Hello All: Just thought I might forward the following for your reading pleasure! Ron ----- Original message from [EMAIL PROTECTED] on 6/19/2001 Subject: AOTA One Minute Update June 18, 2001 <<<<< Original message text >>>>> AOTA One Minute Update June 18, 2001 AOTA sends this update on important news, trends, ideas and products to members of the American Occupational Therapy Association with registered e-mail addresses. E-mail addresses can be added or changed online. Visit "AOTA Online Member Services" on the web at http://www.aota.org/memserv.asp. For detailed news and information, visit our web site at http://www.aota.org. ************ ACTION ON PATIENTS' RIGHTS IMMINENT. OT practitioners have a lot at stake as Congress debates managed care legislation, including whether HMOs will be required to provide consumer access to needed OT services. That and other issues will be debated on Capitol Hill as managed care legislation moves through the House and Senate this week. Calls and letters from OT practitioners are needed immediately to support action on this important issue. Get tips on calling your legislators and find sample letters online in the Federal Affairs section of the AOTA Web site at http://www.aota.org/members/area1/index.asp?PLACE=/members/area1/index.asp. Click on the "Legislative Action Center-Write to Congress" icon near the top of the page. ************ AOTA's AWARD-WINNING PRACTICE GUIDELINES are excellent tools to help you facilitate your documentation and billing and to articulate the role of occupational therapy to prospective consumers and professional associates, payers and sources of referral. They are now available in specially priced sets, as well as by individual title. Eight different sets include Physical Disabilities, Mental Health, Geriatrics/Gerontology, and Pediatrics. Details at Fax-on-Request (Item #529), online at http://www.aota.org, or via our toll free number 877-404-AOTA. ************ NEW RECOMMENDATIONS ON AUTISM. Screening for autistic spectrum disorders should be as routine as vision and hearing exams in early childhood, according to a new report from the nation's top scientists. At minimum, children with autistic disorders should receive 25 hours per week of intensive services year-round. Parents should also be taught techniques to facilitate their children's skills and coping strategies. Read the press release and the full report from the National Academies, "Educating Children with Autism" at http://www.nationalacademies.org/topnews/. ************ HCFA GET A NEW NAME. The Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has been renamed the "Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services" (CMS) as the "first visible sign" of the agency's efforts to be more responsive and efficient, according to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. The agency will be restructured into three centers to reflect the agency's focus on its lines of business--traditional fee-for-service Medicare, Medicare + Choice, and state-administered programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP. By this fall, CMS will launch a Medicare information campaign, expand its call center, and offer a web-based decision tool to help consumers decide among local health plans. ************ COMING IN JULY... the Addendum to the Eighth Edition of the Reference Manual of the Official Documents of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (2000). This is a must-have for every practitioner. $6-AOTA members, $8-nonmembers. Order # 1580A1 at www.aota.org or call toll- free 877-404-AOTA. ************ TIMELY TRAVEL TIPS. AOTA has some advice to help summertime travelers stay healthy. Keep our tips in mind to prevent pain and strain from lifting too much or sitting too long in cramped airplanes. Read our Consumer Fact Sheet at http://www.aota.org/featured/area6/links/link02as.asp. ************ PROMOTE OT 12 MONTHS A YEAR. Put a "Skills for the Job of Living" sticker on every envelope you mail - business or personal. It's an easy way to keep your message out there. Shop online at www.promoteOT.com or call 800-950-7701, or see "Promote OT" on the AOTA Web site (www.aota.org) for more ideas. ************ HOME HEALTH BILL INTRODUCED. Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J, introduced a bill that would make occupational therapy a Medicare qualifying home health service in the House. The bill would correct the 30-year old limitation on occupational therapy as a Medicare home health benefit, which prevents patients from receiving occupational therapy unless they first receive other services. The AOTA is actively supporting the legislation. Read more in the Federal Affairs section of our Web site at http://www.aota.org/members/area1/links/link01.asp?PLACE=/members/area1/links/link01.asp. ************ DID YOU FORGET? June 22 is the "Call for Papers" deadline for AOTA's 82nd Annual Conference & Exposition in Miami Beach, May 2-5, 2002. Go to http://www.aota.org, click "Call for Papers," and submit your proposal online. See you in Miami Beach! ************ Edited by Cynthia Johansson, Public Affairs Specialist, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (301) 652-2682 To have your email removed from this list, please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with remove in the subject line. <<<<< End of original message text >>>>> ******************** Unsubscribe by sending a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message's body, put the following text: unsubscribe OTlist ------ OTnow messages are archived at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] (and) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ********rC***********
