Many years ago a physician friend ask me “When will your industry decide what
it is – a business or a profession”?
For decades we have been engaged in a power struggle, this is the grid lock
that Charlie wrote about, between “the suits” and the “professionals”. The
Academy (AAOP) was an off-shoot of that struggle in 1970. I became a charter
member of the Academy because it offered me the opportunity to have a voice as
a professional, but employee, in the O&P industry. The attempts at
consolidation of “our” industry is to resolve that struggle so that we can
direct our limited resources and energies at external problems threatening the
industry.
The debate and discussion is about who will control this one new organization
“the suits” or the “professionals” or can there be a compromise that will
satisfy both sides. This is a difficult dilemma for our industry because the
sides do not stay the same. Some professionals end up wearing suits and some
of the “suits” put on the mantle of a professional, but are still “suits”.
The leadership of the present organizations have the monumental task of
forming a new organization that will satisfy the majority of people and
entities involved, and one that can operate in a more effective and less
costly manner.
During this same time there have been advancements made in technology moving
the industry from a craft and art making it possible for encroachment to occur
into what was once was a closed industry. The developers of this new
technology can not be forced to limit its access to one group of people nor
would it be in their best interest to do so.
Given the changes in the Healthcare arena prior non-threat providers of
services are now looking for new profit centers and given the technology
changes O&P now becomes a viable possibility.
Our traditional organizations AOPA, AAOP, and ABC are being attacked by the
new comers in the arena of providing O&P services as being too restrictive and
demanding for “membership” They feel this restrictive attitude is depriving
individuals of needed O&P services. In all but a handful of states O&P
services is an “unregulated” industry making it a free for all for providers.
The leadership of another new O&P organization will have their work cut out
for them, and how they will interact with the other O&P organizations in the
industry such as BOC, NAAOP, and others is an open question.
Al Pike, CP
http://www.usinternet.com/users/AlPikeCP
