US-POLITICS, SUMMARY, AOPA Membership, Part II
David Hendricks
Description
Collection
Title:
US-POLITICS, SUMMARY, AOPA Membership, Part II
Creator:
David Hendricks
Date:
11/18/2006
Text:
Dave-
As a member of various associations, we are also looking at the benefits that we have received from the various associations and are assessing whether or not to continue with the present affiliations. In the present business climate, we are eager to make a positive difference for the industry, but often find that money we have spent has done little to tangibly benefit our facility.
So, for my two cents worth, I would state that it is valid to question the benefits of membership (one cent) and there are patient care facilities in the same boat. My wife (the radiant Mrs. Cutler) held up a renewal invoice and asked me, Tell me again why I am writing this large check? Honestly Dave, I didn't have an answer. (final cent)
Tom Cutler, CPO
||
We are AOPA members, interesting thought provoking question you ask. I do not know if we receive a 50% benefit to be members. It pays off if you take a few of their courses, but other than that I have not seen any cost savings.
Barbara Boutin
||
Dear David,
Save your money. It isn't worth the cost versus benefit to you. If you want to help anyone, look in your own neighborhood, or Africa or Honduras - where people need a sandwich.
People that own businesses like ours will buy from you anyway, even if you are not a member of AOPA. We're buying the products and services you provide, not AOPA.
Where was AOPA and the other organizations when we needed nationwide providership for HMO contracts? No one has been there to help us. To consider donating that kind of money is ridiculous.
If you don't want to follow my advice and send money to far away lands or to your own backyard, then at least throw a hell of a party for your staff! Who knows, maybe someone on your own staff is going through a hard time.
Good luck anyway.
Orthotist-Prosthetist (name withheld)
||
Dave
With the present business climate, we are holding our AOPA dues decision until the last possible moment. We have gotten to the point that we base it on the following: Savings on advertising and savings on the National Assembly booth, which in our case has come out in our favor.
The mission of AOPA includes being the political advocate for the O&P industry, and while this is critical, it is very had to quantify the value of this for many suppliers in that we do not have to fight the reimbursement battle on a daily basis.
O&P manufacturer president (name withheld)
||
David,
As the Practitioner/Owner of an AOPA member business facility I can assure you that the dues are more than offset by the value of services provided by AOPA. In the early eighties my entitlement attitude led me to drop my AOPA membership. It was so easy then to decide that giving AOPA my money entitled me to receive something. Little did I understand that what I received was the opportunity to affect change in the O&P fields. I squandered that opportunity by doing nothing and waiting for AOPA to give me something.
We have to give more than money to our organizations to receive value from them. What small contributions of time and money that I have offered to AOPA, AAOP, ABC and my state organization have come back to me ten fold. I am aware that in many ways I may sound like a zealot, but, the more I put in, the more I get back.
The AOPA staff is TOPS in my opinion. They have all, without fail, been available to educate me in the areas of politics and legislation, as well as, more basic business activities. Personally, I feel quite indebted to all of the staff, Board of Directors, Executive Directors and volunteers (Past and Present) who have done so much for us and our professions. We owe them so much that the only way I know to repay that debt is through active (very active) dues paying membership.
Get involved and we present a more unified voice for what is right in O&P.
Harry Layton CPO, LPO
||
David,
My company was a member of AOPA for over 20 years, for pretty much the reasons you described.
A couple of years a go we dropped our AOPA membership, the main reason being that AOPA political yahoos had no intention of going to Washington/SADMERC to fight for off-the-shelf O&P goods. I asked AOPA directly: prosthetics, yes; custom orthotics, yes; off the shelf - forget it! So far I haven't missed a beat. I don't think any one ever noticed. Nobody from the AOPA home office ever called me.
Frankly, I wished I would have dropped it sooner.
O&P manufacturer president (name withheld)
||
Mr. Hendricks,
Our company has worked very closely with AOPA over the years regarding
regulatory/reimbursement challenges that have a direct impact on our
bottom line and that of our customers. Through our collective efforts,
we have saved over $100,000,000 on proposed reimbursement cuts and
coding changes in the O&P profession.
Does our company believe that AOPA membership is worth half the cost of
our membership dues of $2,755? My response is a resounding YES.
Sincerely,
William P. Gustavson
(continued in Part III)
David Hendricks, CPO, FAAOP
<Email Address Redacted>
HOPE Orthopedic
6439 Milner Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32809
ph: 800-613-8852
fax: 888-440-1217
ph: 407-850-0411
fax: 407-851-8922
As a member of various associations, we are also looking at the benefits that we have received from the various associations and are assessing whether or not to continue with the present affiliations. In the present business climate, we are eager to make a positive difference for the industry, but often find that money we have spent has done little to tangibly benefit our facility.
So, for my two cents worth, I would state that it is valid to question the benefits of membership (one cent) and there are patient care facilities in the same boat. My wife (the radiant Mrs. Cutler) held up a renewal invoice and asked me, Tell me again why I am writing this large check? Honestly Dave, I didn't have an answer. (final cent)
Tom Cutler, CPO
||
We are AOPA members, interesting thought provoking question you ask. I do not know if we receive a 50% benefit to be members. It pays off if you take a few of their courses, but other than that I have not seen any cost savings.
Barbara Boutin
||
Dear David,
Save your money. It isn't worth the cost versus benefit to you. If you want to help anyone, look in your own neighborhood, or Africa or Honduras - where people need a sandwich.
People that own businesses like ours will buy from you anyway, even if you are not a member of AOPA. We're buying the products and services you provide, not AOPA.
Where was AOPA and the other organizations when we needed nationwide providership for HMO contracts? No one has been there to help us. To consider donating that kind of money is ridiculous.
If you don't want to follow my advice and send money to far away lands or to your own backyard, then at least throw a hell of a party for your staff! Who knows, maybe someone on your own staff is going through a hard time.
Good luck anyway.
Orthotist-Prosthetist (name withheld)
||
Dave
With the present business climate, we are holding our AOPA dues decision until the last possible moment. We have gotten to the point that we base it on the following: Savings on advertising and savings on the National Assembly booth, which in our case has come out in our favor.
The mission of AOPA includes being the political advocate for the O&P industry, and while this is critical, it is very had to quantify the value of this for many suppliers in that we do not have to fight the reimbursement battle on a daily basis.
O&P manufacturer president (name withheld)
||
David,
As the Practitioner/Owner of an AOPA member business facility I can assure you that the dues are more than offset by the value of services provided by AOPA. In the early eighties my entitlement attitude led me to drop my AOPA membership. It was so easy then to decide that giving AOPA my money entitled me to receive something. Little did I understand that what I received was the opportunity to affect change in the O&P fields. I squandered that opportunity by doing nothing and waiting for AOPA to give me something.
We have to give more than money to our organizations to receive value from them. What small contributions of time and money that I have offered to AOPA, AAOP, ABC and my state organization have come back to me ten fold. I am aware that in many ways I may sound like a zealot, but, the more I put in, the more I get back.
The AOPA staff is TOPS in my opinion. They have all, without fail, been available to educate me in the areas of politics and legislation, as well as, more basic business activities. Personally, I feel quite indebted to all of the staff, Board of Directors, Executive Directors and volunteers (Past and Present) who have done so much for us and our professions. We owe them so much that the only way I know to repay that debt is through active (very active) dues paying membership.
Get involved and we present a more unified voice for what is right in O&P.
Harry Layton CPO, LPO
||
David,
My company was a member of AOPA for over 20 years, for pretty much the reasons you described.
A couple of years a go we dropped our AOPA membership, the main reason being that AOPA political yahoos had no intention of going to Washington/SADMERC to fight for off-the-shelf O&P goods. I asked AOPA directly: prosthetics, yes; custom orthotics, yes; off the shelf - forget it! So far I haven't missed a beat. I don't think any one ever noticed. Nobody from the AOPA home office ever called me.
Frankly, I wished I would have dropped it sooner.
O&P manufacturer president (name withheld)
||
Mr. Hendricks,
Our company has worked very closely with AOPA over the years regarding
regulatory/reimbursement challenges that have a direct impact on our
bottom line and that of our customers. Through our collective efforts,
we have saved over $100,000,000 on proposed reimbursement cuts and
coding changes in the O&P profession.
Does our company believe that AOPA membership is worth half the cost of
our membership dues of $2,755? My response is a resounding YES.
Sincerely,
William P. Gustavson
(continued in Part III)
David Hendricks, CPO, FAAOP
<Email Address Redacted>
HOPE Orthopedic
6439 Milner Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32809
ph: 800-613-8852
fax: 888-440-1217
ph: 407-850-0411
fax: 407-851-8922
Citation
David Hendricks, “US-POLITICS, SUMMARY, AOPA Membership, Part II,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 1, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/227658.
