5 Days to Clinical Know-How & Better Business Performance
Every aspect of O&P business operations and clinical care will be scrutinized during sessions at the 2006 AOPA National Assembly, September 26-30 in Hollywood, Fla. And everyone from practitioners to billing staff to facility managers to manufacturing executives will have a chance to gain practical advice, improve clinical knowledge and explore the trends affecting the field.
Kicking off on Tuesday, Sept. 26 with a day-long seminar focused on improving the profitability of your business without compromising patient care, the 2006 AOPA Assembly includes premier clinical and practice management programs, top-of-the-line manufacturers’ workshops, and new product launches in the largest O&P exhibit hall in the nation, all combined with expert guidance on how to ensure your practice stays ahead of the curve.
Start with profitability
Lesson one begins Tuesday, Sept. 26 with the Profitability Seminar, held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In a time of increased discounting and falling reimbursements, this AOPA seminar gives O&P business owners and office managers the tools to determine how the contract decisions they make today will affect their bottom line in the long run.
Since this seminar is offered only once in 2006, at least one representative from every facility should attend in order to learn how best to manage a business that is profitable and financially stable.
Hands-on workshops
There is another good reason to get to Hollywood, Fla. early. Starting Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. there are twelve concurrent, four-hour manufacturers’ workshops to choose from.
During these programs, leading manufacturers and suppliers from around the country offer hands-on demonstrations and previews of their products, teaching you the ins and outs of the latest advancements and techniques. Additional workshops take place on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday, Sept. 30. (See sidebar.)
But that’s only the beginning. After Wednesday night’s welcome reception and sneak peek of the exhibit hall, Thursday morning will bring some of the best O&P clinical and business programming the industry has to offer.
Focus on urgent clinical issues
With 50 different clinical sessions to choose from, the AOPA Assembly provides a unique opportunity to learn about and experience the newest techniques and products in patient care.
The top-notch clinical sessions presented by experts from around the world feature never-before-presented information to help practitioners stay on the cutting edge of the most important aspect of O&P business: patient care.
Clinical education is offered on all four days of the Assembly program. Expert speakers in the industry will present such topics as:
• Troubleshooting electric upper limb prostheses
• The future of the reciprocating gait orthosis
• Using CAD in PFFD prosthesis fabrication
• Choosing the optimum transfemoral socket configuration.
In addition, the Assembly features a clinical track of sessions exploring new components and innovative techniques. Topics include:
• Bionic prostheses: when futuristic technology meets market needs
• Advances in electric terminal devices
• The role of motor control mechanisms in human and prosthetic performance.
For those interested in pedorthics, the Assembly features sessions highlighting advances in pedorthics, including:
• Dynamic management of transmetatarsal amputations
• Mastering the hyper-mobile first ray
• Techniques for reducing shear.
Outcomes studies are becoming increasingly important in the field of O&P. In some cases, payers are insisting on proof of a device’s efficacy before they’ll pay an O&P claim.
Assembly sessions will teach you:
• How to establish objective outcomes measurements
• The manufacturer’s role in supporting claims
• Management strategies for the transfemoral amputee.
With all of this and more, the Assembly clinical program is one that cannot be missed. Patients will benefit from practitioners receiving this up-to-date knowledge and experience and O&P businesses will benefit from the increased skills.
| Plan Ahead to Attend Manufacturers’ Workshops at the 2006 AOPA
National Assembly
Manufacturers’ workshops offer hands-on tutorials on the latest
products and techniques. These are scheduled on Wednesday and Saturday
during the AOPA Assembly. To maximize your education experience, book
your flights so you have time to attend the Wednesday morning and
Saturday afternoon manufacturers’ workshops.The following list, subject to change, lists workshops by type, time and day. Updates to this list will be available at www.AOPAnet.org. Orthotics/Pedorthics Wednesday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. to noon • Successful Orthotic Fittings Utilizing the Latest in CAD (sponsored by Ohio Willow Wood) • A Dynamic Approach to the Non-Operative Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis • Innovations in Orthotics: Advanced Knee and Spinal Management (Part 1) (sponsored by Bauerfiend USA Inc.) • Dynamic AFO Brace Applications for Common Patient Presentations (sponsored by Cascade DAFO Inc.) • Shoes and Shoe Modifications to Enhance Any O&P Practice (sponsored by P.W. Minor) • Spine Core Workshop (sponsored by Becker Orthopedic Appliance Co.) Wednesday, Sept. 27, 1 to 5 p.m. • Unloader One—A New Innovative Osteoarthritis Pain Relief Device (sponsored by Ossur Innovation Sports) • Innovations in Orthotics: Advanced Knee and Spinal Management (Part 2) (sponsored by Bauerfiend USA Inc.) • Managing Orthotic Ambulation (sponsored by Fillauer Companies Inc.) • Fitting Certification Course: SWASH, ToeOFF Family and 3D-Lite Thermoplastic (sponsored by Allard USA Inc.) • Foot Care—Maximize Outcomes and Revenues (sponsored by Aetrex Worldwide Inc.) Saturday, Sept. 30, 1 to 5 p.m. • Redefining Dynamic Orthoses in Pediatrics (sponsored by Midwest Orthotic and Technology Center) • Biomechanical Evaluation of the Lower Extremity (sponsored by Allied OSI Labs) • Charleston Bending Brace Certification (sponsored by National Fab) Prosthetics Wednesday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. to noon • Extended Capabilities of Alpha Design Liners (sponsored by Ohio Willow Wood) • Improved Outcomes with the New Seal-In Design (sponsored by Ossur) • Clinical Investigation of Phantom Pain Cessation (sponsored by SPS) • Renew Materials (sponsored by Renew Materials) Wednesday, Sept. 27, 1 to 5 p.m. • You Have An Upper Extremity Limb Loss Patient on Your Caseload—Now What? (sponsored by Otto Bock HealthCare) • The Effects of Suspension on the Residual Limb and Tissue of Amputees (sponsored by ALPS) • Powered Prosthetics (sponsored by Ossur) • Endolite’s New Product and Systems Overview (sponsored by Endolite) • The Science and Engineering of Freedom Innovations—Maximizing Your Clinical Effectiveness (sponsored by Freedom Innovations) Saturday, Sept. 30, 1 to 5 p.m. • Prosthetic Polycentric Knee Design (sponsored by Fillauer Companies Inc.) • New Advances from Motion Control (sponsored by Fillauer Companies Inc.) • Taking Microprocessor Knees to the Next Level (sponsored by Otto Bock HealthCare) Orthotics and Prosthetics Wednesday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. to noon • BioSculptor CAD/CAM Solutions (sponsored by BioSculptor Corp.) • Explore an Entirely New Generation of CAD—20 Years in the Making! (sponsored by Vorum Research Corp.) Wednesday, Sept. 27, 1 to 5 p.m. • Omega® Tracer® Users’ Group Review (sponsored by Ohio Willow Wood) • Changes to the Research Project and the Impact on Residents (sponsored by NCOPE) Saturday, Sept. 30, 1 to 5 p.m. • Complete Practice Management Using OPIE Software (sponsored by OandP.com) • Facility Accreditation Workshop (sponsored by ABC) |
Increase business performance
The business education sessions in Hollywood are a full curriculum of money-saving ideas, revenue-generating measures and practice management insights.
Programs address current challenges to operating a profitable O&P facility and offer specific steps to improve billing, reduce expenses, avoid liability and minimize claim delays.
And, because every company that wants to remain successful has to anticipate the changes that will occur tomorrow, there are sessions spelling out the significant alterations already underway in Medicare.
Just as important as the Medicare modifications to be implemented over the next 12 months are the longer-term forces shaping the O&P field and influencing the business climate for manufacturers, distributors and patient care facilities for years to come.
The companies that position themselves to respond right now to the economic, demographic and workplace challenges taking shape are most likely to remain prosperous in the future.
Better billing, coding and reimbursement
Better Medicare billing procedures and improvements in practice management are addressed in a range of education sessions at the Assembly, such as:
• How to get paid by skilled nursing facilities
• How to handle denials and know when it’s appropriate to bill the patient
• How to avoid inappropriate arrangements with referral sources
• Tips on collecting accounts receivable
• Tips on opening a new office
• The most common shoe billing problems and how to overcome them
• Selecting the right employees and managing staff so everyone reaches his or her greatest potential.
Expert speakers will address compliance concerns surrounding the whole subject of Medicare supplier numbers, clear up myths about the Medicare fee schedule and explain the benefits of using the AOPA CodingPro software.
Today more than ever before, third-party payers affect practitioners’ and facilities’ decisions on health care and practice management. Programs at the Assembly will assess the role of third-party payers and discuss the delicate balance between optimal patient care, profitability, and the restrictions imposed by insurers.
Technician’s program
Hosted by the Orthotic and Prosthetic Technological Association (OPTA)
and AOPA, Saturday, September 30, includes a full day of education
designed specifically for technicians. |
Prepare for far-reaching Medicare changes
Several business sessions cover the numerous recent changes in
Medicare requirements, such as the implementation of new Medicare
contractors and some subtle but important revisions to the appeals
process.
In addition, several new and far-reaching modifications on the
immediate horizon will be discussed, such as new supplier quality
standards and the implementation of competitive bidding.
As part of AOPA’s efforts to provide the latest information, the
Medicare medical directors have been invited to discuss new
developments in their respective regions and their focus for the coming
year.
Anticipate the future
The O&P profession and the industry that surrounds it are subject
to the same dynamic forces reshaping many areas within health care. The
factors influencing the change are wide-ranging with a multitude of
underlying causes.
AOPA has gathered a panel of leading O&P professionals who have
critical vantage points and are all in a position to offer valuable
insights into how the events are transforming the field. By examining
the forces affecting both the practice of O&P and the business
climate, the panel will provide a view of the future.
AOPA President Walter L. Racette, CPO, captures it best when he says “the Assembly provides the ideal opportunity to get leaders from
across the O&P spectrum to present the best ideas, thoughts and
trends they believe will affect the future direction of not only their
own companies but the entire profession.”
Questions the panel will consider include:
• What changes in business methods should facilities implement to
ensure a promising future?
• How are the roles of manufacturers
and facilities changing as they relate to each other?
• How should the practitioner of today adjust to compete with the
clinicians emerging over the next decade?
• Is the separation of O&P and DME necessary and advisable, or
are the two inescapably merging in the eyes of payers and regulators?
These issues and a variety of others will be explored as part of a
thought-provoking examination of where the O&P field is headed.
See you in court
The risk of liability in today’s O&P practice is no longer
theoretical. Risk management and loss control are two tools for
avoiding liability and reducing property and casualty insurance claims.
Be sure to grab a spot at “What’s the Verdict?” a
mock trial depicting an O&P liability lawsuit on Friday, Sept. 29
from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Don’t miss this dramatic lesson on how a
lawsuit against an O&P practice could play out, with tips on how to
protect the patient and the O&P business.
Evidence will be presented and lawyers will argue for either side in a
courtroom case that is sure to hit home as it zeroes in on the dos and
don’ts of patient care and documentation.
Florida licensure courses
To assist Florida practitioners in meeting their statutory education
requirements for licensure, three state-required courses are available
at the Assembly.
These programs cover dealing with infectious diseases, learning how to
prevent medical errors and how to comply with new requirements for
Florida O&P licensure. While geared to Florida licensees, all
Assembly attendees are welcome.
End on a high note
Finally, on Sunday, Oct. 1, end the week on a high note. Check out the
First Volley™ and First Swing Clinics, hosted by the Orthotic
& Prosthetic Assistance Fund Inc. (OPAF) at the Diplomat Country
Club. Both programs are designed to help people with physical
challenges learn or relearn the games of tennis and golf, respectively.
First Swing is sponsored by the National Amputee Golf Association, the
Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust and the PGA
Foundation at no charge to participants, but registration is necessary.
Spend the afternoon and be reminded of the good work being done in the
O&P field.
Register for the 2006 National Assembly before Aug. 30 to receive the
discounted early bird rate. Refer to the registration form printed in
the July 2006 issue, or visit www.AOPAnet.org.
