Orthotic Braces - Reasonableness of Medicare Payments Compared to Amounts Paid by Other Payers

Since 2009, Medicare payments for orthotic braces, including back and knee, have more than doubled and almost tripled for certain types of knee braces. We will determine the reasonableness of Medicare fee schedule amounts for orthotic braces. We will compare Medicare payments made for orthotic braces to amounts paid by non-Medicare payers, such as private insurance companies, to identify potentially wasteful spending. We will estimate the financial impact on Medicare and on beneficiaries of aligning the fee schedule for orthotic braces with those of non-Medicare payers.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
Completed	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	Orthotic Braces - Reasonableness of Medicare Payments Compared to Amounts Paid by Other Payers	Office of Audit Services	A-05-17-00033; W-00-17-35756; various reviews	2020