Re: prosthetics on demand/ U. S. Politics

Re: prosthetics on demand/ U. S. Politics

Tony Barr

Thanks for the info! While U.S. amputees,practitioners and others scramble to recieve better O&P coverage,
the U.S.A O&P industry remains unregulated .Certification is optional in most states.
Old fashion or not Germany regulation legislation requires oversight and govt educational testing.
Minimum & mandatory educational guidelines and accountability sounds very modern to me and a excellent method in reducing the fraud and abuse that discourages expanding limits of O&P coverage!!
Maybe the main reason your country has excellent O&P health care coverage?!!!Tony

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Dear Tony;

Haven't completely followed what Victoria found out but I am able to answer
your question for Germany:

Yes, prosthetists/orthotists are government controlled (by legislation) and
controlled by - what many US citizens consider oldfashioned because they
don't know any better - the chambers of crafts and the guild associations.

1. You cannot open a business without being certified.
2. You may have an employed technician do most of the actual work (even
clinical if he/she is experienced) but you cannot do a patient checkout
without a certified CPO's final supervisory control.
3. You may know that there is a structured (government controlled) 3 1/2
years apprenticeship training for technicians plus 3-5 years requirement
actual experience in the field including 1 year preparational course for the
final certification exam (at the Federal School fOrthopedic Technology,
Dortmund). So before you can touch an O&P patient you are required to have
been working supervised in the field for at least 6 1/2 years and have
proven to pass the government contolled exams at least as a Meister and if
desired CPO (D).
Probably the toughest regulations worldwide but proven to lead to a very
acceptable degree of experience and skill (technically and clinically).
Because university based programs (education systems) do not understand the
German education system (which grew historically but is absolutely up-to-date
in every standard), they believe a non academic vocational education to be
inferior to university based programs. Well, they should read the last O&P
business world (spring 99) openmindedly.
4. The Federal School has additionally started a program this year leading to
a B.Sc. Eng. in the field of O&P and Rehabilitation-Technology. In O&P
related education those guys do not get anything different than the school's
normal O&P students, but additionally they get the engineering science. Even
they will not be permitted patient contact without going through the
Meister exams.

Hope this answers your question.
Feel free to ask for more information, if you desire so.

Wieland Kaphingst, B,Sc. Eng. (BMT), CPO (D)
Former Director of the Federal School for Orthopedic Technology
Dortmund Germany