Happy New Year! The Lymphedema Patient Roundtable kicked off 2024 with a robust conversation around lymphedema management, including complete decongestive therapy, wraps and bandages, and pneumatic compression pumps. A few folks in the chat even chimed in to say they were tuning in while using their Lympha Press — talk about multitasking!
The hot topic of the evening was the Lymphedema Treatment Act, which recently went into effect on January 1st. What does this federal law mean for Medicare beneficiaries? What sort of compression supplies are covered? And how long until other insurance plans adopt the new coverage guidelines? Panelists Karen Ashforth and Nasreen Starner answered these questions and more, offering some great insights on the subject from their perspective as therapists.
(Correction: As stated Medicare will cover daytime and night garments per body area. The Lymphedema Treatment Act was intentional that Medicare use the terms “body areas,” not “extremities” and/or “limbs,” so as to include torso, chest, head, and neck. CMS created new codes for compression for those body areas, too, which can be viewed here: https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jadme/dmepos/lymphedema-compression-treatment)
The hour ended on an empowering note as panelists and attendees shared their “word of the year” for 2024. “Keep coming to this Zoom meeting for support and education,” encouraged Lela A. in the chat. “I love this group.”
A special thanks to our panel of patients and therapists:
- Karen Ashforth, MS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA (@karenashforth_cltlana)
- Alexa Ercolano, Lymphedema Patient and Lympha Press Marketing and Communications Associate (@lymphielife)
- Angela Jones, Lipolymphedema Patient and Health Coach (@2018gethealthy)
- Catherine Rosenberg, Lymphedema Patient (@crosenberg1982)
- Amanda Sobey, Lymphedema Patient, Certified Personal Trainer, and Nutritionist (@am.sobey)
- Nasreen Starner, OTR/L, CLT (@nasreenstarner)
Resources and links mentioned in this video:
- Learn more about the Lymphedema Treatment Act and read their FAQ document
- Find a certified lymphedema therapist through resources from the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, the Vodder and Norton Schools, and the Lymphology Association of North America
Lympha Press is proud to offer these monthly Lymphedema Patient Roundtables and support the lymphedema community. The Roundtables are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 8:00 PM EST. Sign up to attend any of our live webinars at https://linktr.ee/LymphaPress.
