Re: -Otto Bock will not be present at the Academy meeting

Re: -Otto Bock will not be present at the Academy meeting

Dear Colleagues:

RE: Tony Barr's comments

It may very well be my naivete about the separation of business from the
profession, and my involvement with a government institution, which insulates me
and influences my thinking.

My focus in prosthetics is mostly academic i.e., what are the best ways to
approach and solve problems of fitting and componentry. I try to do this in a
cost effective manner.
 Since it is the only thing I focus on, I may be oblivious to what the rest
of the focus is at AOPA meetings. I don't go to the business meetings or the
golf tournaments.
Other practitioners have pointed out that there are funding issues for the
individual organizations that are met with these meetings. That may be a large
driving force.

My simple perspective is a larger informative meeting that is cost effective
for everyone.

I perceive both meetings as a place for technical information and product
awareness. I have not seen the technical focus of past Academy meetings as
significantly different in depth or scope. Perhaps the Academy's interests should be
merged with ISPO for an international technical focus/and meeting. I find
their formats to be interdisciplinary and very technically oriented. Ossur's
advanced prosthetic conferences in years past, also presented a commendable
interdisciplinary focus.

I am rarely reimbursed to attend these meetings, and when it comes out of
your own pocket, you want to get the maximum amount of information. I have to ask
myself if these meetings are really worth $2500.
Regardless of who is paying, I would like them to impart significant
technical information.
I'd be particularly interested in a seminar about which products/components
have been highly successful and which dissatisfactory, from a practitioner's
perspective--no mfgrs allowed!

Respectfully,
Mark Benveniste RN BS CP

In a message dated 1/1/2004 2:36:25 PM Central Standard Time,
<Email Address Redacted> writes:
I suspect many of the other major manufacture AOPA members will alsobe
boycotting the Academy meeting in order to further force the one meeting
concept.

It further shows the differences of AOPA and their manufacture members whom
in spite of belonging to the same national trade association will continue
to call their own shots for themselves!

With all do respect Mark, the idea of a combined meeting was presented and
opposed by both the Academy and AOPA.
Yet their members I suppose are free to do what they want.


I personally feel that two separate annual meetings will improve the very
much needed, separate identifications for industry and professional
interests. Although two meetings may not cost effective, it is absolutely
necessary to better identify the philosophies and differences of the two,
profession and manufacture.

This is one meeting concept is a modified version of consolidation all over
again in spite being defeated last year.

Unfortunately O&P is already closely aligned to DME interests ,whom AOPA has
DME members and close financial ties to.

The public perception is that O&P IS DME and visa versa.
Won't supporting this one meeting concept lead to adding more credence to
that perception?

Its easier for a VA practitioner like yourself whom is not negotiating and
purchasing directly from manufacturers nor conducting business in the
private sector, to support the combined meeting of both industry and
professional, than it is of a Academy/professional member that must
negotiate prices for goods and wishes to eliminate the false perception that
the O&P profession contributes to the fraud and abuse $$$ that has been
equated to the billing of DME products.

More recently DME fraud has delayed issue of any new supplier numbers by CMS
for DMEPOS.
What do you suppose CMS's perception is of a trade industry that pleas for
proper coverages, oppossses competitive bidding for DME and O&P and demands
increased L-code reimbursement, when their national membership is made up of
both distinctively different members,interests and qualification critera ?

Medicare reimbursement on wheelchairs alone over the past four years has
increased 450%!!
Pigs Eat but Hogs get slaughtered Why take down the O&P profession and
desperately needed coverage for beneficiaries with this unsupervised and
non accountable greed?

Since AOPA keeps their DME membership list close to their chest, perhaps
they may have some wheelchair manufactures whom have abused the system
making it more difficult for reimbursers and lawmakers to distinguish the
differences and qualifications of providing O&P services and DME.

I have wondered if the list of those Medicare/Medicaid abusers is ever
published to the public and whether they are allowed to remain sanctioned
members of AOPA or NAAOP when they are caught and convicted?
Perhaps Walter Gorski would be kind enough to reply to that?

My humble and non professional opinion,Industry and Professional interests
should encourage separate identities in any way they can and DME and
comprehensive O&P interests should not be represented by the same
professional nor trade industry association.

Tony


-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Benveniste, David Mark
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 2:19 PM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] Otto Bock will not be present at the Academy meeting

Dear Colleagues,

I read in the December O&P Almanac of Otto Bock's decision not to have a
presence at the American Academy meeting this February.

I applaud their decision, and hope it will be one more powerful vote to
eventually change the current practice of having two major meetings in the
USA.

Furthermore, when there is finally only one meeting per year, I am sure
there will be more participation from vendors and practitioners alike.
When that time comes, I hope there will also be the wisdom to have it in a
location that allows for lower cost lodging to be available for the less
affluent practitioners, technicians, and other interested parties.

I had originally intended to try and go to the Academy meeting inspite of
the expense. Now I think I too will wait for the larger AOPA meeting, and
hope that it won't be too much longer before there is only one meeting per
year.

I would also suggest that the vendors be accessible for longer hours during
these meeting. A major educational factor is learning what is available for
solving a variety of problems

Sincerely,
Mark Benveniste RN BS CP
VA Medical Center
Houston, TX