Another Happy Drop Foot Patient – Part 1

http://www.insightful-products.com/step-smart

In this video, a patient describes his experience with drop foot and how he solved the problem with the Step-Smart brace.

 

Blaze MI AFO testimonial and strap adjustment instructions

http://www.insightful-products.com

In this Foot of the week, a patient explains his success with the Blaze AFO and Ian Engelman, CPO, describes how to determine and adjust the length of the AFO strap.

Custom AFO testimonial – Dr. Rosen, DPM

Dr. Rosen, DPM endorses Insightful Product’s Blaze MI brace for PTD (post tib) and the custom Step-Smart brace for drop foot.  Both AFO’s have helped his podiatry practice and he is very satisfied with Insightful’s customer service.

 

NEW Drop Foot Night Splint

BUY HERE : http://www.insightful-products.com/buy/product_info.php?products_id=61&osCsid=0be80ndeqtn3rrg6171bg97251

Insightful Products has been listening to its customers and based on their feedback has developed the Tri-Ped drop foot night splint.

Insightful’s new Tri-Ped drop foot night splint is designed to be used around the house or at night when you would rather not wear shoes. Most AFO’s are designed to be worn with a shoe, including the Step-Smart drop foot AFO, but this design is easily put on and taken off by simply slipping your foot in and your foot out. It allows you to walk around the house barefooted. Because it is much more functional, it replaces the old Step-Smart slipper which has been discontinued. The night splint keeps the foot in a dorsiflexed position to give the user clearance at swing phase while still being flexible enough to allow plantarflexion. This brace is designed to be worn barefooted or with a sock.

Step-Smart Sizing for foot drop

http://www.insightful-products.com/step-smart

In this Foot of the Week you will learn how to select the proper size of your Step Smart Brace and then you will be able to tell if you need a small or large brace.  The Step-Smart brace for drop foot is sized by first knowing your shoe size.  If you wear a USA men’s size 10 or larger, the go with a large.  If smaller, then go with a small Step-Smart drop foot brace.  If your heal is wider than 2.5 inches than go with a large.

Unilateral Orthotic for Drop Foot treatment

http://www.insightful-products.com/products/orthotic-foot

If you have drop foot and wear an AFO on one foot, you may need to wear a foot orthotic on the other foot to help balance your gait. Most AFO’s, including the Step-Smart for drop foot treatment, add extra thickness under the dropped foot resulting in an imbalance with no extra material under the other foot.  In order to level or balance both feet, an orthotic, such as OrthoticMe, can help raise the other foot to be in balance with the dropped foot.

Medicare AFO Height Requirement Rescinded

As expected, the height requirement for an AFO is being removed by medicare.

Let’s get on with helping people walk!

Below is the text from the Medicare website:

February 6, 2013

Ankle-Foot Orthoses/Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthoses LCD related Policy Article – Revised
The related Policy Article for the Ankle-Foot Orthosis/Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis is being revised. The Policy Article with an effective date of January 1, 2013 included Coding Guidelines for AFOs that included a height requirement. The height requirement is being removed. The effective date for the revised Policy Article is for dates of service on or after January 1, 2013.

See for yourself here:
http://www.cgsmedicare.com/jc/pubs/news/2013/0213/cope21209.html

Again, the only type of AFO that requires a PDAC Coding verification letter is the L1906. Insightful does not use that code for any of its current bracing. To verify this for yourself, please see the PDAC website listing those that are required. The link to this page is below.

https://www.dmepdac.com/review/items_requiring_coding_verification_reviews.html

Finally, keep in mind that the pretibial shell that has been offered by our competitors is essentially a custom shin guard, the argument that this provides axially unloading as medical justification is risky in our opinion.

Custom Ankle Brace solutions

http://www.insightful-products.com

Insightful Products offers a full array of AFO solutions. Each of our custom AFO ankle braces is designed for a specific biomechanical problem. We have the most advanced and newest designs on the market. Our new AFO ‘s or new ankle brace solutions are the most innovative AFO ‘s in the industry.

New Medial Upright Extension

Insightful Products responds to the new 2013 Medicare Height requirement with an adjustable medial extension that allows the practitioner the ability to remove and relocate the extension to the preferred height.

Some of our competitors have suggested additional brace add-ons that also provide additional Lcodes to solve this new height requirement. These additional Lcodes must still meet the threshold of “Medical Necessity”. For instance, a pre-tibial shell is medically needed for distribution of pressure from a floor reaction, anterior stop or solid ankle design. Free motion articulated designs, by definition, do not necessitate a pre-tibial shell. Our add-on solution does not change the well established LCode descriptors and provides some additional medial/lateral stability.

PDAC letters obtained before the rule change do not necessarily make AFOs comply with the current height requirements.

Foot of the Week – Episode 26 – Drop foot technology

http://www.insightful-products.com
In this episode of Foot of the Week, Insightful demonstrates how our drop foot technology can provide better treatment by providing more accurate traction on the calf. If the portion of the AFO (called the calf section) is moving either medially or laterally off the leg, the drop foot AFO brace can be adjusted using a longer tensor that comes with the ankle brace. By simply installing the longer tensor on the side of the brace that is opposite the direction the brace needs to be tilted, you can shift the portion of the AFO in the direction needed. For example, if a left foot AFO is coming off medially (or coming off towards the middle), then swap the long tensor on the medial side to shift it towards the lateral side. If the left foot brace is coming off the calf laterally (or towards the outside of the leg), then install the longer tensor on the lateral side to push the calf section medially. The opposite if true for a Right foot AFO.