Modified Sockets May Cool Limbs
Researchers have been studying the temperature inside transtibial sockets in an effort to reduce discomfort caused by heat and moisture between the socket and the residual limb. 

“Heat has always been an issue of contention for most amputees. Along with increased heat there is increased moisture. A combination of the two is not good for anybody’s skin,” said Steven Thomsen, CP, one of the project’s investigators. 

Experiments compared the temperature inside a standard socket to the temperature inside a ventilated socket before, during and after each test subject walked on a treadmill. The ventilated socket had as much plastic removed as possible without compromising lamination strength, according to Thomsen. Both sockets were made from the same model and used the same materials. Also, certain areas of the ventilated socket contained additional carbon to increase its strength. 

Thomsen and his team did a total of 20 tests on 10 different subjects in a controlled environment. The results of the study are still preliminary, but Thomsen is confident he and his team have found an easy and effective way to cool the socket and potentially keep amputees more comfortable. 

For more information, visit www.shrinershq.org or contact Steven Thomsen at sthomsen@shrinershq.org.

ABC Concerned over “Wholesale Approval” of Accrediting Agencies
ABC, one of the 11 agencies recently recognized by CMS to accredit DMEPOS suppliers, has stated its concern with “the wholesale approval [by CMS] of all applicant organizations,” according to a Dec. 13 letter to CMS from Stephen B. Fletcher, CPO, ABC’s president. 

In the letter, Fletcher expresses concern that agencies were recognized by CMS based on unclear criteria and with varying descriptions of what each agency may accredit. The letter states that recognizing organizations with no history of accrediting providers “seriously jeopardizes the integrity of the process, exposes beneficiaries to unnecessary risk, and is likely to lead to increases in utilization of O&P services.” 

In its letter, ABC expressed its desire to continue working with CMS to develop appropriate O&P accreditation systems and procedures

Non-Profit Offers Free Durable Medical Goods
The Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment & Endowment (FREE) of Roanoke, Va., an organization offering recycled durable medical goods at no charge to people in need, has opened a second location in Lynchburg, Va. thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Centra Health Foundation. 

FREE accepts all donations of durable medical goods, such as canes, wheelchairs, orthotic and prosthetic devices. “We won’t turn down anything,” said FREE president Clarence Wells. “If it’s not used here, it can be used in another country.” 

Donations are cleaned and sanitized before being made available, and all gifts are tax-deductible, notes the organization. FREE of Roanoke was founded in 1998 and has a partnership with Goodwill. 

For more information, visit www.free-foundation.org.

Group Raises Funds to Build Rehab Facility in Ghana
The Ghana Medical Rehabilitation Group (GMRG) is currently seeking donations to build a rehabilitation hospital in Ghana, Africa. Dr. Andrew Haig of Eastern Michigan University is leading the effort. 

Rebecca Rogers, speaking on behalf of GMRG, says that many Ghanaians go without O&P services. Injuries caused by land mines are common, but birth defects are often more detrimental. “Children born with birth defects are sometimes seen as ‘cursed’ by others due to social issues; however, people have generally been able find acceptance after they receive a prosthesis and are able to contribute,” notes Rogers. Currently, GMRG is only accepting financial donations and not components. That is because in the past, donated components ended up being incompatible with the terrain and environment of this region in Africa. 

For more information or to donate to GMRG, e-mail Dr. Andrew Haig at andyhaig@med.umich.edu.

Coding & Billing, Documentation Seminars Announced
AOPA’s first Coding & Billing seminar of the year will be held Feb. 27–28 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando. Immediately following, on Mar. 1, AOPA will host a Documentation seminar. Attendees can earn 21 continuing education (CE) credits for attending both seminars. 

AOPA reimbursement expert Joe McTernan will lead the Coding & Billing seminar, covering the 2007 HCPCS codes, new Medicare regulations, O&P-specific coding changes and more. The Documentation seminar will delve further into the Medicare documentation requirements and explain—with the help of a health care attorney—the legal and financial consequences of poor documentation. 

The next set of AOPA Coding & Billing and Documentation seminars will be April 10-12, in Las Vegas. 

For more information or to register, visit www.AOPAnet.org.

OPAF Receives Grants
The Orthotic and Prosthetic Assistance Fund Inc. (OPAF), based in Langhorne, Penn., has received two significant grants to continue funding its “First” adaptive sports clinics around the country. 

The United States Tennis Association’s Tennis & Education Foundation—an organization that funds tennis programs for at-risk and other special needs youth—granted OPAF a $20,000 gift to fund eight of its First Volley™ adaptive tennis clinics, to be held across the country this year. 

The Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation awarded OPAF a $5,000 grant for the fourth consecutive year to help fund First Swing clinics, designed to help the disabled learn or relearn the game of golf. 

OPAF held First Volley and First Swing clinics at the 2006 AOPA National Assembly in Hollywood, Fla. 

For more information, visit www.opfund.org.

Chicago-Area Prosthetists Return to Guatemala
The Chicago-based team of prosthetists from Scheck & Siress that the O&P Almanac first reported on last July recently returned to Zacapa, Guatemala to fit and adjust prostheses for dozens of amputees. The group, in collaboration with the Range of Motion Project (ROMP), established a clinic there in October 2005. 

David Krupa, CP, of Scheck & Siress, co-founder of the non-profit organization ROMP, recently moved to Zacapa to manage the clinic full-time, noting just how major a commitment these mission trips have been for both organizations. 

In the past, amputees from Guatemala had traveled to Chicago in specially arranged visits to receive prosthetic care. Now these expensive and lengthy trips are no longer necessary, says Elizabeth Rogers of ROMP. 

For more information, visit www.rompglobal.org.

Border Residents Face Higher Rate of Amputation
Diabetics living along the 1,200-mile border between Texas and Mexico undergo amputation twice as often as other diabetics in Texas, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Residents of the region are also more likely to have lower levels of education, lower incomes, no health insurance and other barriers to obtaining care. In fact, a border town may often only have one doctor, according to the Texas Medical Association. 

While some cultural factors shared by this population can often lead to increased rates of diabetes (e.g., poor diet and lack of exercise), other cultural factors, such as the prevalence of close-knit, extended families—common among Hispanic populations—may actually help stop the epidemic. 

“For diabetes, we know that lifestyle changes can prevent or delay the onset,” said Lisa Staten, director of the Southwest Center for Community Health Promotion. “We’ve got to figure out how to work with communities so that they know and believe that.”

For more information, visit www.cdc.gov.

Carbon Nanotube Muscles Pack Punch
A yarn of carbon nanotubes exerts 100 times the force per area of natural muscle, making it a good candidate for use as artificial muscle in prosthetic limbs, according to the findings of the Nanotech Institute and the University of Texas at Dallas. 

Carbon nanotubes are extremely tiny cylindrical carbon molecules. Among their unique properties are extreme strength, along with the ability to conduct heat and electricity. Densely packed, 100-micrometer-long nanotubes are wound into yarns that can be just 2 percent of the width of a hair and over a meter long. 

Some problems still to be resolved before this technology is widely adapted include eliminating “creep,” or the tendency for the yarns to not return to their original states after carrying repeated heavy loads. Another is that although carbon nanotube muscles are stronger than natural muscles on a per-area basis, natural muscles are much larger, and therefore can hold more weight. Single threads of carbon nanotubes must be scaled up to have significant utility. 

For more information, visit www.technologyreview.com.

In Memoriam

Rex Bowman, BOCO, C.Ped., of Leicester, N.C., died on Christmas Day last year after an apparent heart attack.  Rex served for 22 years in the U.S. Army and later worked for 15 years as the director of orthotics at Othopedic Appliance Co., of Asheville, N.C.

Rex was actively involved in the BOC, having served on the item writers committee and the board of directors.  He is survived by his wife, two daughters, a sister, brother, and five grandchildren.

People in the News

Ability Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc. of Gettysburg, Pa., has selected Nicole Hedgecock as the recipient of the Joseph Mazur housing scholarship. Hedgecock will use the award to help defray the cost of housing while attending Northwestern University in Chicago as an orthotics student.

Sean Peterson is the new reimbursement services coordinator at AOPA. He assists members with L code questions and inquiries regarding Medicare policy and coverage. Previously, Sean worked for PAREXEL International as a reimbursement analyst dealing extensively with third-party payers, practitioners and pharmaceutical companies. He can be reached at speterson@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0876, ext. 259.

Michael Fillauer, CPO, is the new president of Fillauer LLC—marking the fourth generation of his family to hold that role. The position was recently vacated by Todd Smith, who left to join his family’s construction company. Michael previously served as the director of business development for Fillauer Companies Inc.

Sara Cormack has resigned as chief financial officer of Langer Inc., the Deer Park, N.Y.-based manufacturer and supplier of O&P products

Ohio Willow Wood of Mt. Sterling, Ohio, has promoted two individuals. Mark Ford, director of marketing, is now responsible for managing the OMEGA Tracer® group. Doug Kreitzer is the new sales director.

Kevin Loughry, CO, has joined Orthologix of Philadelphia as part of the firm’s pediatric orthotic management team. Previously, Loughry worked for Lawall Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Justin Clark has earned his credential as a registered prosthetic technician (RTP) from ABC. Clark works for Ray Tegerstrand’s Orthopedic Appliance in Redding, Calif.

Rick Berggren, CPO, is the new manager of Spears Prosthetics and Orthotics in Heber Springs, Ark.

Michelangelo Scafidi, C.Ped., received the Carl Riecken Lifetime Achievement Award from BCP at the pedorthic industry’s annual certificant meeting and symposium last November in Atlanta. A longtime BCP member and former board president, Scafidi operates Michelangelo’s Foot Comfort and Pedorthic Shoppe in Norridge, Ill.

Businesses in the News

Artisan Orthotic-Prosthetic Technologies Inc. of Tualatin, Ore. has received three-year facility accreditation status from ABC.

Atlantic Rim Brace Manufacturing Corporation has moved to a new corporate headquarters at 25B Progress Ave., Nashua, NH 03062. Phone and fax numbers remain the same.

BOC recently made a change to its certified orthotic fitter (COF) program. Effective Jan. 1, 2007, all applicants are now required to pass both the video practical exam and the multiple choice exam in order to achieve certification. Since 2000, BOC has been the only accrediting agency to offer COF certification. Up until 2007, only the multiple choice exam was required.

Gulf Coast Orthotics & Prosthetics has opened a new office in Gulf Breeze, Fla. The company also has facilities in Pensacola, Fla. and Jacksonville, Fla.

Langer, Inc. has entered an agreement to acquire Regal Medical Supply though Langer’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Regal Acquisition Co.

Ossur Americas of Aliso Vielo, Calif. has announced the consilidation of its brace & supportsand spine business units to form Ossur Orthopaedics.  The new divison-- led by Lisa Tweardy-- includes functional and sports medicine bracing, orthopedic supports, and spinal products.  Tim McCarthy will continue to head Ossur Americas' other division, Ossur Prosthetics.

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