Vol. 9, No.5

May 2004

Board Recommends Change in Bylaws

Would Affect ABC Practitioners Certified After March ‘04, Members Will Decide on How to Accept BOC/ABC Practitioners

When ABC President Frank E. Friddle, Jr., CO announced ABC was offering ABC certification to BOC certified practitioners without the need to sit for the ABC exam, the Academy Board of Directors immediately realized they would need to examine the impact of such a bold move. It was clear the issue would require greater analysis and discussion than what a single conference call would allow, and so the Academy issued a statement declaring a 90-day moratorium on accepting new member applications. After several conference calls, the review of bylaws by the Academy’s attorney, and continuous exchange of e-mails, the Board reached a decision and has recommended a bylaw change to the membership. Ballots to change the Academy’s Bylaws were mailed to Active Members last week.

“The Academy was founded by inspired leaders who felt education and a sustained commitment to lifelong learning was essential to providing quality patient care and the development of the profession,” explained Academy President Donald E. Katz, CO, LO, FAAOP. “Education and professionalism is a core value of what it means to be a member of this association.”

The mail ballot includes an explanation of the issues involved and a recommendation from the Board in favor of the change. Citing how extending the ABC credential to practitioners without their having to meet the educational requirements that were in place, and without having to sit for the ABC exam, Katz noted the “composition of those who are ABC-certified is changing significantly...and in an extremely short period of time.”

The bylaw changes primarily affect definitions of eligibility for membership categories. Under the revised definitions, Active Membership will be reserved for those ABC certifees who have graduated from a CAAHEP-accredited practitioner program, completed their residency, and passed the ABC exam. Other ABC certifies, as well as those who have a valid license from a state that requires graduation from a CAAHEP-accredited practitioner program as the minimum education standard to practice are welcomed as Associate Members initially, and will “earn” their way to becoming an Active Member and the right to vote by fulfilling a pre-requisite number of professional continuing education credits.

Other changes are less substantive: the category for registered technicians, assistants, and fitters will be renamed Affiliate Member; the category for individuals in other professional fields related to O&P will be renamed Professional Member; and a new category for Student Members will be created.

To effect the change, two-thirds of the responding members must vote in favor of the change or it fails. And at least ten percent of the Active Members (those eligible to vote) must respond in order for the vote to be valid.

“We felt this was an equitable solution to a complex and challenging issue,” Katz noted. “We think this is the best course of action for the Academy and are recommending it for a membership vote. If members disagree, then their votes will tell us.”

A “No” vote will keep the bylaws status quo under which any practitioner certified by and in good standing with ABC is eligible for Active Membership with the right to vote.

In a related move, the Board voted to tighten the policy regarding eligibility for Fellow status. Being a Fellow of the Academy is a distinction recognizing the member’s commitment to continuous lifelong learning and is the highest education recognition given by the organization. Obtaining the Fellow designation is only open to Active Members. In the policy change, the Board narrowed the eligibility to Active Members whose ABC certification date is prior to March 2004, and required those with certification dates of March 1, 2004 or later to be graduates of a CAAHEP-accredited practitioner program and must have passed the ABC exam.

Dues for Active Members and Associate Members will remain $300, a rate that has remained constant for 10 years. The subsidy for Affiliate Members (technicians, assistants, and fitters) dues has been lifted and will be increased to $175 (Affiliate Members will continue to receive subsidized registration rates for Academy meetings). The rate for Candidate Members will remain at $100, and dues for residents and students will be waived (after a one-time $15 application fee).

Ballots must be postmarked by June 5 to be accepted. Faxed responses are encouraged.

Resident Papers Look at Child Prostheses and Third World Orthotic Needs

Three new papers have been added to the Best of the Resident Research Series. Papers completed by residents as part of their residency requirements are reviewed by the Academy’s Research & Development Committee, chaired by Michael E. Raney, CO. The committee selects the best among them to share with Academy members via the website. Preliminary Prosthetic Survey Evaluation of Former CAPP Patients Residing in Mexico by Sophy Puth (now a CP at Shriners Hospital for Children in Portland, OR) and Orthotic Needs in Developing Countries by Carrie Boutwell (now a CO) were selected.

Puth’s paper describes the preliminary outcomes evaluation conducted on 24 former CAPP (Child Amputee Prosthetic Project) patients residing in Mexico. The survey revealed two primary concerns amputees have regarding their current prosthetic care: they could not afford a new prosthesis and were not aware of any prosthetic shops near by. The average wearing time per day of those who continue to wear their prostheses was 11.44 hours.

Carrie Boutwell (now Bonner) felt much was already written about the possibilities for a prosthetist wishing to offer his/her skills to a developing country where landmines have wreaked havoc. Instead, she chose to research the orthotic needs in those countries. Her paper discusses pathologies present in developing countries, the partnership between a community-based rehabilitation program and the O&P provider, personal stories of medical professionals who have had experience working in developing countries, and methods for becoming involved.

Convenient Service

Members May Renew Membership Online

For the convenience of its members, the Academy has developed an easy way to renew membership online. All categories of members may visit the Academy website (www.oandp.org) and click on the “Renew Online Today” link. Individuals will be prompted to enter their Academy Person ID and last name for verification. The Person ID can be found directly above the member’s name on the recently mailed renewal form. After the online renewal is processed a printable receipt confirms the transaction for members’ personal or tax records. The secure online renewal system accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

AOPA Facilities Asked to Pay for JPO

Reversing a four-year policy where free copies of the JPO were sent to all AOPA facilities, the Academy will no longer continue to provide copies to AOPA facilities free of charge. In 1999, the Joint Executive Council of what was then the O&P National Office decided to recommend that the O&P Almanac be the exclusive periodical for AOPA, with the Academy taking full responsibility and ownership of the JPO. Following the respective Board approvals, the two organizations 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. AOPA facilities were notified of the change by letter from the Academy in April. The Academy is offering a special reduced subscription rate of $93 for AOPA facilities - which is 21 percent off the 2004 price of $117 for institutions. Academy members will continue to receive their personal subscription to the JPO as a member benefit.

CHAPTER NEWS

Midwest Chapter President Joel Kempfer CP, FAAOP, and Jack Nadelhoffer CO gave a joint O&P Awareness Presentation to the students of Kettle Moraine High School’s “Health Careers Class” in conjunction with a tour of Bracemasters, (a large Central Fabricator based in Milwaukee). The chapter boasts membership of approximately 125 and is growing as it finalizes plans for its Milwaukee meeting.

The Ohio Chapter with 140 members just finished its Spring meeting with 218 attendees and 54 vendors. Modeled after national meetings, the chapter expanded on an earlier concept with five breakouts in the afternoon and offered programming in orthotics, prosthetics, technician education and mastectomy fitting. Ohio plans to continue its contributions to PQL ($5,000 last year) and also supports the Ohio Orthotic & Prosthetic Association in fighting PT encroachment legislation in Ohio.

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

The Craniofacial Society’s leadership played a strong role in the development of the Clinical Standards of Practice consensus conference held in April at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. The intent of a consensus conference is to analyze diagnoses which can be considered difficult to treat or controversial in nature, as well as those where sparse literature is available to guide patient care. It serves as a mechanism to document the profession’s clinical belief systems as to why a particular approach to treatment is preferred, based on what is known either through sound research, or in some cases anecdotal experience. The meeting examined Orthotic Treatment of Positional Plagiocephaly with more than a dozen experts reviewing existing literature and making presentations. The findings of the conference will be peer reviewed and published as a supplement in the JPO later this year.

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN for leadership positions in the Gait, CAD-CAM, Lower-Limb Orthotics, Spinal Orthotics, Upper-Limb prosthetics, and Lower-Limb Prosthetics Societies. Members with an interest in serving a two-year term as chair, vice chair, or secretary may obtain further details on the level of commitment from the current chair or by calling the Academy at (703) 836-0788.