From the Editor: A Heartfelt Loss

By Miki Fairley

Amputees as well as the O&P profession lost a dedicated friend when Nancy Carroll, editor of the ACA's inMotion and First Step, died recently. Nancy was truly an inspired and inspiring editor and writer and a warm and compassionate person who will be deeply missed by all of us who had the
privilege of knowing her.

The EDGE  Welcomes New Staff Member

Western Media welcomes another new member to our team. Rachel Monserrate joins The O&P EDGE as our new advertising sales/production assistant. Rachel is a graduate of the Colorado State University (CSU) Technical Journalism program and also holds a minor in Spanish. She has worked in the journalism field since graduating from high school. She was a reporter/editor for the Julesburg Advocate, Julesburg, Colorado, where she earned three Colorado Press Association nominations. Throughout college, Rachel produced her own newsletter, Keeping in Touch, for CSU's international housing community. For the past two years, she also has been a freelance producer on the Emmy Award-winning television show Colorado State of Mind, which airs on Rocky Mountain PBS.

Rachel Monserrate

In her spare time, Rachel enjoys reading and writing. She follows basketball and is a diehard Denver Nuggets fan.

Rachel is very excited to be a part of the Western Media team and looks forward to learning more about the O&P industry and building relationships with our colleagues.

Inspiration and Information

Imagine living to 107 years and still going strong and enjoying mobility - despite having an amputation at 102! Read about a remarkable man, Jonas Dennis, in Today's Consumer.

Competition and encroachment on O&P practice is coming from directions that may be unexpected by many in the profession. The Leading EDGE article by healthcare attorney John Latsko may be a wake-up call.

O&P practitioners and business owners work too hard to let reimbursement dollars just leak away. Yet this is what could be happening to you! The feature article, "Maximizing Collections for Cash Flow," includes helpful information on managing accounts receivable and collections to maximize your reimbursements.

For over a decade Children of the Americas (COTA) has been sending medical teams to Guatemala, where about 75 percent of the people live in poverty. Since 2003, prosthetists and orthotists have been added to the teams. Children there suffer amputations from causes rare in the US, including burns from live electrical wires lying around and falls into water boiling over open fires. You can read about COTA's work in our Salute article "Bringing Help and Hope to Guatemala".

We hope you will enjoy this issue of The EDGE and getting to know our new staff member, Rachel Monserrate, in the months ahead.

Table Of Contents - February 2005

	Maximizing Collections for Cash Flow Would you like to increase your cash flow by 40 percent? Would you like to know how? Feature
	Advice from Experts: Troubleshooting Claims Problems Feature
	New Military Center To Take Technology to Next Level Feature
	Active Amputee Still Going Strong—at 107! Jonas Dennis of Port Arthur, Texas, may be the world’s oldest amputee. Today's Consumer
	Are You Being Blindsided by Unexpected Competition? A trend recently noted by a few practitioners specializing in orthotics and prosthetics is worthy of concern for most in the O&P business. Leading EDGE
	Bringing Help and Hope to Guatemala Salute
	Kim Doolan Detours to Success Industry Leader
	Ossur’s Rheo Knee To Be Launched; Garners Accolades Innovations
	Desiring a Job Well Done Drives Technician’s Skill Shop Talk
	CAF Honors Soldiers, Others Sports
	Got FAQs? Got FAQs?
	DS/USA Hosts Disabled Soldiers at Ski Spectacular Association Spotlight
	ABC Forms PR Department Association Spotlight
	Raymond Berry, CPO, LPO Profile
	The Truth about Licensure Perspective
	From the Editor: A Heartfelt Loss Viewpoints