Technology that Transforms - September 2008
Feature
New Applications of CAD/CAM
By Judith Phillips Otto
Alley The integration of computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) has been around for five decades. The technology, which was originally developed in the mid-1950s for use in the U.S. military, quickly spread to use by the automotive in...
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A Good CAD-CAM Education Is Hard to Find
By Judith Philips Otto
Most of the experts we interviewed agreed that learning aboutcomputer aided design and manufacturing (CAD-CAM) is easier saidthan done. Here's what some of our experts had to say: Randy Alley, BSC, CP, CFT, FAAOP, president of biodesignsinc., Tho...
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Electronic Marketing
By Morgan Stanfield
Marketing in the digital age is a whole new ballgame, accordingto Elizabeth Mansfield, Outsource Marketing Solutions, though it'snot necessarily one that everyone wants to play. In the past,practices generally relied on word-of-mouth referrals, ye...
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The Brave New World of Information Technology: How IT is Transforming Practice Management
By Morgan Stanfield
O&P professionals are becoming denizens of the information age. According to Elizabeth Mansfield, Outsource Marketing Solutions, nearly all U.S. practices have at least one computer, and overall, the profession is adopting more advanced digital...
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The O&P Alliance: An Update
By Peter W. Thomas, Esq.
As the Orthotic and Prosthetic Alliance (O&P Alliance) continues into its third year, the advantages of active cooperation and coordination between like-minded organizations in a relatively small field are becoming more apparent. Not in recent mem...
More...Perspective
Custom Breast Prostheses: Expanding the Domain of O&P
By Susan Cassidy, MD
As a physician involved in expanding the options available to women post-mastectomy, I have the pleasure of working closely with O&P professionals. Advances in CAD/CAM scanning technology have expanded options for women undergoing mastectomy su...
More...Today's Consumer
John Siciliano: Contender
By Jane Albritton
Hulk Hogan, co-host of the NBC television show American Gladiators, turned to Phil Conley, CP, John Siciliano's prosthetist and said, "This guy is crazy!" Hulk Hogan introduces Siciliano (right) and another contender before the Powerball...
More...Innovations
Functional MRI: Unlocking the Mystery of Chronic Pain
By Miki Fairley
Voyages into "Inner space" can be as exciting as ones into outer space. One of the most mysterious parts of the human inner universe is the brain. As Winston Churchill said of Russia, "It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." However...
More...Sports
Athletes Triumph at National Veterans Wheelchair Games
Jerry Braun Nearly 500 veterans racked up points and crossed finish lines at the world's largest annual wheelchair sports event, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, which was held July 25-29, 2008, in Omaha, Nebraska. The competitors were m...
More...Residency Report
Residency Reflections: Through a Black Box
By Ronald A. Roiz
As an undergraduate Student, I learned about the idea of the "black box"-an unresolved model of a system's function. In modeling, the input is known and the output can be measured, but determining what happened to the input as it passed through...
More...Face to Face
Five Questions for Karen Burns, RTPO
Karen Burns used her skill in sewing Levi's® jeans to secure her first job in the O&P profession. "I answered a help wanted ad and needed to know industrial-strength sewing and leather tooling," she says. Her skill in tooling came courtesy of her...
More...Got FAQs?
Got FAQs?
By Lisa Lake-Salmon
Running an O&P practice is complicated, and when you have questions, "Got FAQs?" has the answers that can keep your practice running smoothly. This month's column tackles your questions concerning acknowledgements, authorized signatures, claim app...
More...Progress on Parity
Exercise Your Right to Vote
By Morgan Sheets
The Amputee Coalition of America's (ACA) national advocacy department has been working to advance legislation throughout the country to create a consistent standard for prosthetic benefits. We have helped pass a total of 11 laws and are currently...
More...Viewpoint
Transformational Events
By Karen Henry
We've all heard of transformational moments- watershed events that alter the course of our personal or professional lives. But there are also transformational events that shape us as a society and as a world community. One of the most significa...
More...EDGE Direct Sponsored Story
Velocity Introduces New Expulsion Valve
The new Velocity expulsion valve can be used for check sockets.Using the VMP-007 mounting plate with valve dummy, the check socketis attached to the mounting plate with Bondo™ andfiberglass tape. When it has set, simply drill a hole through...
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Wound Care, Preventing Contractures
By Miki Fairley
Fostering wound healing and preventing muscle contractures are important aspects of postoperative therapy. "After amputation surgery, the first order of business is fostering wound healing," says Joan Edelstein, PT, MA, FISPO, adjunct faculty...
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