Re: So what steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS
tony barr
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: So what steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS
Creator:
tony barr
Date:
6/18/2004
Text:
Joyce Perrone asked to subscribers of the O&P Listserve:
What steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS ?
Get proactive.
Just being able and legal to provide these services doesnt make you a
professional.
With becoming a health care professional comes the responsibility of
estabilishing and maintaining your professionalism.
Here are some suggestions from a mere patient's perspective while you are
waiting for the flood of other suggestions from your colleagues!!:)
Join the Academy
Promote and support state regulation of comprehensive O&P providers in every
state.
Promote separation of DME from comprehensive O&P providers and manufactures
who are members of the same clubs(associations)
Support the Academy in taking affirmative action to educate lawmakers and
third party payers of the differences of comprehensive O&P and DME.
Just as important, once united under one professional umbrella you can
separate your services from DME and get on with many projects described
by the NEW Academy's aggressive plans for Project Quantum Leap :
1) the task of educating third party payers and legislators that you
Provide a legitimate health care service and patient care along with a
product,
not just retail services.
2) Presenting O&P as a career option so we can ensure the viability of
the field in the profession Don Katz ,CO, President of the Academy.
3) Developing a pathway of expansion for O&P Masters and doctoral
degrees.
4) resolve the serious dilemma of the deficit in advanced educational
opportunities in O&P.
5)Develop a master agenda for priority topics (like conducting a
National Licensure Conference) and method for planning and conducting
consensus
conferences.
Who knows one day perhaps AAOP might even include a consumer/patient
Member to your board of directors.
Tony Barr
Barr Foundation
www.oandp.com/barr
www.ertlreconstruction.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Joyce Perrone
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 8:09 AM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] So what steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS
After reading Mr. Howell's piece titled Cut the Crap - or something along
that line I found it interesting to see precious few offers on how to raise
up the O&P industry to a different level from that Little Debbie snack
distributor.
We often hear it from hospital systems to lower our prices. After going
through lengthy discussions - it always comes back to - yes, but what is
the discount. Then that purchasing agent leaves and I go thru the same
process again with the next agent. I figure it is our job to educate these
folks even it is just one at a time. I take information they can READ and
review. Believe me, I've seen OUR Colleagues give totally unprofessional
printed materials to agents including cock-eyed photocopies, bad spelling
and grammar, (use spell check!), information JUST on price and NEVER clearly
organized about what we really do and why we are NOT the same as the guy who
drops off toner. Of course they don't look at it and just look at the
PRICE. We need to educate and get to the doctors, nurses, and therapists as
our champions.
Seriously - I would love to see postings as to WHAT each of us CAN DO.
And sending more PAC money is not the ultimate, in my view. I think it may
be a piece of the solution, but we still have work to do as individuals.
Here are some of my thoughts. Having been active as a medical practice
administrator, I came to O/P with a very different view. I ACTED like
someone who was an administrator for a MEDICAL practice. Not for Little
Debbie snacks.
Join MEDICAL organizations and serve on their committees. Start with your
states MGMA (Medical Group Management Assoc).
Go to www.mgma.org and find your state group. IN PA - I ultimately served
as PRESIDENT of that organization. I did a lot of work on the education
committees and worked side by side with other MEDICAL practice
administrators.
Get involved with the HOSPITAL based groups. Attend OTHER education works -
In Pittsburgh, we have PRHI (Pittsburgh regional healthcare
initiative) where the entire face of healthcare is getting changed.
Some of the brightest people are involved. But you can't get involved unless
you are actively reading and learning OUTSIDE of the field. Read articles
on Complexity Science as it applies to Healthcare -- www.plexusinstitute.com
or on www.qualityhealthcare.com the James Reason article on Diagnosis
vulnerable system syndrome. Sounds like heady, intellectual stuff - but if
you don't want to be treated like a VENDOR, then we have to raise ourselves
up to the level of intellectual capacity of the true professional.
And stop just giving in to price cuts. I bid on a contract and believe it
or not the company who said the most about NOT cutting price, went to 22%
below medicare just to get the contract. To me, this shows total laziness.
There was no other creative way to sell themselves other than price cutting.
Compete creatively. Know what is really going on in healthcare and be
involved. How many of you know about your local medical society? Do you
sponsor any of their events? Do you SPEAK at them? Write articles for their
journals?
Let's all take it up about 10 notches and act like professionals.
Joyce J. Perrone
De La Torre O&P, Inc and Promise Consulting 300 Alpha Drive Pittsburgh PA
15238
ph: 412-599-1112 fax: 412-599-1130
E
What steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS ?
Get proactive.
Just being able and legal to provide these services doesnt make you a
professional.
With becoming a health care professional comes the responsibility of
estabilishing and maintaining your professionalism.
Here are some suggestions from a mere patient's perspective while you are
waiting for the flood of other suggestions from your colleagues!!:)
Join the Academy
Promote and support state regulation of comprehensive O&P providers in every
state.
Promote separation of DME from comprehensive O&P providers and manufactures
who are members of the same clubs(associations)
Support the Academy in taking affirmative action to educate lawmakers and
third party payers of the differences of comprehensive O&P and DME.
Just as important, once united under one professional umbrella you can
separate your services from DME and get on with many projects described
by the NEW Academy's aggressive plans for Project Quantum Leap :
1) the task of educating third party payers and legislators that you
Provide a legitimate health care service and patient care along with a
product,
not just retail services.
2) Presenting O&P as a career option so we can ensure the viability of
the field in the profession Don Katz ,CO, President of the Academy.
3) Developing a pathway of expansion for O&P Masters and doctoral
degrees.
4) resolve the serious dilemma of the deficit in advanced educational
opportunities in O&P.
5)Develop a master agenda for priority topics (like conducting a
National Licensure Conference) and method for planning and conducting
consensus
conferences.
Who knows one day perhaps AAOP might even include a consumer/patient
Member to your board of directors.
Tony Barr
Barr Foundation
www.oandp.com/barr
www.ertlreconstruction.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Orthotics and Prosthetics List [mailto:<Email Address Redacted>] On
Behalf Of Joyce Perrone
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2004 8:09 AM
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Subject: [OANDP-L] So what steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS
After reading Mr. Howell's piece titled Cut the Crap - or something along
that line I found it interesting to see precious few offers on how to raise
up the O&P industry to a different level from that Little Debbie snack
distributor.
We often hear it from hospital systems to lower our prices. After going
through lengthy discussions - it always comes back to - yes, but what is
the discount. Then that purchasing agent leaves and I go thru the same
process again with the next agent. I figure it is our job to educate these
folks even it is just one at a time. I take information they can READ and
review. Believe me, I've seen OUR Colleagues give totally unprofessional
printed materials to agents including cock-eyed photocopies, bad spelling
and grammar, (use spell check!), information JUST on price and NEVER clearly
organized about what we really do and why we are NOT the same as the guy who
drops off toner. Of course they don't look at it and just look at the
PRICE. We need to educate and get to the doctors, nurses, and therapists as
our champions.
Seriously - I would love to see postings as to WHAT each of us CAN DO.
And sending more PAC money is not the ultimate, in my view. I think it may
be a piece of the solution, but we still have work to do as individuals.
Here are some of my thoughts. Having been active as a medical practice
administrator, I came to O/P with a very different view. I ACTED like
someone who was an administrator for a MEDICAL practice. Not for Little
Debbie snacks.
Join MEDICAL organizations and serve on their committees. Start with your
states MGMA (Medical Group Management Assoc).
Go to www.mgma.org and find your state group. IN PA - I ultimately served
as PRESIDENT of that organization. I did a lot of work on the education
committees and worked side by side with other MEDICAL practice
administrators.
Get involved with the HOSPITAL based groups. Attend OTHER education works -
In Pittsburgh, we have PRHI (Pittsburgh regional healthcare
initiative) where the entire face of healthcare is getting changed.
Some of the brightest people are involved. But you can't get involved unless
you are actively reading and learning OUTSIDE of the field. Read articles
on Complexity Science as it applies to Healthcare -- www.plexusinstitute.com
or on www.qualityhealthcare.com the James Reason article on Diagnosis
vulnerable system syndrome. Sounds like heady, intellectual stuff - but if
you don't want to be treated like a VENDOR, then we have to raise ourselves
up to the level of intellectual capacity of the true professional.
And stop just giving in to price cuts. I bid on a contract and believe it
or not the company who said the most about NOT cutting price, went to 22%
below medicare just to get the contract. To me, this shows total laziness.
There was no other creative way to sell themselves other than price cutting.
Compete creatively. Know what is really going on in healthcare and be
involved. How many of you know about your local medical society? Do you
sponsor any of their events? Do you SPEAK at them? Write articles for their
journals?
Let's all take it up about 10 notches and act like professionals.
Joyce J. Perrone
De La Torre O&P, Inc and Promise Consulting 300 Alpha Drive Pittsburgh PA
15238
ph: 412-599-1112 fax: 412-599-1130
E
Citation
tony barr, “Re: So what steps do we take to NOT be VENDORS,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/223292.
