From the Editor:Take Part in Your Future
By Tina Eichner I'm just a bill, well, I'm only a bill,
and I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill...
 Any child of the 70s and 80s (and thanks to the
magic of DVD, their own children today) fondly remembers the
Schoolhouse Rock song from Saturday morning cartoons
explaining how legislation gets done.
In the late 80s, fresh out of high school, I was fortunate to
have my own first-hand experience with the legislative process as a
member of a committee working on a State Senate bill in
Colorado.
Long story, very short... in high school, as the editor of my
school newspaper, I had experienced unjust censorship at the hand
of my high-school principal who believed that learning to form and
articulate opinions was not a necessary piece of the
curriculum.
I had planned a balanced editorial page looking at the pros and
cons of proposed schedule changes for the next school year. At the
last minute before printing, the principal demanded I remove the
"con" section (because we were not allowed to disagree with him),
and in one of my most empowered moments ever, I left the space
blank, sending the issue to print with the headline, "This article
removed by administrative order."
What followed for me was time in the principal's office, a
little local media attention, and having to face the fact that most
of my peers were so consumed with graduation partying that they did
not really care about our first amendment rights being
violated.
To an idealistic 18-year-old, the initial reward was simply in
standing up for what I believed, but a year later I received
further vindication when I was invited to join the committee for a
State Senate bill protecting student journalists from
administrative censorship.
I became the "star" witness and told my story several times on
the Senate floor, each time amazed that I was able to convince
strangers to believe in my "cause" and that together with this
group of impassioned journalists and teachers, we were able to
eventually move our bill all the way to the governor's desk where
we stood while he signed it into law.
Call to Action
As empowering as the action of taking a stand against my
principal was, the magnitude of becoming involved in the
legislative process and making a change for future students was
without measure.
O&P licensure has got to be one of the most often discussed
topics in the O&P field today. All of the challenges and
obstacles that the profession faces seem to lead back to the
subject.
Jim Rogers, CPO, FAAOP, PPS O&P, Chattanooga, Tennessee,
said in our January issue focusing on licensure, "Although it may
be true that licensure will protect practitioners, help to
delineate our scope of practice, and preserve our economic base,
what we're doing is protecting the patient, because ultimately, it
is the patient that's harmed the most when there is no licensure
protection."
There are multiple and various reasons for O&P providers to
become involved in the licensure process.
In this issue's Legislative Update (see editor's note below) we
examine some of the changes in programs, policies, rules, and
regulations that affect the O&P industry, its practitioners,
and its patients--including licensure.
Our country was established on the basis of government "By the
people, for the people." Licensure is a call to action. What is the
state of licensure in your state and what can you do to help?
Editor's Note: In this issue we examine some of the
changes in programs, policies, rules, and regulations coming from
Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), and state
legislatures that affect the O&P industry, its practitioners,
and its patients.
Specifically, John Latsko takes a closer look at a recent advisory from
the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health &
Human Services examining two programs for the delivery of DMEPOS in
the physician practice setting and the potential for violation of
the federal anti-kickback statute. In addition, as several states
pursue parity legislation, Sherry Metzger, MS, reviews the process the state of Colorado went
through as the first state to achieve parity, and I preview the efforts toward licensure of
practitioners in the state of New York.
For more information on recent policy actions, read our online
only coverage:
Lincare Settles with OIG, Pays $10
Million
Enzi Health Plan Bill Dies
CMS Issues Proposed Competitive Bidding
Rule
Medicare's Financial Outlook Declines Slight,
Annual Report Reveals
Kaiser Releases Reports on Long-Term Care
Issues
Website Provides Healthcare Policy
Overview
States Get New Options for Medicaid
Table Of Contents - June 2006
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