Replies to my recent email concerning the state of O&P as it relates to government assistance PART 2
Andrew Cinque
Description
Collection
Title:
Replies to my recent email concerning the state of O&P as it relates to government assistance PART 2
Creator:
Andrew Cinque
Date:
3/22/2020
Text:
Andrew-
Good questions, very well articulated! I hope someone influential hears you. Have you considered running for the positions of President of ABC, AAOP, AOPA, or NCOPE? Or, at least you might try lobbying their offices with your extremely appropriate pleas. I’ll be watching the national news to see if your ideas are implemented. I wish you the best of luck!
You had a big question. But the answer to your question is another question... “What have YOU done to fight for O&P?” You said it yourself... you never got involved, you just practiced. If everyone did like you did, our clinical notes still wouldn’t be part of the medical record. That happened because a practitioner made contacts, kept in touch with people, cultivated relationships with decision makers. The guy who helped it get done put a lot of time in (sorry, I forgot his name, please forgive me). When NY was getting slammed with “one limb per lifetime” denials, my boss basically worked a full-time job on top of his regular job to fight the insurers. He traveled to Albany again and again. He made calls, he started a petition, he got media interested. What he didn’t do was “just practice” and expect everyone else to do the work for him. You went your whole career “just practicing” and expected other people to do your advocating for you. But what have you done to help the situation? Nothing. The solution is to BECOME PART OF THE SOLUTION. We have a couple hundred O&P professionals show up at the Policy Forum each year. It SHOULD be three thousand or more. But everyone is so caught up “just practicing” that no one makes time for something so important. And then they wonder why we haven’t achieved all that much. You answered your own question. Now go and live the answer.
Interesting post and I fully Understand your thoughts. It’s annoying the dumb focus the articles have most of the time. I even Was curious at the academy meeting that there was “gender bias” class, and I am A female. I wish It stayed to the relevant topics to keep us functioning and relevant like you said. I’m curious if you had other responses. Sometimes I have The thoughts like you but assume I’m alone on an island with them lol. So I appreciate Hearing someone else’s take.
We have multiple professional organizations and I cant Grasp why we still struggle for recognition so badly.
And your example of the afo broken and just fixing it is spot on. I feel like this daily!!! We look terrible to not fix it and we do have hearts! But yet it could take weeks to get paperwork all to fix something to change someone’s life or get them back to school or work. I run Into it so often where I’m constantly getting calls to fix something which shouldn’t be a big deal and I dont Mind but we will be out of business doing repairs all the time for free. It’s pretty ridiculous.our patients know how important we are to them and that’s why they come to us in a panic when something isn’t right/broken but the rest of the world has no idea. And it annoys me when I recently Have been hearing more physicians Discussing bringing o and p into their office for “more cash flow” which is laughable in so many ways but we can’t seem to stop it.
Well again, thank you for the post and you aren’t alone in your thoughts!
Andrew A. Cinque CPO
34 Ridge Road
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567
Cell: (914) 755-5145
Fax: (914) 737-1488
AC Prosthetic & Orthotic Svs Inc.
<URL Redacted>
Mgr @ JK Prosthetics & Orthotics Corp.
699 North MacQuesten Parkway
Mount Vernon, NY 10567
Office: (914) 699-2077
Fax: (914) 699-0676
<Email Address Redacted>
Good questions, very well articulated! I hope someone influential hears you. Have you considered running for the positions of President of ABC, AAOP, AOPA, or NCOPE? Or, at least you might try lobbying their offices with your extremely appropriate pleas. I’ll be watching the national news to see if your ideas are implemented. I wish you the best of luck!
You had a big question. But the answer to your question is another question... “What have YOU done to fight for O&P?” You said it yourself... you never got involved, you just practiced. If everyone did like you did, our clinical notes still wouldn’t be part of the medical record. That happened because a practitioner made contacts, kept in touch with people, cultivated relationships with decision makers. The guy who helped it get done put a lot of time in (sorry, I forgot his name, please forgive me). When NY was getting slammed with “one limb per lifetime” denials, my boss basically worked a full-time job on top of his regular job to fight the insurers. He traveled to Albany again and again. He made calls, he started a petition, he got media interested. What he didn’t do was “just practice” and expect everyone else to do the work for him. You went your whole career “just practicing” and expected other people to do your advocating for you. But what have you done to help the situation? Nothing. The solution is to BECOME PART OF THE SOLUTION. We have a couple hundred O&P professionals show up at the Policy Forum each year. It SHOULD be three thousand or more. But everyone is so caught up “just practicing” that no one makes time for something so important. And then they wonder why we haven’t achieved all that much. You answered your own question. Now go and live the answer.
Interesting post and I fully Understand your thoughts. It’s annoying the dumb focus the articles have most of the time. I even Was curious at the academy meeting that there was “gender bias” class, and I am A female. I wish It stayed to the relevant topics to keep us functioning and relevant like you said. I’m curious if you had other responses. Sometimes I have The thoughts like you but assume I’m alone on an island with them lol. So I appreciate Hearing someone else’s take.
We have multiple professional organizations and I cant Grasp why we still struggle for recognition so badly.
And your example of the afo broken and just fixing it is spot on. I feel like this daily!!! We look terrible to not fix it and we do have hearts! But yet it could take weeks to get paperwork all to fix something to change someone’s life or get them back to school or work. I run Into it so often where I’m constantly getting calls to fix something which shouldn’t be a big deal and I dont Mind but we will be out of business doing repairs all the time for free. It’s pretty ridiculous.our patients know how important we are to them and that’s why they come to us in a panic when something isn’t right/broken but the rest of the world has no idea. And it annoys me when I recently Have been hearing more physicians Discussing bringing o and p into their office for “more cash flow” which is laughable in so many ways but we can’t seem to stop it.
Well again, thank you for the post and you aren’t alone in your thoughts!
Andrew A. Cinque CPO
34 Ridge Road
Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567
Cell: (914) 755-5145
Fax: (914) 737-1488
AC Prosthetic & Orthotic Svs Inc.
<URL Redacted>
Mgr @ JK Prosthetics & Orthotics Corp.
699 North MacQuesten Parkway
Mount Vernon, NY 10567
Office: (914) 699-2077
Fax: (914) 699-0676
<Email Address Redacted>
Citation
Andrew Cinque, “Replies to my recent email concerning the state of O&P as it relates to government assistance PART 2,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/209887.
