The U.S. Senate passed an amendment introduced by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) that seeks to help U.S. service members and veterans receive advanced prosthetics more quickly. Sen. Ayotte filed the amendment to the fiscal year 2012 Military Construction and Veterans…
Year: 2011
Braun Launches Wheelchair-Accessible Conversions for Dodge and Chrysler
The Braun Corporation announced two new BraunAbility wheelchair conversion vans for the US and Canadian markets: the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country. Braun offers the Dodge and Chrysler wheelchair van conversions with side entry…
CMS Launches New Tool to Combat Medical Fraud
The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently began using an innovative predictive modeling technology, similar to those used by various credit card companies, to fight Medicare fraud. Predictive modeling helps identify potentially…
US Paralympics Selects Katy Sullivan for Track and Field Team
Hanger patient Katy Sullivan was recently selected by the US Paralympics to be a member of the US track and field team. Sullivan, who is a transfemoral amputee, will compete with the team at this year’s Para Pan American Games,…
FDA Seeks Public Input on Medical Mobile App Oversight Project
The FDA announced its proposed oversight approach for mobile medical applications designed for smartphones and other mobile computing devices. The agency is seeking input from the public on its draft guidance, which is designed to encourage the development of new…
Proposed Plan to Raise Debt Ceiling Indicates Parameters for Savings information_schema Entitlement Programs
After weeks of deadlock on debt-ceiling negotiations, yesterday a group of Senators known as the “Gang of Six” released a bipartisan plan to raise the debt ceiling coupled with a spending cut of $3.7 trillion from the US debt during…
Low Health Literacy Linked to Worse Health Outcomes
Low health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes and poorer use of health care services, according to recently published data in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Approximately 80 million Americans have limited health literacy, or the ability to understand…
CMS Proposes Standards for Consumer-Operated and Oriented Plans
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced steps it is taking to encourage the creation of consumer-operated and oriented Plans (CO-OPs) — new private nonprofit, consumer-governed health insurance plans designed to help increase competition and give consumers and…
Health Care Coverage Cost for Employees Depends on Location
Nationwide, private-sector employees with single coverage contributed 21% of the cost of their health insurance and employees with family coverage paid 27%, according to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.…
OPAF in Search of Artwork from the O&P Community
The Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) and the First Clinics are seeking artwork in orthotics and prosthetics (O&P). As part of the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly meeting in Las Vegas this fall, OPAF will feature art…