New Orleans Annual Meeting Delivers on Promise to be ‘Best Ever’!

Standing ovation underscores approval for direction Academy has chosen

After weeks of burning the midnight oil to draft and refine the 35- minute speech on professionalism to open the meeting, he knew it was all worth it as he heard the thunderous applause from the standing ovation his words received.

Donald E. Katz, CO, FAAOP, president of the Academy had just delivered a speech that reviewed the significant changes the Academy has undergone in recent years. He detailed the importance of Project Quantum Leap in pushing the profession to a new level...discussed the six deliverables for the $1M grant received from the Department of Education...shared the reasons why the Academy chose not to combine its meeting with AOPA...and announced the co-location of the Academy’s meeting with that of the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC) in 2005.

Here are key portions of that speech.

After Consolidation failed

“It was time to take a hard look at what we wanted to achieve as an organization, and how best to get there. Despite the many accomplishments of the prior almost-three decades, it became clear that a change was needed to take the Academy to a higher level. We needed to become more efficient and more capable of acting quickly on decisions that would be in the best interest of the organization.

...the Academy relocated its headquarters in Alexandria to its own office space. While this action saved the association more than $20,000 per year in rent alone, it was more than just about financial savings. It was time to take stock in what was possible, to spread our wings on behalf of the profession, if you will. The Academy had just finished a year where the Annual Meeting was completely revamped. This was in response to the 1999 Board of Directors fully embracing the recommendations of a Blue Ribbon Task Force that critically analyzed the structure and content of our Annual Meeting. Rather than being primarily abstract-driven with numerous 30-minute presentations being lined up back-to-back, a more balanced content that included four symposia and four instructional courses, alongside free paper sessions was successfully launched.”

Project Quantum Leap

“...it was time to think big. Enter Project Quantum Leap - the most ambitious endeavor in the Academy’s 30+ year history. PQL is an ongoing effort to accomplish three primary goals: to increase the public’s awareness of the field of O&P, especially those seeking a rewarding career, to benefit our NCOPE accredited schools, to convene Clinical Standards of Practice consensus conferences to analyze diagnoses or treatment methods which can be considered difficult to treat or controversial in nature, and to catalyze clinical research within the O&P profession.”

Students from several New Orleans high schools heard a short presentation on careers in O&P and visited the Exhibit Hall with O&P students from GA Tech and UT Southwestern to learn about technology and talk with practitioners.

Working to help O&P schools

“In 2003...our initial hopes to secure more funding for our schools and to truly get the entire PQL initiative off the ground were dashed in the eleventh hour of the federal government’s budgeting process. [We learned] the way this works is for every bill passed by Congress there is report language that is attached. This language is provided to better define the intent of the bill itself, so as to guide the regulatory process within the various federal government departments. ...the Academy was able to secure report language to the Rehabilitation Services Administration Appropriations Bill that read: The Committee is concerned over the reduction in funding for rehabilitation long-term training programs, and in particular those that require orthotic and prosthetic care, and urges RSA to fund no fewer than four university O&P programs at $250,000 each. To everyone’s astonishment, this report language was ignored, essentially disregarding congressional intent.”

Why the Academy chose NOT to combine its meeting with AOPA’s

“Our goal was to do an objective analysis of historical meeting data, and to utilize this information as a foundation to estimate how a combined meeting could be organized. In the end there was little doubt a combined meeting is logistically feasible, but the Academy had to ask the question: How would this arrangement benefit our membership, and by extension, the association itself? We found that less than 17 percent of individual practitioners attend both meetings. This bolstered our concern that many facilities would find it impossible to shut down their operation for four to five days to allow all their practitioners to attend a single, joint meeting. This statistic also suggested the two meetings were appealing to different individuals within the profession, with such a strong majority attending either one or the other, but not both. Agreeing with some of the concepts of the advantages of combining two meetings, the Academy suggested a Super Meeting could truly be a win-win if we were to consider partnering every three years, similar to what’s done by ISPO. AOPA cited concerns that combining the two meetings just once every three years wouldn’t give the concept adequate time and awareness to truly catch on with meeting registrants. Hence, AOPA was interested in pursuing the concept only if the Academy was willing to agree to a five-year commitment to the process. Our annual meeting continues to be our most successful event each year. It supports a number of other initiatives deemed important to the Academy. As the professional association of orthotists and prosthetists, the Academy is uniquely positioned to reach out and foster partnering relationships with other healthcare professionals and their respective professional associations to further advance educational offerings on behalf of the patients we serve.”

Academy President Don Katz discusses plans for the 2005 co-locating of annual meetings with ACPOC Executive Director Cheryl King and incoming President Dr. Kenneth Guidera.

Co-Locating the Annual Meeting with ACPOC

“Many of you may be very familiar with the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics or ACPOC. A multidisciplinary group of physicians, prosthetists, orthotists, therapists, nurses and others, ACPOC has gained a reputation as being a lively group of passionate clinicians, always willing to challenge each other to do better. I’m pleased to say that after a lot of thoughtful consideration, our two associations will be combining our meetings next year in Orlando.” [ACPOC’s incoming president, Dr. Ken Guidera, then spoke for a few minutes about the exciting opportunities for both memberships with the co-located meetings.]

The direction of the Academy

“...please allow me to make something abundantly clear: The Academy has charted a course in recent years to aggressively take this profession to a higher level. If the Academy is going to make a commitment to initiatives as important as PQL where a major goal is to document and promote Clinical Standards of Practice - that is, to critically evaluate the efficacy of any number of treatment methods within O&P, with the end goal of being to publish literature that is unquestionably unbiased and defendable to the highest of clinical and scientific standards, I respectfully submit to you that if there is a more important reason for there to be a clear distinction between the work of a professional association and that of a trade association, I know of none.”

St. Petersburg College

“What better way to promote education and to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity than to help create a new school for our field? For several years the Florida Chapter of the Academy and the Florida Association for Orthotics and Prosthetics have been aggressively pursuing the establishment of a baccalaureate O&P program in the state of Florida...and now with licensure requirements, the situation is even more urgent...St. Petersburg College’s Board recognized that partnering with a professional organization whose primary focus is education could be a mutually beneficial relationship. With this in mind, Dr. Carl Kuttler, president of St. Petersburg College, approached the Academy...Our mutual goal was to determine ways in which we could serve as a resource for the start of a new O&P education program at St. Petersburg College, while also discussing the possibility of using a portion of the new facilities as an Academy Learning Center...Ensuring the viability and success of accredited schools, being proactive in making more young people aware of the very existence of the field of O&P as a potential career choice, and establishing standards of care by which future professionals can assess clinical advances are just a few examples of some of the more far-reaching Academy goals of today and tomorrow.”

Academy’s New Online Learning Center Starts in March,

Members to Have 24/7 Access to PCE Courses on Website

Attendees saw a demo of the Academy’s new Online Learning Center in New Orleans, a comprehensive system that provides practitioners access to exceptional educational programming anytime from the comfort of their home or office. The programs combine audio, video and PowerPoint slides. The Academy developed the Center to help provide greater access to the tremendous educational programming that members have come to expect of the Academy. “We recognize the need to travel for continuing education units can be an expensive venture, or simply isn’t always possible,” acknowledged Katz. “Thus, this is also geared toward providing affordable PCE credits without compromising the level of education practitioners require and deserve.” The Online Learning Center will allow members and nonmembers to obtain education on demand on a variety of topics that will be ever-expanding in the coming years. As the library of modules increases the Academy will create multiple channels to house various topics, or selections of modules presented by various educators or manufacturers.

Details on how to use the system will be found on the Academy’s website at www.oandp.org. After signing in with a username and password, practitioners will be able to add credits to their personal account with a credit card. The participant then selects an educational module to view, waits a few moments for it to load, and simply clicks on “Play” to start the module. Some modules may require additional reading or research, which will also be available through integrated links to the source. After completing a learning module, the participant will be presented with an online test to obtain continuing education credits. The Academy has cooperated with ABC to have course completion information sent directly for processing immediately upon successfully passing the module quiz. Also, upon successful completion of the module, a personalized certificate will be printable at the individual’s personal computer. Anyone can take the course and quiz, however some courses will be designed specifically for technicians and fitters (at a later date).

Once a Learning Module has been initially viewed, it will become a part of the practitioner’s personal education library on their computer. This permits the participants to review the content as often as desired prior to taking the quiz to test their knowledge of a given subject. Members will also be able to view a list of all modules they have successfully completed. The Academy will soon be converting some of the presentations from the Annual Meeting into electronic modules for the Online Learning Center to help provide greater access to the wealth of knowledge shared in New Orleans. “A lot of effort is being put into developing this series as a first class system for the O&P Professional. By establishing partnerships with educators and leading companies in the industry, this online system will become the one place that you can go for all of your online education needs,” explained Katz.

Joseph Carter, CPO, president of Pennsylvania Chapter presents President Katz with a check for $2,000 for PQL. Northern Plains, NJ, and NC chapters also presented contributions during the meeting.

Chapters Contribute More $$$ to Project Quantum Leap

Several chapters used the opportunity of the Chapter Presidents Council meeting in New Orleans to provide additional funding to Project Quantum Leap. President Katz accepted the checks and thanked the members of their respective chapters for their commitment to enhancing the profession. He reiterated that while the Department of Education grant will fund several specific activities contributions from chapters, organizations and individuals are still needed to continue the PQL activities and its accelerated pace. He emphasized the Academy deeply appreciates the contributions of members, chapters, and related organizations.

AOPA Facilities Will No Longer Receive ‘FREE’ JPO Subscription

For many AOPA facilities the January 2004 issue of the JPO was their last. Citing concerns over rising publications costs, the Academy’s Board decided it would no longer continue to provide copies to AOPA facilities free of charge. The Academy will be offering AOPA the opportunity to receive the JPO via an individual subscription (to an Academy member at their facility) or to purchase a subscription for their facility at a reduced rate. Academy members will continue to receive their personal subscription to JPO as a benefit of membership.

In 1999, an arrangement was made by the Joint Executive Council of what was then the O&P National Office whereby the O&P Almanac became the exclusive periodical for AOPA and the Academy took ownership of the JPO. Following the respective Board approvals, AOPA and the Academy agreed to not make any significant changes to policies affecting distribution for at least two years. The Academy continued to pay for and send the JPO to AOPA facilities during that period and for almost two years more.

In examining the actual costs of producing and distributing the respected journal, the Academy’s Board decided it would no longer provide the free subscription to AOPA facilities. A letter offering a reduced rate on subscription(s) will be sent to AOPA facilities later this month.

Facility owners will be encouraged to have one of their ABC practitioners join the Academy and receive the JPO as a member benefit and share with others in the facility, or to purchase a separate facility subscription.

Sponsors Help Lower Costs of Annual Meeting

The Academy is grateful for the participation of the following companies that sponsored major events/activities in New Orleans. It is through sponsorships such as these that the Academy is able to keep registration rates lower than the national average for associations.

• ALPS South Corporation

• Becker Orthopedic

• Cascade DAFO

• College Park Industries, Inc.

• The Fillauer Companies: Hosmer

• Dorrance, Motion Control, Center for

• Orthotic Design, Centri

• Ohio Willow Wood

• ÖSSUR

• Endolite North America-CaTech-Blatchford

• Freedom Innovations

• O&P Business News/Slack, Inc.

• oandp.com

• Orthomerica Products, Inc.

• PEL Supply Company

• Scott Orthotic Labs

• Seattle Systems, Inc.

• SPS

• Silipos

• Spinal Technology, Inc.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Board to Fill Vacancies Caused by No Quorum

The Annual Business Meeting was just shy of an official quorum - 162 individuals or proxies were present in New Orleans while 198 were need to fulfill the bylaw requirement for 10 percent of the voting membership to be represented. (Up to five percent may be represented by proxy.) However, about 15 proxies were written to 15 individuals that did not attend the meeting. The planning committee had arranged and promoted Member Breakfasts on Friday and Saturday mornings of the Annual Meeting to attract more voting members. While committee chairs and the Academy Treasurer Gary M. Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP made reports, President Katz told the 122 Active members in the audience that the reports were for informational purposes only. Nominations for officers and directors were read, but without a quorum, the report was not official, and without the report elections cannot be held.

Executive Director Tom Gorski, CAE conferred with the Academy’s attorney and learned there is only one viable solution in this situation. According to the bylaws the officer and director terms are specified and will end with the conclusion of the Governance Year on June 30, thus creating vacancies in those positions. The Board of Directors is empowered to fill those positions until the next Business Meeting. At that time, assuming a quorum will exist, the Nominating Committee will present its report. Alternatively, the Academy could hold another Business Meeting before June 30, 2004 however it is highly unlikely that a quorum could be gathered for a separate meeting solely for the purpose of holding elections.

The Board intends to fill the vacancies that will occur June 30 with the following individuals. Each will serve a one-year term and elections will resume in 2005.

FOR PRESIDENT- ELECT

Paul Prusakowski CPO, FAAOP

Paul E. Prusakowski, CPO, FAAOP is owner of O&P Clinical Technologies in Gainesville, Florida, as well as President of O&P Digital Technologies (oandp.com). He obtained his BS degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics from Florida International University in 1992.

He is dedicated to the elevation of the profession and advancement in clinical and academic information exchange for the enhancement of patient care. Mr. Prusakowski is also the founder and moderator of OANDP-L, the orthotics and prosthetics list serve, which is an international email-based discussion group for the O&P profession. He is chair of the Online Education and Technologies Committee, a member of the Education Development Council, the president of the Florida Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists, and a member of ISPO. Mr. Prusakowski resides in Gainesville, Florida and enjoys diving, sailing and live music.

“The Academy provides an incredible opportunity for practitioners to make a contribution to their profession. Thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve O&P and help make a difference for the future.”

FOR VICE PRESIDENT

Gary M Burke MS, CP, FAAOP

Gary M. Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP is in private practice in Redwood City, California and is an Adjunct Clinical Instructor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University. He obtained a BS in Kinesiology and Certificate in Prosthetics, both at UCLA. He then obtained a Master of Science degree in Allied Health with a specialty in prosthetic research from the University of Connecticut in 1990. Following his masters, Mr. Berke briefly taught at the Cal State Dominguez Hills bachelors program, and then found a perfect mix of patient care and education for the next nine years at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He has lectured nationally and internationally, teaching practitioners and providing patient care in rural sections of South Vietnam.

Mr. Berke has served on the Academy Board of Directors for almost 7 years and is currently Treasurer as well as Vice-Chairman of the Education Development Council. Additionally, Mr. Berke has served on the editorial board for the JPO, has written multiple book chapters and journal articles in prosthetics and is Chairman of the Academy’s 2nd Clinical Standards of Practice Conference on the Post-Operative Management of the Amputee.

“As the Academy continues to evolve as an independent organization representing the individual practitioner, I am humbled by the membership’s consideration for the position of Vice-President and look to a brighter future for our profession and organization.”

Mr. Berke and his wife Brenda have two children, Brandon (8) and Jordan (5)

FOR TREASURER

Wendy Beattie, CPO, FAAOP

Wendy Beattie, CPO, FAAOP graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University before entering the field of orthotics and prosthetics. She received her prosthetics certificate from UCLA and orthotics from Northwestern University. She has served on the Academy’s Board of Directors for the past three years. Ms. Beattie is chair of the Publications Committee and Vice Chair of the Professional Issues Council. Ms. Beattie is Director of Clinical Education for Becker Orthopedic in Waterford, MI, and is the director of the company’s residency program. She founded Special Opportunities for Amputee Rehabilitation in 1990, a non-profit foundation designed to provide athletic and fitness activities in the area and is currently executive director of the foundation. Ms. Beattie has lectured extensively throughout the country and abroad. She lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan with her husband Kim and children Ross, Ethan and Siena

FOR DIRECTORS

Scott Cummings, CPO, PT, is employed by Next Step O&P in Manchester, New Hampshire where he provides patient care in a private practice setting. He was graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Physical Therapy prior to completing his orthotic and prosthetic education at UCLA in 1984.

Scott is currently completing a two-year term on the Academy’s Board of Directors. He serves as Chair of the Task Force on O&P Awareness and he is also the Academy’s Liaison to APTA and a Past President of the New England Chapter of the Academy.

Scott and his wife Alison, 14 year-old twins Michelle and Amy, and son David, 10 live in Bedford, NH where they stay involved in civic activities. “Academy endeavors, such as Project Quantum Leap are of vital importance to our profession. My work on the Board, in particular with the Awareness initiatives, provides me with the opportunity to help ensure the continued availability of high quality O&P care”.

James Campbell, CO, PhD

James Campbell, CO, PhD received his undergraduate and postgraduate education at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland. In 1979 he graduated from the National Center for Training and Education in Prosthetics and Orthotics, in 1996 he was awarded a Ph.D. in Bioengineering for his research entitled: The Orthotic Management of the Paraplegic Child, A Clinical and Biomechanical Analysis.

Dr Campbell relocated to the United States in 1988 and was in clinical practice at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio for 6 years, he is currently Vice President of Becker Orthopedic in Troy Michigan. Campbell served as the Editor-in-Chief (2000-2003) for the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics (JPO) and as Chair of the Scientific and Clinical Content Committee, for the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Academy. Campbell has authored several book chapters and journal articles, a recipient of Thranhardt award in 2000 he continues to lecture extensively at national and international meetings.

“The idea that we can shift immediately to only things that are justified by research is super-ambitious but I would support the desire of our Academy to direct efforts, and to place additional value on research-based evidence and less on intuition and experience. I believe it is necessary to have standardized approaches and harmonized definitions of concepts and specialized terms. To carry out more research, and to put into operation what is learnt, it is necessary to have trained people and our professional association must continue to lead in setting evidence based practice as a priority.” Dr Campbell resides in Clarkston, Michigan with his wife Gillian, who is a Certified Prosthetist, and their three children, Andrew, Christie and Rachel.

Joseph Miller, CP

Joseph Miller, CP began his career in the orthotic and prosthetic profession as an enlisted soldier in 1983 at the U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences, Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio TX. After completion of his tour of duty, he was accepted and subsequently graduated fro California State University Dominguez Hills with a BS in Orthotics and Prosthetics. He was awarded the Karg Scholarship for Outstanding Student. He completed his residency at Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, Los Angeles Unit. He earned his ABC certification in prosthetics in 1991. After working for a large O&P corporation in the western United States Joseph moved to the east coast. In 1994 Joseph was awarded the Research Article of the Year by JPO as a coauthor. He was a member of OPLAN.

While working for and learning from many smaller companies, Joseph had a desire to continue his education. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic and State University in 2001 with a M.Ed. in Health Promotion and was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi (Academic Honor Society). That same year he applied for and received a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Service Corps. He currently serves as a Health Services Administrator, Medical Regulating Officer and has received a promotion to 1st Lieutenant.

In the spring of 2001 Joseph accepted a position at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) Prosthetics Department. His duties are many, which include patient care of the combat wounded as well as being a member of a joint team for prosthetic research between the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration. He is excited to be on the forefront of prosthetic technology, research and policy. He states, “The advances in the military’s prosthetic program have been a Team effort which continues to grow.”

He is honored to be a member of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists and fully supports its mission. Joseph’s schedule continues to be full. He serves as a consultant to government agencies and is continuing with his doctoral education in Health Administration at Touro University International. In 2004 he will be a student associate of the American College of Health Care Executives. His desire is to lead the orthotic and prosthetic industry into the future with new opportunities for practitioners, researchers, insurers and patients.

AUDIT: Academy Ends Year With $107K Loss, Deficit Covered by Reserves

Academy Treasurer Gary M. Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP described 2003 as a year of unusual expenses. Citing the Negotiated Rulemaking Process, the Academy’s increased advocacy efforts in competitive bidding and Medicare reimbursement, the start of project Quantum Leap activities (i.e. consensus conferences) and O&P awareness activities, he reported the year ended with a deficit of $107,443 which was covered by cash reserves. After careful analysis the Academy Board has approved a budget for 2005 that should produce a surplus. The Balance Sheet and Statement of Activities from the 2003 audit conducted by Langan Associates are presented below. Full-size copies of the audit are available upon member request. The Academy has $308,509 in invested reserves in the American Funds. The Change in Portfolio Values Report shows an increase in 2003 of $40,286 or 6.74 percent. Since 1993, the reserves have had an internal rate of return of 5.48 percent.