Re: APTA Comments on DMEPOS Quality Standards
Terry Supan
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: APTA Comments on DMEPOS Quality Standards
Creator:
Terry Supan
Date:
12/8/2005
Text:
Ms. Sheredos,
I can assure you that if Dr. Fishman advocated the dental model
earlier in his tenure at NYU it was NOT his sentiment in the last years
of his life. Dr Fishman was a personal friend of mine and as one of his
last official functions I had the distinction of serving on the
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee with him. He was one of the
representatives of the AAOS and I was there representing O&P State
Licensure Boards.
The APTA's opinion at the NRM that licensed physical therapist would
equate a qualified O&P provider was not shared by Dr. Fishman. Several
times he repeated that the amount of education that a therapist receives
on O&P at any PT program would expose the student to the theory of O&P
but was never enough for them to be trained in the design, fabrication,
fitting and even the assessment of the present day custom orthosis or
prosthesis.
In my official opinion, the APTA's letter does not adequately present
the outcome of the NRM. The APTA's unwillingness to compromise on the
fact that a therapist needed more education and training to be
qualified was the demise of the consensus. A national maximum of 6
credit hours in O&P theory does not equal a minimum of 60 credit hours
for a fully CAAHEP accredited O&P program. That was what caused the
failure of the committee to come to an agreement. The ruling that CMS
has come up with reflects the majority of the committee members
including the physicians and consumer members of the committee.
Because of the lack of compromise on the part of the APTA, we never got
to the discussion on what the educational of an orthotist or prosthetist
must be. That was very unfortunate because as most of us know, Dr.
Fishman created the first under graduate program in O&P and in his later
years was a very vocal advocate of post graduate program for my profession.
Terry Supan, CPO, FAAOP, FISPO
Sheredos, Carol (NIH/NICHD) wrote:
>In my unofficial response to Paul Oswald's comments concerning the APTA statement to CMS regarding PT qualifications ...
>
>The late Sidney Fishman, Ph.D., had a very workable solution to all of this -- The dental model. The PT would measure and take a cast of the residual or affected limb, as a dentist would take an impression of the mouth/teeth to be fitted. The casting and measurements would be sent to the prosthetist/orthotist for fabrication of the ...
>
>-- Carol A. Sheredos, PT, MA
>
>
>
>
I can assure you that if Dr. Fishman advocated the dental model
earlier in his tenure at NYU it was NOT his sentiment in the last years
of his life. Dr Fishman was a personal friend of mine and as one of his
last official functions I had the distinction of serving on the
Negotiated Rulemaking Committee with him. He was one of the
representatives of the AAOS and I was there representing O&P State
Licensure Boards.
The APTA's opinion at the NRM that licensed physical therapist would
equate a qualified O&P provider was not shared by Dr. Fishman. Several
times he repeated that the amount of education that a therapist receives
on O&P at any PT program would expose the student to the theory of O&P
but was never enough for them to be trained in the design, fabrication,
fitting and even the assessment of the present day custom orthosis or
prosthesis.
In my official opinion, the APTA's letter does not adequately present
the outcome of the NRM. The APTA's unwillingness to compromise on the
fact that a therapist needed more education and training to be
qualified was the demise of the consensus. A national maximum of 6
credit hours in O&P theory does not equal a minimum of 60 credit hours
for a fully CAAHEP accredited O&P program. That was what caused the
failure of the committee to come to an agreement. The ruling that CMS
has come up with reflects the majority of the committee members
including the physicians and consumer members of the committee.
Because of the lack of compromise on the part of the APTA, we never got
to the discussion on what the educational of an orthotist or prosthetist
must be. That was very unfortunate because as most of us know, Dr.
Fishman created the first under graduate program in O&P and in his later
years was a very vocal advocate of post graduate program for my profession.
Terry Supan, CPO, FAAOP, FISPO
Sheredos, Carol (NIH/NICHD) wrote:
>In my unofficial response to Paul Oswald's comments concerning the APTA statement to CMS regarding PT qualifications ...
>
>The late Sidney Fishman, Ph.D., had a very workable solution to all of this -- The dental model. The PT would measure and take a cast of the residual or affected limb, as a dentist would take an impression of the mouth/teeth to be fitted. The casting and measurements would be sent to the prosthetist/orthotist for fabrication of the ...
>
>-- Carol A. Sheredos, PT, MA
>
>
>
>
Citation
Terry Supan, “Re: APTA Comments on DMEPOS Quality Standards,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/225788.
