OPINION: Is there resistance to Linkia?

OPINION: Is there resistance to Linkia?

Daniel Gottry

11/1/2006

The following response seems to indicate there is, indeed, resistance on the part of independent providers, to Linkia's efforts:

I wanted to respond to your inquiry to O&P facilities regarding whether or not they had signed onto Linkia.

Since my last email response to you (see below) we have been swamped with responses (literally hundreds) from independent O&P companies wanting to discuss a wide variety of topics, including networks in general, membership in OPGA/POINT, distributor purchasing habits, etc., with the most prevalent topic Managed Care Contracting, specifically Linkia.

In response to your inquiry, the vast majority of those providers have state rather emphatically that they would not be signing on with Linkia. I found this very encouraging for the independents in our profession. Of course, the next natural step is for a network such as OPGA/POINT to step up and go after those Managed Care Contracts, which can be done if we have the support of the vast majority of the independent O&P facilities.

Also encouraging was the number of clinicians that responded and stated that they would change their purchasing habits. Independents are now realizing that they need to take proactive steps to defend against losses to their national, publicly traded competitor.

Thank you again for your amazing insight into our profession...as a patient.

Best regards,

Jim Andreassen

President, OPGA

Phone: 800-214-6742

Fax: 888-449-0610

email: <Email Address Redacted>
You can see more responses at www.gottrys.com/about/ or send your own to <Email Address Redacted>

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Daniel Gottry
<Email Address Redacted>
480-491-1020
Visit: www.gottrys.com