Health Law Advisor

On January 16, 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) published its most recent update to the agency’s “Work Plan.”  Of note to Durable Medical Equipment (DME) manufacturers, suppliers and prescribers, OIG signaled increased interest in the investigation of three specific off-the-shelf orthotic devices identified by the HCPCS codes:

• L0648—back bracing
• L0650—back bracing
• L1833—knee bracing

According to OIG, the government paid out $349 million for these braces in 2016, representing a 97% increase from just 2014.  OIG ...

On March 9, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") released a final rule that modifies several of the durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies ("DMEPOS") supplier standards. Most notably, the final rule modifies restrictions on the "direct solicitation" of Medicare beneficiaries by DMEPOS suppliers. CMS stated in the final rule that its reason for making this modification is that the definition of "direct solicitation" was not feasible and has been criticized for being overly broad. DMEPOS suppliers and other providers need to be ...