Fw: US Politics: Competitive Bidding for Prosthetics

[AlPikeCP at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/18/02 9:35:53 PM Central Daylight Time, Sasby at attbi.com 
writes:


> Okay, you guys can stop kidding around with all these new folks, huh? :o)  
> We all know there's no law that says you can't recycle parts, it's the 
> facilities that refuse to do it for liability reasons  primarily. 

Stacey is right and I think I can add a little here having worked for a major 
component manufacture for almost two decades overseeing product failure 
claims. 

The product failure claims primary related to two areas. The amputee over 
stressing a component to failure by falling or some other forceful action and 
practitioner error do to lack of knowledge in application.  The latter 
relates to Tony's often repeated point about practitioner qualifications 
(education).

Most prosthetic component manufacturers are ISO certified. This is an 
international quality control standard for manufacturing. Component 
manufactures are also over seen by the FDA whereas prosthetic facilities and 
practitioners are not. When there is a component failure where an injury is 
sustained and the individual is seen by a physician for the injury the 
manufacturer has only days in which to notify the FDA of the incident. 

The lifetime of an endoskeletal prosthesis appears to average about 1.5 to 2 
years whereas an exoskeletal prosthesis is 6 to 7 years. Also a below the 
knee endoskeletal prosthesis will weight more then an exoskeletal prosthesis, 
but the exoskeletal will take more man-hours to produce for less 
reimbursement.

When a prosthetist is sued over a product failure they most likely in turn 
will enjoin the manufacture as the manufacture is the one with the "deep 
pockets."

Hope some of this adds to your body of knowledge about prosthetics. This 
topic might even be worthy of an article for InMotion Magazine or a 
presentation at an ACA meeting.

Al Pike, CP
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