Licensure: Advice from Battle-Hardened Warriors

Joe Elliott, CP, BOCPO, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Birmingham, Alabama: "I think the best thing to do, if I were in a state that didn't have licensure and I was interested in it, would be to contact people who had been through it.

"I spoke to the Louisiana association in June 2005, and the message was, "You're going to get tired of hearing this, but the first thing you're going to need is money. Then you'll need something else, and then you need money. Then you'll need another something else, and then you need money. It's a very expensive process--you can plan on spending $100,000 over one, two, or three years to get it accomplished. That money has to come from somewhere, and that means the people in that state have to pony up contributions in order to get bills through the legislature."

Marc David Kaufman, CPO, Atlanta Prosthetics & Orthotics, Atlanta, Georgia: "Be ready to have a battle--but it's fun, and gets you introduced to the political process. You really need three to five committed individuals with a lobbyist to get it done; that's probably the biggest thing. One person is not going to be able to do it.

"If we want our profession to be regarded as a profession and not be identified individually as the brace man' but rather as more scientifically and medically oriented professionals, then this is really a good step for our profession.

"There will certainly be opposition from NOMA [National Orthotic Manufacturers Association]--be ready for it. That's where you need a good lobbyist--to work with their representatives or discover a way to avoid excluding them completely. They have a lot larger lobbying group and a lot louder voice than we do, so it's important to know what they're going to be fighting against.

"Before you even get started, look at all of the allied health professions in your state and get a copy of their practice act. Find out who is allowed to actually practice orthotics and prosthetics. You might find that if you don't research that information up front, you can write all your rules and regulations, but it's going to be for naught if it's already covered in the other allied health professionals' practice acts.

"If their act was in effect first, it doesn't mean that you can't practice what they've defined as their scope of practice, but it does mean you can't take their scope of practice away."

Mike Allen, CPO, LPO, FAAOP, Allen Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc., Midland, Texas: "Had we known what was going to happen during the last hours of our legislative process, then no doubt about it, we would have improved and increased the intensity of our educational efforts. We probably would have identified others--not necessarily allies--but those groups that opposed us, e.g. pharmacists who were claiming that they would be put out of business if the orthotics and prosthetics licensing bill passed. So there was misinformation there that needed to be corrected--and was corrected during the second initiative.

It's a long-drawn-out process. In Texas, the legislative session is every two years, so there's a lot of time invested. A more comprehensive, thorough education of the legislators, correcting misinformation, would have saved us a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.

"Gather as much information as possible and become knowledgeable in the history of licensure efforts. It's important to understand where folks have come from, the bridges that they have crossed, the difficulties they have encountered, to help lessen the obstacles you will meet. Learn from the positive and negative experience of others--which may be less costly than learning from your own experience."

Terry Supan, CPO, FAAOP, FISPO, Orthotic & Prosthetic Associates of Central Illinois, Springfield: "Basically, there are three things to remember: 1) Put together a team within your state to be the driving force behind licensure. This probably needs to include somebody in the state capital that can get the people closer. 2) Talk to people who have been there already. Get their support or get them to give you some assistance or advice on part or all of it. 3) Do it, and do it quick. This is something that needs to be done to protect the consumers of orthotic and prosthetic services. If you truly believe that education is a cornerstone for proper care, and that's been the cornerstone for all other parts of medicine for all these years, then you need to do that for O&P in your state.

"It's not going to get any easier as time progresses. And the more states that do it at the same time, the greater the chance that your opposition's forces will be spread thinner."

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Related posts:

2006 Trends: Deja Vu All Over Again?

Licensure: Learning from Mistakes

Bienniel Pacific Rim Meeting Set for Hawaii

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FOR SALE: PROSTHETIC AND ORTHOTIC LABORATORY AND FABRICATION EQUIPMENT, TOOLS AND FITTING ROOM ACCESSORIES:

Lower Extremity Product Manager

Texas Board–Eligible Prosthetist or Licensed Prosthetic Assistant

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