Re: Where are your professional and credentialing Associations ????

Re: Where are your professional and credentialing Associations ????

Stan LaCount

1/9/2001

I believe there might be a case for creating a new organization for the O&P
professionals who meet the highest standards. There is no need to make AOPA
an unnecessary and redundant organization either. O&P technicians have long
needed a trade organization of their own and hey, it's all set up. I did a
search of Hanger memberships on the AOPA online directory and it took 5
minutes to disgorge hundreds of names. They employ a lot of technicians
don't they? This membership already meets the minimum standards.
Meanwhile, O&P professionals can define what standards they might want to
have in a new organization that raises the bar a little.

Stan LaCount
Physical Restoration Engineer
Beach Biotech
Virginia Beach, VA

----- Original Message -----
From: Tony Barr < <Email Address Redacted> >
To: < <Email Address Redacted> >
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 2:35 PM
Subject: [OANDP-L] Where are your professional and credentialing
Associations ????


Why does the board members of AAOP and ABC remain silent of thier support in
legislation passed which permit OTs and PTs, without CAAHEP educational
quidelines, to provide O&P services??

What possible motive could the national professional organization
credentialed by ABC have in supporting AOPA's initiative for the entrance of
non CAAHEP providers??

Members of the Academy and ABC certified practitioners deserve explanation
from thier two perspective boards.
Your credentialing organization and professional association have placed new
meaning on the ABC credentials being set as minimum standards of care for
providers of comprehensive O&P services.

ABC was developed in 1948, an origin incidently, which was strategically
driven and necessary as the direct result of a Federal Trade Commission
investigation of possible violations of monoply laws by AOPA !!

Perhaps the AAOS organization, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, most
responsible and which strongly encouraged ABC credentials as minimum
standards of ensuring competency in 1948, should revisit the recent
loosening of CAAHEP standards made excempt for Ots and Pts thru recent
legislation?

Perhaps FTC should also check on recent AOPA compliance today.

If ABC and subsequently the Academy were formed to provide standards to the
profession and more open arms length transactions between the industry and
the providers, what has been accomplished by these two organizations
remaining silent on the recent industry's support of lowering the
professional standards of providers?

If I was a member of either organization, ABC or the Academy, I would
certainly expect some explanation from the board members.

Lets hear from some of the leaders I have grown to respect in the profession
i.e Supan, Allen,Tamoush, Hoxie, Bob Brown, John Billock,Prausakowski,and
others.How do you feel about the recent legislation?Put your membership and
certifees at rest with some sort of explanation!!

We have already heard from the industry!

Tony Barr



> The dilema we face has to do with AAOP. One of AAOP 's roles is to
advocate
> for persons with disabilities through the advocacy of high levels of
training
> and education for its members. This doesn't wash with AOPA,s ideas and
while
> there are many excellent educators and persons on the board there are also
> several board members on AAOP board that are sympathic to the old way of
> doing business and I also believe that their are a fair number of board
> members on AAOP's board that dont have a clue about what is happening
between
> these organizations at all.