AOPA Achieves Partial Victory on Cranial Helmets
"FDA has responded favorably to the Citizen's Petition filed by AOPA in March. In essence, the FDA agreed with AOPA's position and has formally classified protective helmets as Class I devices, which are exempted from 510(k) regulations. The 510(k) exemption means that practitioners can provide these devices to patients without obtaining prior FDA approval. Prior to the petition, these devices were unclassified, which meant that by default the FDA would consider them as Class III devices (the highest level of regulation requiring extensive scientific data to support safety and effectiveness). CAUTION: This ruling only applies to protective helmets and not plagiocephaly helmets which are still considered Class III devices requiring FDA approval. The FDA has yet to respond to AOPA's August letter arguing that practitioners are service providers and therefore should not be subject to FDA regulation. The response to this letter will dictate how AOPA and the Academy will proceed on the issue of plagiocephaly helmets. Why the Academy Will Move from 1650 King StreetThe Academy will move the association's offices from its current address to less expensive quarters in the same local area when the lease expires in May 2001. Escalating rent costs were cited as the primary reason, but not the only reason. President-Elect Thomas V. DiBello, CO, FAAOP explained, "We have a fiduciary responsibility to our members to direct their monies in a manner as economically as possible." He said. "Any savings will be plowed back into member programs and research projects." President Stephanie D. Langdon-Bash, CPO, FAAOP said the Academy had felt for some time that its costs associated with co-locating with the other O&P associations were out of control. "We appreciated the convenience and communication that naturally flowed between the sister organizations at 1650 King Street, but our fixed costs were climbing too fast," she explained. She noted the Academy's share of the National Office Allocation had doubled to more than $400,000 in less than four years with no appreciable increase in services. DiBello also vowed to ensure the continued close communication and coordination with the sister organizations regardless of their office locations. "With today's technology, whether we're across the hall or across town, we can still continue to work closely with AOPA and ABC," he offered. Both ABC and AOPA responded with similar statements of commitment, such as sharing of Board minutes and biweekly conference calls. A task force had previously looked at the cost of office space, personnel, and cost of living in a dozen cities and concluded it was in the members' best interests to stay in the Alexandria area. Academy staff will begin their search for affordable office space in the Alexandria area. Approximately 2500 square feet of space will be needed to house the staff and files. Members Only - Academy's First Online Courses Debut
The long-awaited arrival of the Academy's first web-based education programs exclusively for members coincided with their debut at the AOPA Assembly. NetED, as the offerings will be known, is the Academy's first foray into online courses - available 24 hours a day/7 days a week - strictly at your convenience. These short courses combine internet access with sessions from the Annual Meeting selected for their content and appeal. Participants may earn 1.5 PCE credits for completing the reading and successfully completing the quiz (included). The two courses are available on the Academy's website in the Members Only area. 
NetED-I: Current Trends in Tone Reduction. Steven Whiteside, CP; Allison Whiteside, PT; and Mark Gormley., MD NetED-II: Biomechanics and Clinical Principles of Foot Orthoses: Science or Fallacy. Geza Kogler, PhD, CO; Thomas McPoil, PT; William T. Orien, DPM; and Harold Schoenhaus, DPM Spinal Society Activities Are Model for Other SocietiesBy Tom Colburn, CO. FAAOP, Society Chairman Education is the core mission of the Academy and its societies as well. The Spinal Orthotics Society, one of the first societies established by Academy members, has been active in fulfilling its mission. For the past several years, the Annual Meeting Planning Committee has set aside four hours of "prime time" during the national meeting to have speakers on a coordinated society-specific topic. This year the topic was cervical trauma. Avinash G. Patwardhan, PhD, a biomechanician (and Academy Honorary Member), Dr. Alex Ghanayem, an orthopedic surgeon, and Patrick Flanagan, CO gave a well-rounded overview of this important topic. Speakers of this caliber require an honorarium, plus the society pays its own way when ordering special audiovisual equipment. Our dues of $25 was able to cover a portion of Patwardhan and Ghanayem's travel expenses as well as the audiovisual requirements for the room. We appreciate Tom Gavin, CO and BioConcepts for underwriting a significant amount of the speaker expenses. Boston Brace loaned us an LCD projector which also helped keep costs to a minimum. These yearly presentations at the Annual Meeting have evolved into a certificate program developed by the Spinal Orthotics Society - O&P Management of the Spine - which will be presented throughout 2001 and 2002. The society also put together a scoliosis symposium at CEC 1 in Springfield, MA which was a combined meeting with the New England Chapter. A series of presentations reviewed the biomechanical principles and clinical parameters of the Charleston, Providence, and the Boston Brace systems. The session was followed by a panel discussion, which offered recommendations based on a review of x-rays brought by attendees. This creative approach to the topic was very well received. The society has recently embarked on a project that will ultimately result in the development of written clinical standards of practice for scoliosis management. These guidelines which will be generic in nature, not system specific, and will include information on clinical evaluation, x-ray evaluation, who is a candidate for orthotic intervention, follow-up, and weaning of orthosis among other topics. These standards will ensure quality patient care. In addition, Tom Gavin has been spearheading a several year, prospective study on scoliosis orthotic management with several other society members. Comments, suggestions, and inquiries of the society are always welcome. Members, or those interested in more information about the Spinal Orthotic Society may reach Tom Colburn at tcolburn@bostonbrace.com or (617) 636-0643. Link to Paralympics Available via Academy WebsiteThe Academy has linked with WeMedia to allow members to keep up with the Paralympics in Sydney, Australia. Simply click on the link under the In Progress header on the front page of the Academy's website. Board Clarifies Policy on Speaker ExpensesThe Academy Board passed a motion modifying the policy on speaker expenses that are covered by the Academy. Depending on the complexity of the program and length of commitment by the presenter, speaker could receive anywhere from a one-day complimentary registration to full meeting registration, plus travel expenses and honorarium. Contact Chellie Hollis (chollis@oandp.org) at (703) 836-7118 for details. Las Vegas CEC Combines PCEs with Fun
Register online or call Diane at (703) 836-7118. JPO Wants You!
|
If you need PCE credits for recertification make plans to attend CEC 3 in Las Vegas Nov 3-4. Members save $180 and may register for the meeting online or fax their registration to
(703) 836-0838. The meeting's content is packed with information you can use immediately upon your return, such as:
The JPO is seeking papers for publication. Submissions of original articles, brief reports, reviews and editorials in the O&P field or orthopaedic research, occupational therapy, physical therapy, orthopaedic surgery, amputation surgery, physical medicine, biomedical engineering, psychology, ethics, or gait analysis areas are encouraged. Articles are peer-reviewed. Complete instructions for authors can be found online in the 
