Open Letter to the President of Ossur
WSmithMD
Description
Collection
Title:
Open Letter to the President of Ossur
Creator:
WSmithMD
Date:
6/16/2003
Text:
Dear Mr. Wertz
I have been practicing rehabilitation medicine and have been prescribing prosthetics for over 30 years. I was provided a copy of the recent article in the O&P Business News by a prosthetist that participates in one of my amputee clinics. The article was an overview of the new Ossur Associate Facilities program and I felt it was appropriate to share my insights in this open letter to fellow rehab professionals and associates.
Mr. Wertz, you were quoted numerous times in this article that you felt the ultimate customer, the amputee, should have access to the best products and you stated you have the best interest of the amputee in mind. After reviewing the article and learning more about your program I want to publicly state that I am personally and professionally offended that you would attempt to promote such a transparent, shallow and profit driven program in the name of patient care.
I was astounded at the criteria for a prosthetist to join the Ossur Associated Facility program. I will now always doubt the credibility and ethics of any prosthetist that recommends an Ossur Liner, Flex Foot or Total Knee in any clinic. I will be putting all prosthetic facilities that attend my clinics on notice, if they have joined the OAF, they had better not be suggesting or pushing any Ossur products for any of my patients. How am I to know if they are recommending the product because it is good for the patient or is it because they need the sale to obtain their 10% net sales in each product line. I defy any practitioner in the OAF to explain how they will maintain professional integrity while recommending an Ossur product knowing that they have to maintain minimum sales quotas with Ossur.
The Ossur Affiliate Facility program is an embarrassment to you personally, your company and any prosthetist that was too shortsighted and money hungry join the Ossur program. Mind you, the one positive aspect of the Ossur program is that it has identified and exposed those prosthetists that have decided to put profits and revenue ahead of quality patient care by joining the Ossur program. How can any prosthetist, with a straight face and clear conscience, pay a yearly fee and agree to minimum sales quotas with Ossur while at the same time state they are interested in quality patient care. It is very clear; Ossur Affiliated Facility practitioners have sold their sole and their credibility to Ossur.
My nurse will be notifying all prosthetic providers this week that OAF members will no longer be welcome to attend any of my amputee clinics. Thank you for making the list so easily available on the web site so I can identify which practitioners are in this business solely for the money. In addition, any scripts that are sent to me for signature will now be closely scrutinized and I will be demanding that all L-Code recommendations be product specific, I now want to know exactly what products are being put on my patients. My clinics focus on what is best for my patients, not what is best for Ossur sales quotas and product lines.
A program like this would not survive the scrutiny of an ethics committee in any medical association. I am dismayed and disappointed that the prosthetic association would allow such a blatant profit driven process to exist. The fact that you are publicly promoting this program, you have articles published with the revenue goals, subscription fees and minimum purchasing details combined with a list of prosthetists promoting their involvement on your web site is astounding. The fact that you are willing and able to promote this publicly in a trade magazine without any sanctions from the industry puts the integrity of the entire prosthetic profession, accrediting body and association into question. I will be bringing this program and the names of all practitioners that have joined the Ossur Associated Facilities program to the attention Medicare and the Medical Directors of major insurance carriers my region.
Mr. Wertz, I demand you to immediately discontinue and dismantle this program. The damage you have done to the good name Flex Foot had before it became part of Ossur may be irreparable, and the black mark you have etched on the prosthetic industry as a whole is most likely indelible. As long as this program is in place, I cannot in good conscience prescribe any Ossur product on the recommendation of any prosthetist, as I will now always question the motivation and integrity of the practitioner.
According to your web site Ossur is a public company in Iceland and I could not help but notice that the stock price has dropped significantly over the 6 months. Perhaps in Iceland you create revenue programs to prop up your stock price and push sales while pretending it is all done in the name of patient care. Be advised, that is not the way we treat people here in the United States. In my clinics, the patient, quality care and my patients well being come first, not Ossur profits.
William Smith, MD
__________________________________________________
You Rock! Your E-mail should, too. Visit Rock.com!
I have been practicing rehabilitation medicine and have been prescribing prosthetics for over 30 years. I was provided a copy of the recent article in the O&P Business News by a prosthetist that participates in one of my amputee clinics. The article was an overview of the new Ossur Associate Facilities program and I felt it was appropriate to share my insights in this open letter to fellow rehab professionals and associates.
Mr. Wertz, you were quoted numerous times in this article that you felt the ultimate customer, the amputee, should have access to the best products and you stated you have the best interest of the amputee in mind. After reviewing the article and learning more about your program I want to publicly state that I am personally and professionally offended that you would attempt to promote such a transparent, shallow and profit driven program in the name of patient care.
I was astounded at the criteria for a prosthetist to join the Ossur Associated Facility program. I will now always doubt the credibility and ethics of any prosthetist that recommends an Ossur Liner, Flex Foot or Total Knee in any clinic. I will be putting all prosthetic facilities that attend my clinics on notice, if they have joined the OAF, they had better not be suggesting or pushing any Ossur products for any of my patients. How am I to know if they are recommending the product because it is good for the patient or is it because they need the sale to obtain their 10% net sales in each product line. I defy any practitioner in the OAF to explain how they will maintain professional integrity while recommending an Ossur product knowing that they have to maintain minimum sales quotas with Ossur.
The Ossur Affiliate Facility program is an embarrassment to you personally, your company and any prosthetist that was too shortsighted and money hungry join the Ossur program. Mind you, the one positive aspect of the Ossur program is that it has identified and exposed those prosthetists that have decided to put profits and revenue ahead of quality patient care by joining the Ossur program. How can any prosthetist, with a straight face and clear conscience, pay a yearly fee and agree to minimum sales quotas with Ossur while at the same time state they are interested in quality patient care. It is very clear; Ossur Affiliated Facility practitioners have sold their sole and their credibility to Ossur.
My nurse will be notifying all prosthetic providers this week that OAF members will no longer be welcome to attend any of my amputee clinics. Thank you for making the list so easily available on the web site so I can identify which practitioners are in this business solely for the money. In addition, any scripts that are sent to me for signature will now be closely scrutinized and I will be demanding that all L-Code recommendations be product specific, I now want to know exactly what products are being put on my patients. My clinics focus on what is best for my patients, not what is best for Ossur sales quotas and product lines.
A program like this would not survive the scrutiny of an ethics committee in any medical association. I am dismayed and disappointed that the prosthetic association would allow such a blatant profit driven process to exist. The fact that you are publicly promoting this program, you have articles published with the revenue goals, subscription fees and minimum purchasing details combined with a list of prosthetists promoting their involvement on your web site is astounding. The fact that you are willing and able to promote this publicly in a trade magazine without any sanctions from the industry puts the integrity of the entire prosthetic profession, accrediting body and association into question. I will be bringing this program and the names of all practitioners that have joined the Ossur Associated Facilities program to the attention Medicare and the Medical Directors of major insurance carriers my region.
Mr. Wertz, I demand you to immediately discontinue and dismantle this program. The damage you have done to the good name Flex Foot had before it became part of Ossur may be irreparable, and the black mark you have etched on the prosthetic industry as a whole is most likely indelible. As long as this program is in place, I cannot in good conscience prescribe any Ossur product on the recommendation of any prosthetist, as I will now always question the motivation and integrity of the practitioner.
According to your web site Ossur is a public company in Iceland and I could not help but notice that the stock price has dropped significantly over the 6 months. Perhaps in Iceland you create revenue programs to prop up your stock price and push sales while pretending it is all done in the name of patient care. Be advised, that is not the way we treat people here in the United States. In my clinics, the patient, quality care and my patients well being come first, not Ossur profits.
William Smith, MD
__________________________________________________
You Rock! Your E-mail should, too. Visit Rock.com!
Citation
WSmithMD, “Open Letter to the President of Ossur,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 7, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/221288.
