With new ownership, PEL has rolled out a steady stream of improvements positively embraced by practitioners. A December 2014 independent study of O&P practitioners revealed PEL’s strength in delivering greater overall value.
The study’s statistically significant results revealed not only the importance of value received for service and price, but also the importance of efficiency in saving precious time for practitioner and patient. PEL performance ratings were significantly better than other distributors on these important dimensions.
In essence, O&P practitioners validated the saying “time is money” with their responses, as well as the point made by Michael Porter in “What Is Value In Health Care?” (The New England Journal of Medicine, December 2010). According to Porter, “Value depends on results, not inputs, value in healthcare is measured by outcomes achieved… Since value is defined as outcomes relative to costs, it encompasses efficiency. Cost reduction without regard to the outcome achieved is dangerous and self-defeating, leading to false ‘savings’ and potentially limiting effective care.”
PEL has worked hard to make its website easier to navigate and use. The improvements were clearly reflected in PEL’s superior performance ratings, including “easy to find exactly what I need on distributor’s website,” “website is easy to navigate,” “easy to order what I need from distributor’s website,” and “distributor’s website interfaces with my computer system.” This month the PEL website will be even more user friendly when it officially becomes part of the OPIE network.
Another sign that PEL is being recognized for its renewed efforts to better serve O&P practitioners came last month when PEL participated in the OPIE Choice review of suppliers and manufacturers. Feedback from O&P practitioners evaluating the distributor presentations rated PEL highest on being “most trustworthy.”
“Feedback we are receiving from recent studies confirms [that] PEL’s historic strength in providing the best value and service to O&P practitioners has not changed. What is changing is our efforts to bring new and innovative ways to make our personal and online support easier and more efficient,” said PEL CEO Mike Sotak. “We believe becoming integrated with OPIE is another step toward our goal of being the best possible supply partner for O&P practitioners.”
