Re: BoyCott of Otto Bock and other companies that sell direct to patients
JACK HANAN
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: BoyCott of Otto Bock and other companies that sell direct to patients
Creator:
JACK HANAN
Date:
2/22/2006
Text:
First let me start off by saying that I am not a business owner. I am a certified orthotist who has been a business owner in the past, in an unrelated field, so I'm not sure that I have the same sense of outrage as many other of the writers to this thread have. That being said, I would like to add my insight for what it's worth.
First of all, I do NOT shop at Wal-Mart. I am not saying I do not shop at any major department stores, I just try to keep my purchases as local as possible. The reason is, that with local, the money goes back to my community and does more for my community.
There's another reason, though. I get to know the faces of the local vendors and they get to know me. They can provide personalized care that I can't get from the greeter at wal-mart.. and will never get from them. In the same way, we, the little guy, can give the personalized care that these major companies can not. They can scan all they want, and put the product on the patient as quick as the bagger at Wal-Mart can hand back your change and tell you to Have a great day!. What they can't give this patient is my knowlege of gait. They can't give my concern for the patients well being. They can't provide my belief in consistent follow up, and my desire to provide nothing short of excellence. (No, I'm not perfect, but I hate when I'm not, and that makes me very different from the mega-corporations that only see their sense of accomplisment in the form of a bar-graph.)
So, while I'm not a business owner, and I do sense your concerns, I have this analogy. I sense we are in our houses looking into the horizon at a growing storm that seems to be inevitable. We can't stop it. It's out there, and it's impending and foreboding. While we are so busy watching it, and waiting for it to hit, we forget to shore up our homes. Close the windows.. make sure all the things you cherish inside and out are safe.
Obviously, we can't support these companies that see us as expendable, though I expect they ALL do. However, we can make ourselve unexpendable to the people who matter most. The patients know the difference, when you take time to find out what the patients goals are, and you help him achieve them. When you save a doctor from a poor decision.. (and we ALL have!) he/she knows the difference. When you point out to physical therapists a leg length discrepancy they didn't notice, or you turn them on to an ankle joint or knee joint they had no idea of they know it and appreciate it. When you know you nailed that gait deviation right on the head, because of your studies and your experience, everyone else knows it too. This is what got us into this business in the first place. I truly believe if we take care of what we do best, and nurture the skills and the passion that got us to this profession, we'll weather this storm just fine.
Jack Hanan, CO
Philadelphia, PA
Alan Bateman < <Email Address Redacted> > wrote:
How far will you go to boycott. Soon you will run out of suppliers. If the wholesalers do not have a clinical or fabrication business going now then they sure have many agents out there that do, and they are your compititors as well. So where do you draw the line. If these companies start up a business and employ qualified clinicians and technicians, who are you to stop it? I agree with you if they are semi trained sales staff, but is that an assumption or a fact?
Alan Bateman
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technical Coordinator
Orthotic/Prosthetic Dept.
Royal Brisbane Hospital
Herston Rd. Herston Q 4029
Ph: 3636 3501
Fax: 3636 3500
Email: <Email Address Redacted>
>>> Morris Gallo 02/22/06 04:49am >>>
Francisco wrote:
>
>
>The prosthetic & orthotic society of new jersey, inc.
>
>25-09 Broadway Stephen Rinko, CPO President
>
>Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Thomas Valenti, CO Vice President
>Phone: 201-796-3121 Michael Rebarber, CO Secretary
>Fax: 201-796-1551 Richard Bray, CPO Treasurer
>
> 2/17/06
>
>To all Prosthetic and Orthotic Societies and Practitioners:
>
> I have some very disturbing information. Otto Bock health care has acquired a company named Ortho Rehab 1415 W. 3rd Street, Suite 101 of Tempe, Arizona 85281.
>
>This company is now Otto Bocks Direct Patient Care Facility. Otto Bock is now your direct Competitor. They are providing patient care with a National Sales Force.
>
> We must not support company's that are going to erode our patient and Doctor bases. We must set a precedent against this practice. Either Otto Bock is a Wholesaler or a Retailer. I will not support a competitor. We must force them to choose which one they will be. If we do not react to this practice many of our suppliers will become retailers and we will loose a tremendous amount of business. If this continues Doctors, Therapists and Surgical Supply Dealers will and are becoming our competitors.
>
> Think about it. In the near future with computer generated prosthetics and orthotics do they really need a skilled Prothetist or Orthotist? or will Otto Bock and others send a semi-skilled sales person with some minor technical background to the patients home or Doctor's office to deliver an appliance.
>
> I think it's about time we act as a united group and send a message to these wholesalers, that they cannot do business in both market places. I personally have had enough of this. Otto Bock, Don Joy, Bledsoe etc. When do we try and stop it, and only use companies that help us and do not compete with us.
> I propose a nation wide Boycott of Otto Bock, and other companies that are engaged in this practice. New Jersey has already set up a meeting to discuss instituting a Boycott and to notified Otto Bock that we will no longer be doing business with them, if they continue to do patient care.
>
>If you agree and would like to join the Boycott against these companies, please let me know so we can work together. 1 (201) 796-3121
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>
>Stephen Rinko, B.S. CPO#627, NJ License#500
>
>President
>
>President of P&O Society of New Jersey
>
>
>
>
First of all, I do NOT shop at Wal-Mart. I am not saying I do not shop at any major department stores, I just try to keep my purchases as local as possible. The reason is, that with local, the money goes back to my community and does more for my community.
There's another reason, though. I get to know the faces of the local vendors and they get to know me. They can provide personalized care that I can't get from the greeter at wal-mart.. and will never get from them. In the same way, we, the little guy, can give the personalized care that these major companies can not. They can scan all they want, and put the product on the patient as quick as the bagger at Wal-Mart can hand back your change and tell you to Have a great day!. What they can't give this patient is my knowlege of gait. They can't give my concern for the patients well being. They can't provide my belief in consistent follow up, and my desire to provide nothing short of excellence. (No, I'm not perfect, but I hate when I'm not, and that makes me very different from the mega-corporations that only see their sense of accomplisment in the form of a bar-graph.)
So, while I'm not a business owner, and I do sense your concerns, I have this analogy. I sense we are in our houses looking into the horizon at a growing storm that seems to be inevitable. We can't stop it. It's out there, and it's impending and foreboding. While we are so busy watching it, and waiting for it to hit, we forget to shore up our homes. Close the windows.. make sure all the things you cherish inside and out are safe.
Obviously, we can't support these companies that see us as expendable, though I expect they ALL do. However, we can make ourselve unexpendable to the people who matter most. The patients know the difference, when you take time to find out what the patients goals are, and you help him achieve them. When you save a doctor from a poor decision.. (and we ALL have!) he/she knows the difference. When you point out to physical therapists a leg length discrepancy they didn't notice, or you turn them on to an ankle joint or knee joint they had no idea of they know it and appreciate it. When you know you nailed that gait deviation right on the head, because of your studies and your experience, everyone else knows it too. This is what got us into this business in the first place. I truly believe if we take care of what we do best, and nurture the skills and the passion that got us to this profession, we'll weather this storm just fine.
Jack Hanan, CO
Philadelphia, PA
Alan Bateman < <Email Address Redacted> > wrote:
How far will you go to boycott. Soon you will run out of suppliers. If the wholesalers do not have a clinical or fabrication business going now then they sure have many agents out there that do, and they are your compititors as well. So where do you draw the line. If these companies start up a business and employ qualified clinicians and technicians, who are you to stop it? I agree with you if they are semi trained sales staff, but is that an assumption or a fact?
Alan Bateman
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technical Coordinator
Orthotic/Prosthetic Dept.
Royal Brisbane Hospital
Herston Rd. Herston Q 4029
Ph: 3636 3501
Fax: 3636 3500
Email: <Email Address Redacted>
>>> Morris Gallo 02/22/06 04:49am >>>
Francisco wrote:
>
>
>The prosthetic & orthotic society of new jersey, inc.
>
>25-09 Broadway Stephen Rinko, CPO President
>
>Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Thomas Valenti, CO Vice President
>Phone: 201-796-3121 Michael Rebarber, CO Secretary
>Fax: 201-796-1551 Richard Bray, CPO Treasurer
>
> 2/17/06
>
>To all Prosthetic and Orthotic Societies and Practitioners:
>
> I have some very disturbing information. Otto Bock health care has acquired a company named Ortho Rehab 1415 W. 3rd Street, Suite 101 of Tempe, Arizona 85281.
>
>This company is now Otto Bocks Direct Patient Care Facility. Otto Bock is now your direct Competitor. They are providing patient care with a National Sales Force.
>
> We must not support company's that are going to erode our patient and Doctor bases. We must set a precedent against this practice. Either Otto Bock is a Wholesaler or a Retailer. I will not support a competitor. We must force them to choose which one they will be. If we do not react to this practice many of our suppliers will become retailers and we will loose a tremendous amount of business. If this continues Doctors, Therapists and Surgical Supply Dealers will and are becoming our competitors.
>
> Think about it. In the near future with computer generated prosthetics and orthotics do they really need a skilled Prothetist or Orthotist? or will Otto Bock and others send a semi-skilled sales person with some minor technical background to the patients home or Doctor's office to deliver an appliance.
>
> I think it's about time we act as a united group and send a message to these wholesalers, that they cannot do business in both market places. I personally have had enough of this. Otto Bock, Don Joy, Bledsoe etc. When do we try and stop it, and only use companies that help us and do not compete with us.
> I propose a nation wide Boycott of Otto Bock, and other companies that are engaged in this practice. New Jersey has already set up a meeting to discuss instituting a Boycott and to notified Otto Bock that we will no longer be doing business with them, if they continue to do patient care.
>
>If you agree and would like to join the Boycott against these companies, please let me know so we can work together. 1 (201) 796-3121
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>
>Stephen Rinko, B.S. CPO#627, NJ License#500
>
>President
>
>President of P&O Society of New Jersey
>
>
>
>
Citation
JACK HANAN, “Re: BoyCott of Otto Bock and other companies that sell direct to patients,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 5, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/226125.
