AOPA National Assembly Hits the Jackpot in Las Vegas

What happens in Vegas doesn't necessarily stay in Vegas. A sea of lectures, exhibits, live demonstrations - not to mention giveaways and celebrations - filled four days in the desert at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association's (AOPA) 2007 National Assembly September 17-20 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Everyone walked - and walked and walked - away with something, whether it was a free pair of Crocs™ shoes (The O&P EDGE does not condone gambling, especially since we lost out on the 50/50 chance to win a pair), continuing education credits from the many workshops, a stack of business cards, or simply an expanded understanding of orthotics, prosthetics, and pedorthics.

"I always take something away," said Steve Hill, CO, president and CEO of Delphi Ortho, Asheville, North Carolina. "I've been going to National for 15, 18 years... whether it's an old company or a new company, there is always something new for practical use every year."

The Walk Through Time exhibit was one of many attractions at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association's 2007 National Assembly in Las Vegas.

Nearly 180 exhibitors packed the Venetian Resort, Casino & Hotel, with the largest exhibit hall featuring orthotic, prosthetic, and pedorthic components and services in the United States, according to AOPA. In honor of its 90th birthday, AOPA showcased its history with a "Walk Through Time" exhibit that highlighted O&P developments and breakthroughs over the years.

With 2,143 registrants, AOPA was just nine people shy of its all-time attendance record. Still, the National Assembly was the largest gathering of practitioners in the nation this year, AOPA said, with 1,335 on hand.

As always, the Thranhardt Lectures were popular, even as speaker Robert Gailey, PhD, PT, had to compensate on the fly after his video presentation went on the fritz moments before his address. Gailey, an associate professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, and Ian Engelman, MS, CPO, the president of Insightful Products LLC, Scarborough, Maine, who lectured about AFO biomechanics, were selected as the top two submissions of clinical abstracts.

More than 180 exhibitors and 2,100 participants filled the exhibit hall at the Venetian Resort, Casino, & Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photos courtesy of AOPA.

"I believe in discussions that surround practical matters, and this is an area - biomechanics of AFO design - that seems to be unspoken or not discussed in terms of specific design features and their efficacies," Engelman said.

In addition to the award-winning lectures, there were educational tracks covering clinical, business, manufacturing, and technical aspects of the profession. The first and last days of the National Assembly included manufacturer's workshops, from Fillauer's "Alternative Dynamic Orthotic Designs" seminar to back-to-back lectures on gait concepts and analysis.

On the business side, AOPA President Ronald "Ted" Snell, CP, and AOPA President-elect Bradley N. Ruhl discussed the future and current state of the O&P profession. Snell and Ruhl talked about the need to coordinate efforts on "the reimbursement and regulatory front through strategic planning and lobbying."

There was also an "Ask the Expert" session featuring billing and policy experts from AOPA. Also popular were the "Top Ten" sessions, which covered ways to deal with patient complaints and avoid a lawsuit.

For technicians, the Orthotic & Prosthetic Technological Association (OPTA) held a six-hour educational program featuring talks on how to use urethane in orthotics and to improve prosthetics.

The bulk of the programs were saved for clinical education, including presentations by Kevin Carroll, CP, FAAOP, vice president of Prosthetics for Hanger Orthopedic Group; Volker Schmidt, CP, technical customer service specialist, Orthotics, for Otto Bock HealthCare; Jay Martin, CP, LP, founder and president of Martin Bionics; and Chris Johnson, director of engineering, product design, and product testing for College Park Industries.

The Product Preview Theater, which offered the chance to earn continuing education (CE) credits in a theater setting, featured informative sessions on everything from Ossur's Proprio Foot" and the iStep System by Aetrex Worldwide Inc., to a lesson on a neuroprosthesis for treatment of drop foot by Bioness Inc.

The 2008 AOPA National Assembly is scheduled for September 10-13 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois.

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