How Do I Learn About New Technology?

QUESTION:

Hello Team Dankmeyer,

I have been practicing Physical Therapy for ten years and have worked with orthoses and prostheses a little over the year, but I just moved to the rehab setting and have both inpatients and outpatients with O&P needs. Since I have not been doing a lot with orthoses and prostheses I want to know what is new. How I can learn about new technology and treatment techniques?

Sincerely,  -  Suzanne H

ANSWER:

Thank you for the question, Suzanne. There have been some changes in the O&P service delivery over the last few decades including medical/surgical, skill training for Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists, and orthosis and prosthesis design and technology. For example, the use of microprocessor controlled and powered prosthetic joints (hand, elbow, foot/ankle, knees) is now much more common than even ten years ago and has allowed us to achieve improved patient functional outcomes. This is particularly true when coupled with good medical/surgical management and, most importantly, solid use training in therapies. Some of the advances include application of that same microprocessor technology to knee ankle foot orthosis design. To see information on Ottobock's  C-Brace click here. You will also see more frequent use of composite material in lower limb orthoses to reduce weight, increase flexibility and energy return and improve gait safety and efficiency - such as Ottobock's WalkOn products. Click on any of these links to get more Information about a number of other prosthetic and orthotic technologies from Allard, BeBionic, Becker Orthopedic, Custom Composite, Fillauer, Kinetic Research, Ottobock, Phatbrace, Trulife. There are way too many details to include in this post.

As far as learning about new treatment options - there are continuing education (CE) opportunities available from a variety of organizations.  The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA), and the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP) have many online opportunities. Your own regional PT association and your regional O&P association may have CE options as well.  At Dankmeyer, we provide as many courses as we can.  In fact, we have a course coming up in November on 11/19/16 - Trans-femoral Prosthesis Prescription and Training Considerations: An Update. You can take a look at details on our Events page.  We also offer a variety of inservices and courses to review O&P info with busy clinicians at their facilities during the day or after work. We generally set up the course or inservice based on the request of the practice. For more information, you can click here. Another tool is our monthly newsletter and you can subscribe to that via our website as well. 

I hope this has answered a few of your questions - obviously there is a lot to look at and think about here as you pursue your goals. We are always ready to help.

-Mark Hopkins, PT, CPO, MBA, CEO and President Dankmeyer, Inc.

Do you have a question you would like to Ask Us? Email us at info@dankmeyer.com.

What is a Patient Navigator?

QUESTION:

I recently spoke with someone at Dankmeyer called a “Patient Navigator” about a future appointment.  What is a “Patient Navigator” and can I expect to hear from him again?

Thank you,

JR

ANSWER:

Our Patient Navigator role is being developed and we will have more details about that later.  In the meantime, what is that?  A Patient Navigator is someone who provides guidance to patients as they move through the health care system, helping their patients to access resources that speed the delivery of treatment and follow-up care. The Patient Navigator may at times guide patients through and around barriers to their care which might include financial barriers (insufficient health insurance); educational barriers (inadequate health literacy); transportation barriers (a need for dependable private or public transportation); and any life circumstance that impedes a patient's access to timely treatment and follow-up care. 

The Navigator seeks to provide resources which might include lists of private and non-profit organizations that may help; written information regarding support groups and other community organizations; and educational materials that serve to increase a patient's health literacy. Patient Navigators also develop relationships with individual staff at local healthcare, government, and non-profit organizations, who may be of service to his/her patients. On an as-needed basis, the Navigator connects particular patients to particular staff at these organizations to expedite the problem solving process. 

We frequently receive requests to provide our new amputees with driver information and resources. Many new patients are unaware that they are legally obliged to self-report their medical conditions to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), to have their cases reviewed by a medical advisory board, which is charged with evaluating their medical fitness to drive. We provide these patients with a summary of the MVA's requirements, contact information for the MVA's Driver Wellness and Safety Division, as well as a list of local driver rehabilitation programs and adaptive driver equipment suppliers. As patients most often endure long waits to receive the results of their MVA medical evaluations, we advise them to consider completing a driver rehabilitation program while waiting for their medical review results; this way, their certifications are at the ready upon receiving word from the MVA. This information serves to significantly shorten the amount of time it takes to get our patients back on the road.

There are other resources that we provide to try and smooth a patient’s way through their own health care system.  We have a new web page where all these resources are available. Visit the Patient Navigator page.  

Do you have a question you would like to Ask Us? Email us at info@dankmeyer.com.

Do I need a new Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO)?

QUESTION:

I have been a customer of your practice for many years. I had a stroke in the late 1990s and use a leg brace, AFO, daily and walk with a cane. My current brace is old, maybe 10 years??, and needs to be replaced but, I am not sure how to go about that. There have been some stories in the paper and on TV about new prosthetics and braces. Maybe one of those new braces is right for me? Let me know if I need to see my doctor or just come in. I have Medicare.

Sincerely,

Penny G.

ANSWER:

Dear Penny G,

First, thank you for your business and for contacting us with this very common question. 

If your AFO is 10 years old, I recommend you have it looked at to be sure it is working properly for you. The place to start is with a visit to your primary doctor to be sure that you still require the AFO and that the overall care plan is in place to maintain optimal health. You can specifically ask your primary doctor to look at the AFO and, if they agree you still need to use the AFO and it is not optimal, they can write you an order to see us for an evaluation. During that evaluation we will talk with you about your goals, your experiences with the current AFO and problems or issues you are having. We can share with you advances in orthosis design and answer questions about those new braces you saw on TV and in the paper and, in the end, make a recommendation for repairs, adjustments or replacement of the current AFO. We will share that information with your primary doctor and make a plan to get the work done. In many cases, simple repairs and adjustments can be done that same day. If your primary doctor requests more information, we can help you with a referral to one of the specialist multi-disciplinary clinics we work with for a specialist evaluation for a new AFO and, possibly other rehabilitation treatment ideas. The specialist clinics are generally headed by a Physiatrist which is a physician who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and who have special training in the evaluation and prescription of orthoses, including AFOs like yours. We attend the clinics with you and can provide our recommendation in person and help with the development of a new AFO prescription. Medicare does require some specific evaluation documentation for coverage of an AFO and, the specialist clinics are often a very effective method of getting that done.

Thank you again for contacting us with your question. Please feel free to call 800-879-1245 and talk directly to one of our Orthotists to get more information or ask additional questions. We look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Mark S Hopkins PT, CPO, MBA and The Dankmeyer Team

Do you have a question you would like to Ask Us? Email us at info@dankmeyer.com.