Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act

This bill, called the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Patient-Centered Care Act, aims to protect Medicare patients who use braces and artificial limbs and to cut fraud and waste in this area. It would stop Medicare from paying for many prosthetics and orthotics that are shipped straight to a patient without in‑person fitting and training from a qualified practitioner. The bill defines this kind of direct shipping without training as “drop shipment” and bars payment for it. It also expands which practitioners are excused from certain Medicare bidding rules for these devices and makes sure people can get replacement custom‑fitted and custom‑made orthotic devices when needed.

Key points

• Who is affected: Medicare patients who need orthotics or prosthetics, and the providers who supply and fit these devices.
• What changes: No Medicare payment for devices sent directly to a patient without training; more practitioners are exempt from certain bidding rules; clearer access to replacement custom devices.
• When: The shipping payment ban starts on the first day of the first year after the law is enacted. The Department of Health and Human Services must issue final rules within 1 year of enactment.