Re: O and P Slander

Re: O and P Slander

Don Holmes, CPO

Pete,

Starting another organization that lacks numbers to address high standards is
not the answer.

I am an ABC CPO that has fought this battle from within our ranks, as a past
president of ABC, AAOP and former National Office Chairman; I'm currently
serving as Chairman of the ABC Professional Discipline Committee and sit on the
ABC Facility Accreditation Committee. I once stood in your shoes, until I
became involved and began to realize that there is a much bigger picture than just
the purity of ABC. Whether we like it or not all sides of the coin must be
looked at. How many times have we scoffed at AOPA for looking after the dollar?
 How many times have we scoffed at the AAOP for it's puritan professional
focus? How long will we continue to ignore the changes in health care that is
being driven by the economy?

AOPA, AAOP, ABC, BOC and C.ped. all fill very specific needs for the
consumers. ABC was slow to recognize the need for various levels of credentialing,
hence BOC was developed to meet an organizational need for delivering a specific
level of patient care. Economics have driven the changes in standards and in
the delivery of patient care.

In the past, referrals came from physicians that were satisfied with the
level of care or service provided by reputable practitioners or companies. Today
referrals come over the fax machine from third party payors or through
specific contractual agreements based on the lowest price.

If we want to have a voice and help set the standards, than we better speak
with a united voice. AAOP, AOPA, BOC and C.peds must work through their
differences and deliver a message to congress and to the consumer that we can meet
the prosthetic/Orthotic health care needs based on a scope of practice that
defines the educational and experience level required to deliver quality patient
care services.

ABC is doing the right thing and I strongly support the direction they are
moving in. AOPA has known for years that the various levels of credentialing
were needed. ABC has protected their certificate that they have bestowed upon
ABC certifies for meeting the highest standards in the world, but ignored the
need for a level of care that required minimal standards. AAOP has always
tried to recognize those that have met the high standards of ABC with little
consideration given to the assistants, technicians or other credentialing bodies.
The organizations have moved forward and I commend their work in looking out
for our profession and the consumer.

If there is going to be a prosthetic / Orthotic profession it will need to be
united in it's voice and in it's direction. It must understand that the
consumer is first and that organizations must be able to deliver services based on
a scope of practice and not based on credential alone. Reasonable
reimbursement for those services is an important part of the equation if the profession is
to be sustained.

Facility accreditation that recognizes delivery of services based on the
scope of practice will be the foundation for meeting consumer needs.

We will need to stand as one if we are to influence consumer standards in
Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Donald W. Holmes, CPO