ABC/BOC Negotiations

[AlPikeCP at aol.com]

When O&P was a more skilled trade, before off-the-shelf orthotics and 
endoskeletal prostheses, certification in O&P was starting to be required by the new 
third party payor system (Medicare). Before this time customers "patients" 
paid out of pocket for O&P appliances. In some states physicians were also 
required to be certified in prosthetics to write scripts and the O&P schools were 
training "Clinic Teams" (physician, therapist, & prosthetist).

This new certification requirement was preventing the druggist from expanding 
their profit centers into the arena of emerging off-the-shelf thermoplastic 
orthotics, and mass produced orthotic garments. Thus begot the Board of 
Orthotic Certification (BOC)

As technology advanced in prosthetics with endoskeletal prosthesis, central 
fabrication, and then CAD/CAM BOC expanded into the BOC Prosthetist.

As technology advances further into more off-the-shelf technology with new 
feet, gel liners, new generation CAD/CAM systems PTs are seeing an opportunity 
because we expect a 47% increase by the year 2020 of the customer base in need 
of prostheses. Get the picture? Expect more health care professionals to see 
the opportunity and want to become qualified providers to Medicare.

Al Pike, CP

   
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/private/amp-l/attachments/20040326/7c6f9f6b/attachment.htm