US POLITICS Consolidation Q/A
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Title:
US POLITICS Consolidation Q/A
Text:
Here are the answers to questions received over the last week.
CURRENT ORGANIZATIONS
1. Voting
Who can vote on consolidation?
Only active members of membership organizations can vote.
AOPA is a membership organization.
AAOP is a membership organization.
ABC is not a membership organization. You do not belong to ABC. You pay a
renewal fee to maintain your certification. The ABC board of directors makes
all decisions regarding ABC.
2. Trade Marks
Who owns them now? Who will own them after the consolidation, provided it
passes? What will happen to the Academy (AAOP) trademark, especially if the
new
association is named the American Association for Orthotics and Prosthetics
(AAOP)?
Our attorney Steven Fellman provided the following; The trademarks of AOPA,
ABC, and the Academy are now owned by the three separate corporations. AOPA
owns the AOPA marks; ABC owns the ABC marks and the Academy owns its marks.
If the consolidation passes, all the trademarks will be transferred to the
new corporation. The new corporation will get a trade mark on its logo/name
...American Association for Orthotics and Prosthetics. Since the new corp
will own the Academy's trademark, there will be no objections to the
similarities. The new corp will use a separate logo. This is similar to our
ABC and the tv network ABC.
NEW ASSOCIATION
1. Voting
· Under the consolidated organization, as proposed in the draft bylaws,
active members would have a vote on ABC bylaw changes. However individuals
who choose to only pay the ABC renewal fee will not have a vote. Only those
who join the association will have a vote.
· Why should suppliers have a vote in the new association?
AOPA has about 135 supplier members. They pay a membership rate higher than
patient care facilities and they provide a lot of support for the
association's programs (advertising, exhibiting and sponsorship). Many, if
not most, of the supplier members sell only to O&P facilities. We cannot
control whom suppliers sell to, nor can they control whom facilities sell to
(insurers) or at what discount rate. These are business decisions. Even if
suppliers sell some of their products to other than O&P companies, they care
enough about the field to join and participate. AOPA feels that
suppliers who show their commitment by joining deserve a vote.
The same arguments hold true for the consolidated organization. One of the
goals of consolidation is to bring together various parts of the O&P
profession and industry. The elected leaders decided to be inclusive, rather
than exclusive. Weeding out current members of one of the consolidating
organizations would not meet the goal of inclusiveness.
If the 752 AOPA active company members and the 1857 Academy active members
join the new association total voting membership would be 2069. Suppliers
would have 135 votes or 5% of the total vote.
2. Membership
· Why would an individual join as a nonvoting member?
For the same reasons individuals join today. Access to all member benefits -
member discounts, insurance programs, subscription to the O & P Almanac and
the JPO, a voice in national issues advocated by the association, the ability
to participate, collegially, with their fellow O&P professionals in education
and in advancing the competency of practitioners. Many individuals join an
association because it is their way to give back to the field. They give
financial support through their dues. If they become active as committee
members, authors, or lecturers they contribute to the advancement the field.
3. ABC
· If a supplier member becomes engaged in the delivery of O&P patient care in
the development, research, and testing, of product(s) will they need to
comply with the ABC scope of practice?
Suppliers need not comply with the ABC scope of practice or facility
standards if they are not engaged in the direct delivery of O&P patient care.
Lance Hoxie, Executive Director of ABC, states However, if they are doing so
(even if for research purposes, only) then I would expect them to apply the
scope of practice criteria to the delivery of that care. Facility
accreditation is also limited to organizations primarily engaged in the
direct delivery of O&P patient care. It is also a voluntary program. For
those facilities that elect to become accredited then they need to comply
with facility accreditation standards.
· . Are the ABC facility standards of excellence the same as for ABC facility
accreditation?
ABC standards of excellence refer to both the facility accreditation
standards and the criteria for certification/registration.
David J Jendrzejczyk, CP FAAOP
Chairman, O&P National Office and Steering Committee
CURRENT ORGANIZATIONS
1. Voting
Who can vote on consolidation?
Only active members of membership organizations can vote.
AOPA is a membership organization.
AAOP is a membership organization.
ABC is not a membership organization. You do not belong to ABC. You pay a
renewal fee to maintain your certification. The ABC board of directors makes
all decisions regarding ABC.
2. Trade Marks
Who owns them now? Who will own them after the consolidation, provided it
passes? What will happen to the Academy (AAOP) trademark, especially if the
new
association is named the American Association for Orthotics and Prosthetics
(AAOP)?
Our attorney Steven Fellman provided the following; The trademarks of AOPA,
ABC, and the Academy are now owned by the three separate corporations. AOPA
owns the AOPA marks; ABC owns the ABC marks and the Academy owns its marks.
If the consolidation passes, all the trademarks will be transferred to the
new corporation. The new corporation will get a trade mark on its logo/name
...American Association for Orthotics and Prosthetics. Since the new corp
will own the Academy's trademark, there will be no objections to the
similarities. The new corp will use a separate logo. This is similar to our
ABC and the tv network ABC.
NEW ASSOCIATION
1. Voting
· Under the consolidated organization, as proposed in the draft bylaws,
active members would have a vote on ABC bylaw changes. However individuals
who choose to only pay the ABC renewal fee will not have a vote. Only those
who join the association will have a vote.
· Why should suppliers have a vote in the new association?
AOPA has about 135 supplier members. They pay a membership rate higher than
patient care facilities and they provide a lot of support for the
association's programs (advertising, exhibiting and sponsorship). Many, if
not most, of the supplier members sell only to O&P facilities. We cannot
control whom suppliers sell to, nor can they control whom facilities sell to
(insurers) or at what discount rate. These are business decisions. Even if
suppliers sell some of their products to other than O&P companies, they care
enough about the field to join and participate. AOPA feels that
suppliers who show their commitment by joining deserve a vote.
The same arguments hold true for the consolidated organization. One of the
goals of consolidation is to bring together various parts of the O&P
profession and industry. The elected leaders decided to be inclusive, rather
than exclusive. Weeding out current members of one of the consolidating
organizations would not meet the goal of inclusiveness.
If the 752 AOPA active company members and the 1857 Academy active members
join the new association total voting membership would be 2069. Suppliers
would have 135 votes or 5% of the total vote.
2. Membership
· Why would an individual join as a nonvoting member?
For the same reasons individuals join today. Access to all member benefits -
member discounts, insurance programs, subscription to the O & P Almanac and
the JPO, a voice in national issues advocated by the association, the ability
to participate, collegially, with their fellow O&P professionals in education
and in advancing the competency of practitioners. Many individuals join an
association because it is their way to give back to the field. They give
financial support through their dues. If they become active as committee
members, authors, or lecturers they contribute to the advancement the field.
3. ABC
· If a supplier member becomes engaged in the delivery of O&P patient care in
the development, research, and testing, of product(s) will they need to
comply with the ABC scope of practice?
Suppliers need not comply with the ABC scope of practice or facility
standards if they are not engaged in the direct delivery of O&P patient care.
Lance Hoxie, Executive Director of ABC, states However, if they are doing so
(even if for research purposes, only) then I would expect them to apply the
scope of practice criteria to the delivery of that care. Facility
accreditation is also limited to organizations primarily engaged in the
direct delivery of O&P patient care. It is also a voluntary program. For
those facilities that elect to become accredited then they need to comply
with facility accreditation standards.
· . Are the ABC facility standards of excellence the same as for ABC facility
accreditation?
ABC standards of excellence refer to both the facility accreditation
standards and the criteria for certification/registration.
David J Jendrzejczyk, CP FAAOP
Chairman, O&P National Office and Steering Committee
Citation
“US POLITICS Consolidation Q/A,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 5, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/211560.
