Re: Consolidation clarification - John Billock

Re: Consolidation clarification - John Billock

John Billock

In a message dated 99-02-10 06:30:26 EST, <Email Address Redacted> writes:

<< John,

 I was just rereading your last post in response to Ronny Snell's e-mail. A
 lot of good points were made on both sides. However, you mentioned some
 information which I would be interested in knowing more about. Specifically,
 the one where you refer to in the following quote:

  I expected that my comments and opinions would be shared with our sister
 organizations and at the Conference and trust that they were. If not, I am
 surprised that they weren't, as I did not indicate that they were
 confidential

 I did not have the luxury of attending the conference, and have become more
 interested in this issue since these discussions have been occurring on the
 listserver.

 I would appreciate knowing more of your concerns and opinions.

 Sincerely,

 Wade Bader, CPO
 Tampa, FL >>


Wade...... My comments regarding consolidation to the Academy Board were
essentially the same as those I detailed in my original post to OANDP-L.. As
requested however, the following is a copy of that post to the Academy Board
which also included my 1997/98 Professional Issues Council (PIC) Annual
Report, dated 10/26/98, which I referenced in my post to AOPA President Ronney
Snell, CPO on 1/31/99.

Please understand the Conclusions & Recommendations in my PIC Report represent
my personal opinions as the outgoing Chair of the Academy's Professional
Issues Council and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Academy
Board.

I trust my comments/opinions regarding consolidation and the PIC Report are
self explanatory!!............ John
=========================================================

Subj: 1997/98 PIC Annual Report & Consolidation
Date: 10/26/98
To: BB4ONP, AAOPExec
CC: WWSCPO, SDLBCPO, DavidJCP, JUCPO, FBostock
CC: TimLacyCP, <Email Address Redacted>
CC: <Email Address Redacted> , <Email Address Redacted>
CC: <Email Address Redacted>
CC: <Email Address Redacted> , TOMDIBCO, <Email Address Redacted>
CC: MAllenCPO, RGing1

File: \PIC98RPT.RTF (10519 bytes)
DL Time (32000 bps): < 1 minute

Dear Bob & Tom........... Below is my 1997/98 Annual Report for the
Professional Issues Council. Please accept my apologies for its
lateness. I have also taken the liberty of forwarding it to the entire
Board. If I have missed anyone who should have a copy of the Report,
I would appreciate your forwarding it to them. I have also attached the
Report as an RTF file for those who wish to download it in is originally
formatted text. The signed original will be forwarded to the Academy
National Office for appropriate filing.

On another note, I had the opportunity of speaking today with
President-Elect Bill Schumann, who called me today seeking my
thoughts and opinions on the subject of Consolidation. We talked at
great length about many issues related to this subject, which are too
numerous and too complex to detail in this post. I would advise all of
you, however, I am not in support of the Academy considering the
option of consolidation. As most of you know, I did not support
consolodation the last time around for the same reasons I have today.
At this point in my life/career, this is more than I would like to get into
or rehash again.

Many of you have been through this effort before and I am sure you
remember the overwhelming negative response from the profession. I
do not suspect that it will be any different this time around.

Without getting into all of the details, I personally feel the Academy
has been, since its inception and more so in recent years, gradually
strengthening its foundation. The Academy has been focused in its
direction and with little change in its overall structure or governance. It
has developed a solid base and reputation for offering quality
continuing education which is unparalleled in the history of our
profession. In recent years, it has further demonstrated its strength and
ability in representing the individual practitioner by addressing
professional issues. Issues which, henceforth, were either not being
addressed or totally ignored and much of which are embodied within
the PIC Report below. In my mind, education and professional issues
have become kindred and equal to representing the needs, wants and
desires of the individual practitioners.

As previously mentioned, the Academy, unlike our ever-changing sister
organization.... AOPA, has been solid in its governance and structure.
Essentially, it continues to have the same Board and Chapter structure
it had when it was founded more than 25 years ago. It has gradually
built its strength on this fact and with a greater degree of consistency
than our sister organization. Fundamentally, I would have to ask
myself...... Why pour all the marbles out of the bag and let them scatter
in all directions, only to gather them up again?

Why change now when the Academy is a strong and viable
organization which has painstakingly developed its image into the only
true professional society representing the profession and one that is
ingrained in the minds and hearts of its member practitioners?

Why do away with all of the rich tradition the Academy has developed
and stands for in its recognition and representation of the individual
O&P practitioner?

Our profession needs stability now more than ever! Consolidation will
only divide members of the profession further and waste a great deal of
time and financial resources over the next year...... which could be put
to better use. Although invited, at the Academy’s expense, I will not be
attending the conference in Phoenix. I simply do not wish to go down
that road again and become involved in what would be the total
dismantling of an organization I have personally dedicated so much
time and effort to helping become what it is today. I am sure there are
other options to consider. I trust all of you will understand my position.

Sincerest regards!!............... John

==================================================





American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES COUNCIL


1997/98 ANNUAL REPORT


October 23, 1998



        Council Members:
                John N. Billock, C.P.O., Chair
                Gary A. Lamb, C.O., Vice Chair


        Michael J. Allen, C.P.O., Chair
        Subcommittee on Licensure & Credentialing

        Frank H. Bostock, C.O., Chair
        Subcommittee on Healthcare & Provider Trends

        Un-named Chair
        Subcommittee on Terminology & Practice Standards

        Ronald E. Gingras, C.P.O., Chair
        Subcommittee on State & Federal Legislative Policy

        Donald E. Katz, C.O., Chair
        Subcommittee on Research & Development

        Gary A. Lamb, C.O., Chair
        Subcommittee on Inter-professional Relations



1997/98 Council Projects & Activities


Introduction
        Besides the individual responsibilities of 6 Sub-Committees of
the Professional Issues Council (PIC), the following represents those
projects and activities collectively achieved during the 1997/98
Academy year. This Report is intended to augment Annual
Sub-Committee Reports and provide an overview of those projects and
activities universally achieved by the PIC.

1. O&P Compendium
        The updating of the Fourth Edition of the O&P Compendium
was completed in April and made available to those in attendance at the
O&P Marketing & Professional Relations Seminar at the Academy
Annual Meeting & Scientific Symposium in Miami, Florida. Updates
to all the sections of the O&P Compendium regarding the
organizations represented within our National Office were provided
along with a variety of their existing brochures relevant to the delivery
and practice of Orthotics and Prosthetics. These informational
brochures were provided by the respective organizations without cost to
the Academy for inclusion within the O&P Compendium. The
primary text of the O&P Compendium is accessible at the Academy’s
Internet homepage and should be updated before the end of this year.
The O&P Compendium has many uses as a marketing tool but is
intended to be the single most comprehensive resource document
regarding the O&P profession as we know it for private, state and
federal health care organizations, as well as, state and federal
legislators. It should be on the library shelf of every Academy member,
ABC credentialed practitioner and/or facility for reference when telling
the story of our profession, its history and recognition as a
rehabilitation health care profession.

2. The Pathway to Competency
        The Pathway to Competency and Scope of Practice of an ABC
Certified Orthotist and/or Prosthetist was also completed in April.
This Academy publication is a document aimed at marketing the
education, training and credentialing process, as well as the skills of
ABC O&P credentialed practitioners as the most competent providers
of comprehensive O&P services. The The Pathway to Competency
has many uses as a grassroots marketing tool when approaching all
health care providers, health insurance carriers, managed care
organizations, state and federal health agencies, state and federal
legislators, O&P consumers and even career counselors.

3. Grassroots Marketing
        The PIC again offered the Grassroots Marketing Seminar titled:
O&P Marketing and Professional Relations” at the Academy's Annual
Meeting and Scientific Symposium. This seminar has been one of the
core education modules within the Academy's Program for Professional
Development, as part of the Practice Management Certificate Program.
It will be offered again in San Diego, California as part of the
Academy's Continuing Education Conference Series, November 12-14,
1998. Plans are also in the works to offer the Seminar in a slightly
different format next year.

4. Legislative Support and Assistance
        The PIC has collectively continued to provide ongoing support
and assistance to Academy members pursing legislative and/or
regulatory initiatives as well as those related to education and research
funding through its various sub-committees. This support has been
more at the State level than at the Federal level. At the State level to
date, the PIC has actively supported legislative initiatives at the request
of Academy members in the States of California, Connecticut, Florida,
Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio,
Texas, and Washington.

Conclusions & Recommendations
        The Purpose, Goals and Objectives of the Professional Issues
Council are clearly defined in their support of the Academy's Mission
Statement. The PIC, since its inception in 1994 as the Professional
Issues Committe, has become a viable and important aspect of meeting
the Academy’s Mission. The Academy, as a professional society
representing individual practitioners, must continue to have an active
voice in the growth and development of our profession; and especially
within the ever-changing health care environment of today.
Professional issues, whether they be educational or practice related,
must be paramount in the minds of the Academy's leadership as they
represent the concerns of the individual practitioner and are at the heart
of the O&P profession. It is for this reason, the complacencies of the
past and the stereotyped image of the Academy being just a vehicle
for continuing education must not continue. Individual practitioners
must have a true voice in the affairs of their profession. Without it, the
Academy and the profession will fall back into the problems of the past
and not appropriately address the issues of the future.

        The O&P Compendium must continue to become a living
document that is not lost to time. The O&P Compendium and its
documents define in a very real way who we are as a profession, what
our structure is as a profession and how we got to where we are as a
true profession. Regular updating of the O&P Compendium must be
continued and its availability needs to be marketed both within and
outside the profession.

        The Pathway to Competency needs marketed to every
Academy member and non-member practitioner as a tool to educate
others about the competency and scope of practice of ABC
credentialed practitioners as the most qualified providers of
comprehensive O&P health care services.

        The Grassroots Marketing Initiatives are also an ongoing
process that must be continued and strengthened at the local level. This
must be done in cooperation with our sister organizations which make
up the core of our profession wherever and whenever possible. It is
essential for the Academy to promote our profession and the
practitioners it represents from the ground up. This can only be done
effectively at the grassroots level and with the direct involvement of
individual practitioners committed to such an effort. The Academy,
however, has the responsibility to provide the tools and information
necessary to achieve this goal.

        The State and Federal Legislative Support provided by the PIC
and its Sub-Committees is also an ongoing process that collectively
must continue to grow and develop. It is essential to continue the
support and assistance provided by the PIC to Academy members
pursuing legislative and/or regulatory initiatives relevant to the
professional concerns of ABC credentialed practitioners. At the
Federal level, as well as the State level, these activities are intended to
cooperatively augment and support the efforts and initiatives of the
AOPA Government Relations Program, whenever possible. In that
regard, as the only professional society representing the professional
needs, interests, and concerns of ABC credentialed practitioners, every
effort should be made to identify areas of common interest and
encourage interaction with AOPA and all of our sister organizations.

        I trust and hope that my efforts towards these initiatives on
behalf of our profession and colleagues will survive the test of time.
Thank you for the opportunity of allowing me to address these issues
on behalf of our profession and hopefully assure that quality O&P
heath care is being provided to those individuals who depend its
practitioners.

                                        Respectfully submitted,
                                        John N. Billock, C.P.O., Chair
                                        Professional Issues Council