Fw: Consolidation /The Professional's perspective
Tony Barr
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Collection
Title:
Fw: Consolidation /The Professional's perspective
Creator:
Tony Barr
Text:
Al, your comments should be well advised.This consolidation decision WILL effect the image of the profession for years to come.Lawmaker's will equate the big business motives with those of the profession in their legislative decisions.Consumers will be the winner or loser of such legislative reform.I was present at the Academy's consolidation meeting in New Orleans and concluded that many Academy member's had not fully made a decision .Most were in attendence to become better informed.The industry and big business interests had already made up their minds for consolidation.
Most professional members, that were in opposition to consolidation, cited conflict of interest in the possible marriage of industry and the profession.Some had questions of cost savings in the consolidation proposal and future effectiveness of influencing lawmakers to proper O&P coverages.In my opinion those questions were not properly answered.
ACA,of which the Barr Foundation is a lifetime member ,was not present and did not speak.
Their magazine,In Motion, is heavily advertised by members of AOPA and the industry side of the equation.
I would hope that this did not influenced their support for consolidation.Their main interest motivation SHOULD be that of the consumer and legislative support for reform legislation in regulation of the industry and profession.
Since the outcome of consolidation will directly effect consumer's rights for coverage ,I hope that ACA may offer more of their reasoning behind their support.
I DID have the opportunity to speak as the result of one member's request for consumer's input.Much that I had said has been posted to the listserves.The bottom line was Is consolidation good for the consumer? and is it fair to align the motives of the industry to those of the profession and consumer?
I hope my observations were helpfull.
Tony Barr
The Barr Foundation
www.oandp.com/barr
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The Academy meeting is past and I for one was unable to attend.
Last night I received the March O&P Almanac which has as the cover story O&P
Takes Steps Toward Consolidation. Bill Schumann in an article makes reference
to the Internet exchanges on this topic. As yet I have not heard anything
about what occurred or was said about consolidation at the Academy meeting and
look forward to learning about what went on.
Tony Bar has presented the consumers take on the consolidation on the O&P
List and AMP-L. The O&P Almanac cover story by Nancy Menefee Jackson, a
freelance writer, reads in part The Amputee Coalition of America, a major
consumer organization has indicated that they feel consolidation under one
umbrella is a good idea for the O&P field.
It would seem that the amputee consumers are as divided on the consolidation
issue as is the O&P industry - profession - field.
It would seem with all the confusion there is in health care today this is
only adding to the confusion. I hope in time that we can all look back at this
and say we did what was right.
Al Pike, CP
Most professional members, that were in opposition to consolidation, cited conflict of interest in the possible marriage of industry and the profession.Some had questions of cost savings in the consolidation proposal and future effectiveness of influencing lawmakers to proper O&P coverages.In my opinion those questions were not properly answered.
ACA,of which the Barr Foundation is a lifetime member ,was not present and did not speak.
Their magazine,In Motion, is heavily advertised by members of AOPA and the industry side of the equation.
I would hope that this did not influenced their support for consolidation.Their main interest motivation SHOULD be that of the consumer and legislative support for reform legislation in regulation of the industry and profession.
Since the outcome of consolidation will directly effect consumer's rights for coverage ,I hope that ACA may offer more of their reasoning behind their support.
I DID have the opportunity to speak as the result of one member's request for consumer's input.Much that I had said has been posted to the listserves.The bottom line was Is consolidation good for the consumer? and is it fair to align the motives of the industry to those of the profession and consumer?
I hope my observations were helpfull.
Tony Barr
The Barr Foundation
www.oandp.com/barr
----------
The Academy meeting is past and I for one was unable to attend.
Last night I received the March O&P Almanac which has as the cover story O&P
Takes Steps Toward Consolidation. Bill Schumann in an article makes reference
to the Internet exchanges on this topic. As yet I have not heard anything
about what occurred or was said about consolidation at the Academy meeting and
look forward to learning about what went on.
Tony Bar has presented the consumers take on the consolidation on the O&P
List and AMP-L. The O&P Almanac cover story by Nancy Menefee Jackson, a
freelance writer, reads in part The Amputee Coalition of America, a major
consumer organization has indicated that they feel consolidation under one
umbrella is a good idea for the O&P field.
It would seem that the amputee consumers are as divided on the consolidation
issue as is the O&P industry - profession - field.
It would seem with all the confusion there is in health care today this is
only adding to the confusion. I hope in time that we can all look back at this
and say we did what was right.
Al Pike, CP
Citation
Tony Barr, “Fw: Consolidation /The Professional's perspective,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 8, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/211310.
