as a cane, crutch or walker, you will be limited to less functional prosthetic devices. If you have a higher functional level, Medicare will not pay for you to have a wheelchair.
  • Combining feet and ankles into a single code and limiting access to advanced technology would significantly harm your access to the feet and ankles that best meet your individual needs.
  • You and your medical team may no longer be able to select the necessary socket systems or liner inserts to ensure the most appropriate fit for your needs.
  • You could be provided a less functional prosthesis or denied a device just because you may not be able to attain the “appearance of a natural gait,” or if your medical record references certain health complications.
  • The Medicare proposal redefines the rehabilitation process for amputees and forces new amputees to rehab on out-of-date technology that they will not even use once they receive their permanent prosthetic device.

So, let your inner filmmaker - screenwriter/director/actor - get out there and make a short video, or make several! Spread the word to other amputees you know to also make one.  

You can make a difference in your care.