Aopa’s Executive Director,Robert Van Hooks supports CAAHEP
> standards ? Then why doesn’t AOPA’s legislation reflect
> that.The bigger question is, where is the Academy in all of this? Is the
Academy
> confined to the standard AOPA position when they are obviously trying to
> sell a bill of goods to the legislature? The Wexler Bill as compared to
the
> Harkin bill is one of advocacy for persons with disabilities designed to
> reduce fraud and abuse unlike the Harkin bill which is designed to corner
> the Medicare market place to anyone with any self proclaimed O and P
> credential or certification and provides corporate protection their
officers.
Passage of the Harkin bill will create a loose, loose situation for the
US Gov. and its citizens with disabilities.Many O&P devices,ie. Halo and
Scoliosis treatment systems are excempt from the Harkin version and various
certification organizations do not even require specific college level
training.
In Florida, Academy members had the fortitude and guts to remove the
Officers for not representing its
> members.NOW maybe its time to do the same nationally!
>Where does the Academy and ABC certified practitioners ( professional
members) stand on the two legislative proposals??
What are your organization(AAOP) and membership association’s(ABC)
current positions?
Please don’t remain passive on this issue as you did on the consolidation
vote!
Your profession could depend on your commitment and advocacy for the
highest standards possible as initiated via the Wexler initiative
House Resolution 1938
“The mission of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists is to
promote patient advocacy and high standards of patient care through
education,literture and research. In keeping with this mission and being
that the Academy is the professional organization representing practitioners
credentialed by the American Board of Certification in Orthotics and
Prosthetics (ABC), it is a primary objective of the Academy to support
professional and ethical conduct among all ABC certified practitioners.”
Tony Barr
