Re: Federal Legislation
Karen Steele
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: Federal Legislation
Creator:
Karen Steele
Date:
12/9/2000
Text:
John, et. al. -
O&P isn't surgery, and if you equate the two you either greatly overestimate
your skills or you greatly underestimate the skills of a surgeon. For one
thing, I do not place myself in a position where I might lose my life when I
walk into my orthotists office in order to get fitted for a new KAFO. Yes,
the KAFO has a large impact on my quality of life, but.....
I'm not saying that having a minimum set of standards is wrong, I just
question why you throw all BOC certified practitioners in the same pot...
Dave Hendricks made a very important point when he talked about the reason
for certification - it's not to take care of the stars, but to protect the
public from those practitioners who are at the bottom of their heap...
My point is that standards, certification, etc. are meaningless if the
practitioner doesn't put the needs of the patient above all else, and if, in
order to do this, he doesn't seek to continually educate himself about the
latest advances and try to apply them in his practice.
The quality of orthotic care that I receive comes down to a question of the
professional integrity of the practitioner, be he ABC, BOC, or
uncertified....
I am not a prosthetist or orthotist.... I am a registered Professional
Engineer with an MS in Mechanical Engineering. In my profession, I have at
least two broad types of standards that apply to me and to my work. There
are a set of professional standards that demonstrate that I have a working
knowledge of the basic principles of mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics,
electrical circuits, chemistry, etc... and that I can apply them to
real-world situations. There are also a set of design standards that are
available to me to use as guides. The American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) started developing these standards back in the early 1900s
when people were dying as a result of steam boiler explosions. Boilers are
now built according to a strict set of engineering codes, to ensure the
safety of those who happen to be near them... There are standards which
specify things as small as screws (how else do you know a #10-32 screw is
really a #10-32 screw when you buy it, if you don't have a design spec
somewhere that tells everyone who makes a #10-32 screw what it's supposed to
look like) and materials like steels (so that you really get 316 stainless
when you need it...).
You can read more about the history of ASME at:
<URL Redacted>
The reason I mention this is because I think that, in order for the orthotic
and prosthetic industry to move ahead, you must start thinking in terms of
standardizing orthotic and prosthetic components, and developing and
applying a uniform set of fitting and measuring criteria. You need to start
gathering data that measures the outcomes of different treatments in order
to prove efficacy of treatment. The studies need to be reproduceable,
scrutinized, and financed by an independent board that has no financial
stake in the results of the study. There needs to be funding for research
and development. I'm not talking product development funding - I'm talking
pure R&D where the fundamental principles of orthotics and prosthetics are
discovered. I'm talking research in gait analysis - what is really going
wrong with a particular pathology, and what it is you are trying to
accomplish by correcting; fundamental research in scoliosis correction and
prevention - what is going on mechanically and physiologically in the spine
that causes curvature? I could continue, but I won't....
I know this is more than my two cents worth, but....
Sincerely,
Karen Steele, MSME, PE
----Original Message Follows----
From: John D. Hatch < <Email Address Redacted> >
Reply-To: John D. Hatch < <Email Address Redacted> >
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: Re: [OANDP-L] Federal Legislation
Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 11:18:39 -0700
I am curious if these are the same standards you apply when choosing a
surgeon. Do you go to a surgeon who has been to college, medical
school and completed a surgical residency; or do you choose a surgeon
who has a life-long curiosity that drives him/her to educate themself
about a particular subject but because of circumstances beyond their
control (family, financial, etc) they cannot take off in order to go
to medical school and get the proper education??
John D. Hatch, CPO, FAAOP
Karen Steele wrote:
>
> The plaque on the wall is meaningless if a person doesn't have a
life-long
> curiosity that drives him/her to educate themself about a particular
> subject. A person also needs a desire to do a good job, regardless of
> whether the work is big or small. I've seen ABC practitioners with about
as
> much drive as a snail in winter, and I've met BOC practitioners who
really
> want to learn and do a good job, but because of circumstances beyond
their
> control (family, financial, etc) they cannot take off in order to gain
ABC
> certificaion, but they can practice the profession that they love becaue
of
> BOC certification.
>
> I'd choose to be treated by a BOC practitioner who really cares and wants
to
> learn over an ABC orthotist who is more concerned about credentials any
day.
>
> Credentials and certification are important, but they should not be O&P's
> primary focus. O&Pers should be concentrating on treating every patient
> that walks in like it was their grandfather or grandmother. Credentials
> and certification can be very, very good or very, very bad.
>
> Just my two cents on this debate.
>
O&P isn't surgery, and if you equate the two you either greatly overestimate
your skills or you greatly underestimate the skills of a surgeon. For one
thing, I do not place myself in a position where I might lose my life when I
walk into my orthotists office in order to get fitted for a new KAFO. Yes,
the KAFO has a large impact on my quality of life, but.....
I'm not saying that having a minimum set of standards is wrong, I just
question why you throw all BOC certified practitioners in the same pot...
Dave Hendricks made a very important point when he talked about the reason
for certification - it's not to take care of the stars, but to protect the
public from those practitioners who are at the bottom of their heap...
My point is that standards, certification, etc. are meaningless if the
practitioner doesn't put the needs of the patient above all else, and if, in
order to do this, he doesn't seek to continually educate himself about the
latest advances and try to apply them in his practice.
The quality of orthotic care that I receive comes down to a question of the
professional integrity of the practitioner, be he ABC, BOC, or
uncertified....
I am not a prosthetist or orthotist.... I am a registered Professional
Engineer with an MS in Mechanical Engineering. In my profession, I have at
least two broad types of standards that apply to me and to my work. There
are a set of professional standards that demonstrate that I have a working
knowledge of the basic principles of mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics,
electrical circuits, chemistry, etc... and that I can apply them to
real-world situations. There are also a set of design standards that are
available to me to use as guides. The American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME) started developing these standards back in the early 1900s
when people were dying as a result of steam boiler explosions. Boilers are
now built according to a strict set of engineering codes, to ensure the
safety of those who happen to be near them... There are standards which
specify things as small as screws (how else do you know a #10-32 screw is
really a #10-32 screw when you buy it, if you don't have a design spec
somewhere that tells everyone who makes a #10-32 screw what it's supposed to
look like) and materials like steels (so that you really get 316 stainless
when you need it...).
You can read more about the history of ASME at:
<URL Redacted>
The reason I mention this is because I think that, in order for the orthotic
and prosthetic industry to move ahead, you must start thinking in terms of
standardizing orthotic and prosthetic components, and developing and
applying a uniform set of fitting and measuring criteria. You need to start
gathering data that measures the outcomes of different treatments in order
to prove efficacy of treatment. The studies need to be reproduceable,
scrutinized, and financed by an independent board that has no financial
stake in the results of the study. There needs to be funding for research
and development. I'm not talking product development funding - I'm talking
pure R&D where the fundamental principles of orthotics and prosthetics are
discovered. I'm talking research in gait analysis - what is really going
wrong with a particular pathology, and what it is you are trying to
accomplish by correcting; fundamental research in scoliosis correction and
prevention - what is going on mechanically and physiologically in the spine
that causes curvature? I could continue, but I won't....
I know this is more than my two cents worth, but....
Sincerely,
Karen Steele, MSME, PE
----Original Message Follows----
From: John D. Hatch < <Email Address Redacted> >
Reply-To: John D. Hatch < <Email Address Redacted> >
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: Re: [OANDP-L] Federal Legislation
Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 11:18:39 -0700
I am curious if these are the same standards you apply when choosing a
surgeon. Do you go to a surgeon who has been to college, medical
school and completed a surgical residency; or do you choose a surgeon
who has a life-long curiosity that drives him/her to educate themself
about a particular subject but because of circumstances beyond their
control (family, financial, etc) they cannot take off in order to go
to medical school and get the proper education??
John D. Hatch, CPO, FAAOP
Karen Steele wrote:
>
> The plaque on the wall is meaningless if a person doesn't have a
life-long
> curiosity that drives him/her to educate themself about a particular
> subject. A person also needs a desire to do a good job, regardless of
> whether the work is big or small. I've seen ABC practitioners with about
as
> much drive as a snail in winter, and I've met BOC practitioners who
really
> want to learn and do a good job, but because of circumstances beyond
their
> control (family, financial, etc) they cannot take off in order to gain
ABC
> certificaion, but they can practice the profession that they love becaue
of
> BOC certification.
>
> I'd choose to be treated by a BOC practitioner who really cares and wants
to
> learn over an ABC orthotist who is more concerned about credentials any
day.
>
> Credentials and certification are important, but they should not be O&P's
> primary focus. O&Pers should be concentrating on treating every patient
> that walks in like it was their grandfather or grandmother. Credentials
> and certification can be very, very good or very, very bad.
>
> Just my two cents on this debate.
>
Citation
Karen Steele, “Re: Federal Legislation,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/215458.
