Pavlou S, O&P Business News The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) held its 2008 Annual Conference from June 19-22 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta. According to Paddy Rossbach, RN, president and chief executive officer of the ACA,…
Year: 2008
Congress Considers Changes to Competitive Bidding for DMEPOS
As of press time, the competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS), authorized by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), was scheduled to enter its first phase on July 1. Under the program, which…
Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Result From Senior Falls
Traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005 among Americans 65 years old and older, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in the Journal of…
Number of People With Diabetes Increases to 24 Million
Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in approximately 2 years, according to 2007 prevalence data estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This estimate…
Growing by the Waistline: BMI and Amputees
As more Americans are classified as overweight or obese, it becomes more difficult to properly fit amputees. O&P Business News examines this epidemic.
By Stephanie Z. Pavlou
Update: Prosthetic Parity Across the Nation
Three more states join the ranks of those with prosthetic parity laws.
Blacks Have Higher Amputation Rates
Researchers from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine have found people in black communities on Chicago’s South and West Sides have a five times higher rate of lower limb amputations than people in the predominantly white suburbs and exurbs. “Amputations…
States Fail to Protect Consumers Against Insurance Company Abuse
A recent 50-state survey reveals that insurance companies in most states are not prohibited from denying health coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, refusing to pay for services needed to treat common ailments, adding huge premium surcharges for people with…
Courage Fuels the Fire Inside
O&P Business News spoke to one amputee about his fight to join America’s bravest as a member of his community’s fire department.
Theresa Bonnema Joins APO
Theresa Bonnema Theresa Bonnema, CPed, COF, has joined the staff of American Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc. (APO), at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics office. Before joining APO, Bonnema worked as a pedorthist and orthotic fitter at Quality…