The Business of O&P - September 2016
Feature
Maintaining Professionalism in a Competitive Climate
By Maria St. Louis-Sanchez
In the O&P world ofshrinking reimbursementsand an often uncertainfuture, practices are undermore pressure than everto attract new patients andgrow their businesses. Butthe pressure of survivingfinancially while still stickingto ethical principles...
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Mr. Houghton’s Opus: The Houghton Scale and Its Modern Applications in Prosthetic Care
By Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP
In the early 1990s, a team of British researchersset out to determine the rate of successfulrehabilitation among individuals with lower-limbamputations of vascular etiologies. Led by avascular surgeon named A.D. Houghton, MD, theeffort first requi...
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Educational In-services: Benefiting the Healthcare Team, Patients, and O&P Providers
By Miki Fairley
The O&P EDGE interviewed O&Pcompany owners and clinicianswho provide a representativeexample of courses andin-services that range fromoffering continuing educationunits (CEUs) to much simplerinstructional programs heldfor staff at a hospital ornur...
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Changes Proposed to Medicare Appeals Process
By Peter W. Thomas, JD, and Christina Hughes, JD, MPH
CMS Tries to Pull a Fast One on the ALJ 90-Day Decision Deadline Many O&P professionals and practices have experienced extensive Medicare contractor audits that required them to pursue the administrative appeals process, usually resulting in a h...
More...Today’s Consumer
Jeff Schmidt’s Mission to Conquer the Kona Ironman
By Betta Ferrendelli
Schmidt is thumbs up and ready to go before the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kona. Photographs courtesy of Jeff Schmidt. The first time Jeff Schmidt participated in the Ironman WorldChampionship in Kona, Hawaii, in October 2012, he completed...
More...Better Business
Using Retail to Balance the Bottom Line
By Terry Reed, BOCPD
Many pedorthists have relied mainly oninsurance reimbursements to drive theirpractices. A physician writes a prescriptionfor whatever he or she deems medically necessaryto meet a patient's needs and sends the patient to thepedorthist to have the p...
More...Stepping Out
The Effectiveness of Foot Orthotics, Part II
By Séamus Kennedy, BEng (Mech), CPed
Stefano Ember / Shutterstock.com The medical terrain continues to change rapidly, and additionaloverhauls are expected as the Affordable Care Act, accountablecare organizations, and other federal initiatives alter the landscapefurther. To survive...
More...Shop Talk
Cast Saws Everywhere, and Not One That Cuts
By Travis Petersen, BOCP, COA
If the facility at which you work is like most others, it probably ownsmultiple cast saws and there are a few of them that don't work. I workat an O&P practice with three offices and ten cast saws. Each of thesesaws, which cost anywhere from $500...
More...Residency Reflection
What They Didn’t Teach You in the Classroom
By John Pope, MS, MSPO, CSCS
You hit the ground running. School gave you the tools and theconcepts needed to begin your residency-and now you areapplying everything you learned. However, I am encountering situations and identifying skillsetsthat aren't covered in textbooks or...
More...Perspective
Prosthetics Versus Orthotics: Considering Opportunity Costs to Challenge a Financial Paradigm
By Pete Seaman, CLP
Having been a prosthetist for about seven years, I have heard it said thatthe real money in O&P is generated by prosthetic deliveries. I've blindlyaccepted this premise until recently, when I gained hands-on experienceregularly fitting off-the-she...
More...On Topic
Because That’s How We’ve Always Done It
By Erin Cammarata
When I am hired for a consulting job, I always ask my client why some tasks are done a certain way. More often than not the response is, "Because that's how we've always done it." These simple words can be the greatest roadblock in the path to you...
More...Viewpoint
Returning to Fall’s Schedule With New Ideas
By Andrea Spridgen
We are in the last dog days of summer and the thermometerreads 90 degrees. Meanwhile, children across the countryare preparing for a return to school and the routine itbrings. While most of us do not get that months-longbreak and aren't facing a n...
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How PEL Contributes to a Better Patient Experience
Healthcare business strategists are redefining value-based healthcare delivery by placing greater emphasis on patient experiences. PEL has a tradition of offering superior personal service that allows O&P practitioners to spend more time focusing on patients. Results from a recent study of O&P practitioners confirmed PEL's superior personal service.
Personal service highlights include:
- Trustworthy representatives with an authentic desire to help customers
- Easiest to do business with on the website
- Lowest in customer frustration
If you desire a better distributor experience, try PEL-leading the O&P industry in customer service.
PEL
800.321.1264
www.pelsupply.com
ALPS General Purpose Liner
The General Purpose (GP) Liner is designed for low-activity amputees. It is available in our GripGel to provide comfort, strength, and elasticity. The superior elongation from this liner does not restrict blood flow and is easy for the patient to don and doff.
ALPS
800.574.5426
www.easyliner.com
Symphony Knee
Harmony between Security and Fluidity.
The Symphony is a six-bar polycentric knee designed for patients who need both safety and dynamics. It orchestrates the phases of the gait cycle to offer a harmonious solution among security, comfort, and fluidity.
The p-MRS system detects different gait phases and adapts stability. At heel strike, the system locks the knee and then cushions heel strike using a stance flexion dampening feature. The selective lock function enables the patient to lock the knee manually whenever security is needed. At pre-swing phase, the Symphony unlocks for an effortless switch to swing phase.
Nabtesco & Proteor in USA
855.517.4414
www.nabtesco-proteor-usa.com
OP-TEK Flex BiLam
Learn more at AOPA booth #592.
OP-TEK® Flex BiLam provides
added comfort and improves
aesthetics for patients wearing
carbon socket frames.
The inner layer contains a
hypoallergenic, FDA-compliant
additive that reduces friction, and
the outer layer helps hide trim lines
and window cut-outs of carbon socket frames.
OP-TEK Flex materials are soft, flexible, EVA copolymers available
exclusively from Curbell O&P. They are formulated to maintain
consistent walls during forming while decreasing cold-flow (creep).
Curbell O&P | One Source
888.858.0911
www.curbellplastics.com/oandp
Switch to BOC Today!
Why make the transition to BOC? Award-winning customer service, nationally recognized credentials, and a user-friendly website are just a few of the benefits of choosing BOC. As your credentialing partner, we provide accreditation for your O&P facility at a discounted rate, guide you through the accreditation process, and
support your future success.
Plus, it's easy and free! Make the transition to BOC for accreditation with no up-front cost. Visit our booth at the AOPA National Assembly or contact us at .
We're with you every step of the way. It's our promise. Every patient.
Every facility. Every day.
Board of Certification/Accreditation
877.776.2200
www.bocusa.org
New OdysseyK3 Hydraulic Foot
Introducing the next step in the Odyssey line of hydraulic feet from College Park.
The OdysseyK3® utilizes the patented curved hydraulic ankle plus a higher-frequency carbon fiber foot base for increased dynamic response. The robust ankle housing with angular positioning was designed for moderate-impact users who are able to balance without assistance. The combination of smooth hydraulics and a dynamic foot base brings exceptional performance during activities like aggressive city walking or multi-terrain hiking. See it in action at www.youtube.com/collegeparkind.
College Park Industries
800.728.7950
www.college-park.com
The UTX® stance control KAFO has recently been enhanced with redesigned thigh and calf bands to afford added comfort, control, and ease-of-use to the patient. Designed by Nils van Leerdam, PhD, CEO of Ambroise, Enschede, Holland, the UTX is a lightweight (less than two pounds) stance control KAFO that stabilizes the knee during the stance phase of gait but enables knee flexion during swing phase. For more information about the UTX, call our Custom Fabrication Services department, or e-mail .
Becker Orthopedic
800.521.2192
www.beckerorthopedic.com
Earn Your MPO at Northwestern University
Apply today!
From your home, complete the first two quarters (6 months) and final quarter (3 months) of the NUPOC 21-month MPO. Spend four quarters (12 months) in mentored practicum at NUPOC, building P&O skills by working with people who have neuromusculoskeletal impairments. NUPOC graduates are eligible for NCOPE residencies and P&O certification examinations. The NUPOC MPO prepares you to become a proficient clinician, deliver comprehensive P&O services, integrate research into clinical practice, and contribute to the P&O profession. NUPOC accepts candidates on a rolling admissions basis.
Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center
Feinberg School of Medicine
NUPOC
312.503.5700
www.nupoc.northwestern.edu
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