Kimberley,
Thank you for your very poignant comments. The amputee is the most
important factor in all of this, you’re right, but I strongly urge you to
re-think your lack of support. It is the consumer who is at great risk
here. Right now, in only four states, does the amputee have a vehicle by
which they can air their complaints. Those patients who have a gripe in the
other 46 non-regulated states do not have a State Board to listen to them.
Legitimate complaints will often fall on deaf ears. The safeguards you want
so badly, as do we, can only come from regulation.
Waiting to see how the garbage heap (which I’ve been part of for 33 years)
gets swept clean does not present a pretty picture. If physical therapy
gets the act passed, you will then be treated by an individual who,
although licensed, has only had a minimal amount of education IN orthotics
& prosthetics. Most have had only a familiarization course in college. I
know this for a fact as I have taught that portion of their education.
After graduation, they go on to be therapists, not orthotists and
prosthetists. I’m not sure about you, but I seek out the specialist when I
need medical attention, not someone who is only familiar with or has simply
seen pictures of my particular problem.
Work with us rather than against us. As consumers you will have a strong
voice when we go to Capitol Hill with our licensing requests. Stick with
us, we’re not all as bad as you feel we are. I certainly don’t speak for
the entire field so if you feel my comments are “crap” deal with me, don’t
condemn the other 3000 certifees in the country.
Joseph F. Carideo Jr., CP
Newport News, VA, 23606
(757) 873-1984
(757) 873- 9755 FAX
—–Original Message—–
From: Kimberley Barreda [SMTP:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 11:59 AM
To: Joseph F. Carideo Jr.
Subject: Re: PT Practice Act–cause for concern
Until there are safeguards in place to protect the amputee from hacks and
just plain shoddy prosthetists, you wont find any backing in the consumer
segment.
We’re waiting on pins and needles to see this garbage heap swept clean.
You’re all so worried about how things affect you that you (as an industry)
forget who is the ONLY REQUIRED factor in this industry – us – the amputee.
Just more crap at our expense.
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 03/03/2000 at 10:50 AM Joseph F. Carideo Jr. wrote:
>This is what I’ve been talking about folks! We have got to investigate
>further what the rules and regulations are in our individual states and
act
>accordingly. I brought up Gary’s article some time ago and got many
>disparaging comments from practitioners around the country. When the
>physical therapists are licensed to provide orthotic & prosthetic
services,
>those unregulated states will not have a say in what type device is
>provided nor how the device be fabricated. Remember this, they will be the
>ones recognized by the state, NOT YOU!!! And if desired, they can have the
>state come in and close you down for operating without a license, which
you
>are unable to get!!! Get ready for a vicious circle!
>
>Obviously, the time has come, to come out from under the banner of
>protecting the general public. Although this may be true, we need to
>educate our state legislators, and those powers that be, that there are
>talented professionals out there, educated specifically in orthotics &
>prosthetics. We are not simply looking for an extension of our scope of
>practice (we don’t even have a scope of practice in most states!) We are
>looking to regulate and license what IS our practice – orthotics &
>prosthetics.
>
>Joseph F. Carideo Jr., CP
>Newport News, VA, 23606
>(757) 873-1984
>(757) 873- 9755 FAX
>
>—–Original Message—–
>From: [email protected] [SMTP:[email protected]]
>Sent: Thursday, March 02, 2000 9:49 PM
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: PT Practice Act–cause for concern
>
>NATIONAL MODEL PRACTICE ACT FOR PHYSICAL THERAPISTS:
>CAUSE FOR CONCERN TO O&P
>
>There is a movement afoot reportedly in all 50 states to enact legislation
>to
>clarify the practice of physical therapy. The intent of such a model
>practice act is to create uniformity from one state to the next, rather
>than
>have a patchwork of diverse scopes of practice as defined by each separate
>state legislature.
>
>A review of the physical therapy model practice act, however, appears to
be
>an encroachment into the scope of practice of prosthetists and orthotists
>across the country. The proposed act states in Article 1D (2): “The
>’Practice of Physical Therapy’ means: …Alleviating impairments and
>functional limitations by designing, implementing and modifying
therapeutic
>interventions that include, but are not limited to…assistive and
adaptive
>or
>thotic, prosthetic, protective and supportive devices and equipment.”
>[italics mine] The ambiguity in that language is enough to cause
>consternation to all of us in our field.
>
>In all likelihood, there are some states in which the physical therapy
>model
>practice act has already been enacted into law. States like Washington
>which
>retain lobbyists may already be aware of these developments and may have
>been
>alerted to the status of the local physical therapy efforts in this
regard.
>Further, in those states where O&P licensure is already in place, the O&P
>community has greater clout for insisting on providing input regarding
any
>reference to prosthetics and orthotics in a new state bill that revises
the
>physical therapy scope of practice.
>
>If you practice P&O in a state which lacks O&P regulation in the form of
>licensure and your state association does not retain a lobbyist, you may
be
>in for a rude surprise. The fact is that a legislative bill codifying
that
>physical therapists are licensed to “design, implement and modify
>…orthotic
>and prosthetic devices” may already have become state statute in you
locale
>or is about to be. In that scenario, it is not hyperbole to state that
>physical therapists will be licensed to perform prosthetics-orthotics in
>your
>state while you are not!
>
>Any legislation pertaining to the implementation of the national physical
>therapy
>model practice act in your state may be readily found through a search of
>your state’s legislative web site.
>
>David Varnau, LPO, CPO
>
>
