To Start the Process, Here Is What You Need to Do For a qualified patient to receive this benefit, the certifying physician must review and sign a Statement of Certifying Physician for Therapeutic Shoes and the prescribing physician must complete a footwear prescription. The supplier will then keep the documentation on file and submit the claim to Medicare for traditional Medicare patients. Suppliers may not be able to dispense or submit claims for these devices to HMO Medicare patients. Many suppliers do not accept assignment because they consider the allowable amount too low to cover the appropriate materials and services. This means the total cost to the patient may be higher than the allowable amount and the patient is usually expected to pay in full, prior to receiving any Medicare reimbursement.
Many manufacturers make shoes in varying styles and colors that can be termed therapeutic.
However, therapeutic footwear is by nature medical, and fitting it to the patient's foot requires special skills and care. The pedorthic profession involves the design, fit, and modification of shoes and related foot devices to alleviate foot problems caused by disease, overuse or injury. CST Copyright 1999-2001 New Balance Catalog Center. All Rights Reserved.