Sports Bracing: A Whole New Game
By Judith Philipps Otto Although it may be a part of the orthotic
practitioner's livelihood, sports bracing is also a game in itself.
And, as in any game, you can defend your position on the playing
field, you can allow yourself to be driven back--perhaps even
completely off the field--OR you can choose to compete aggressively
and proactively.
 |
Ken Gavin |
|
While many orthotists are questioning whether such
a battle is winnable or even worth the effort, Ken Gavin,
CO, Audubon Orthotic & Prosthetic Services, Colorado
Springs, Colorado, is not only achieving success by focusing on
sports bracing, but also has evolved some enlightened perspectives
on earning goodwill and respect and growing his business in this
specialized area.
Gavin limits his practice to sports medicine, although his
partners handle pediatric and rehab as well as foot orthotics.
"It's not a done deal, by any means, that the manufacturers'
reps or the physical therapists are gaining ground in capturing a
significant amount of the referrals," Gavin reports. "Regionally
speaking, the amount of referrals is based on the relationship that
the practitioner, physical therapist, or manufacturer's rep has
with the physician."
The ability to professionally fit an off-the-shelf sports brace
is probably equivalent, so it comes down to a question of loyalty
as well as the relationship with the referring physician.
Regardless of who can really fit a brace better, he notes, "the
physician historically is not having any problems with patient care
with the manufacturer's rep or physical therapists fitting the
orthosis--so when the physician makes his choice, it all comes down
to loyalty and relationships."
The manufacturer's rep has the advantage of selling other items
to the physician and also interacting with physicians in the
operating room on a daily basis while the relationship grows, based
on familiarity and face-time--a luxury most orthotists can't
afford.
 "Very few orthotists are traveling around meeting
with physicians on a regular basis about one interaction or
another," Gavin points out, "therefore the ability to convince the
physician to send a brace to them is limited in the O&P field,
where most practitioners are focusing on custom items for patients
with more advanced needs."
While the O&P industry has some history of releasing sports
bracing into the hands of manufacturers' representatives, due to
their historically closer relationship with the physicians they
visit, the time has come to change this pattern, Gavin
believes.
To continue the development of O&P as a profession, Gavin
feels that orthotists must stay within the medical profession as
active participants; they can't afford to cherry-pick, since the
likelihood is that off-the-shelf items will become more prevalent
and cost-effective, giving the manufacturer's reps and physical
therapists an increasingly larger share of the bracing business.
"They're not just going to stop with sports bracing," he
predicts.
The solution, Gavin believes, is threefold:
(1) Consider hiring a marketer. Assess the
financial impact and the added value that a marketer could bring to
your business. Identify someone who can devote the vital time to
spending face-time and building trusted relationships with area
physicians on your behalf. In the beginning, you are going to have
a cost: either a representative, a marketer, or even limiting the
clinical work of practitioners within the office to make them
available for this duty. In the end, that cost will more than
likely benefit the company with increased referrals due to the
improved relationship. Granted, it is an investment and no returns
are guaranteed.
(2) Gavin stresses the importance of developing a
strategic marketing plan to serve your specific goal(s).
Reevaluate frequently, and if you are not reaching those
goals periodically, consult an outside expert to advise you or seek
appropriate education for your appointed marketer. "People study
and earn PhD degrees in marketing," he warns. "Sending a
practitioner out and just marketing may not work. You might
consider supporting a local or regional continuing education
meeting for the orthopedic community--your sponsorship banner could
gain you a lot of exposure."
(3) Get involved in education. The medical
field is changing with respect to partnering with O&P
communities for the sake of interaction and education, Gavin
believes--an exciting new threshold of opportunity. Naturally,
manufacturer's reps are well positioned to support physicians in
continuing education and through financial support for a nonprofit
foundation. One way to interact and compete with manufacturer's
reps, Gavin suggests, is to support continuing education: Have a
seminar--bring in (at the O&P facility's cost) an expert in a
certain hip replacement surgery or sports ACL surgery and present a
symposium, with a half-day of education followed by golfing in the
afternoon or some other related benefit. Consider hosting a sports
medicine runners' symposium or a ski symposium, based on your
geography.
"That is a prevalent or new phenomenon, as well. While you
may have a partnership, you need to demonstrate what's in it
for the good of the community, as well as for other patients," he
advises. "So, offering continuing education would benefit the
community and its patients, and position you as a valued
partner."
Kaia Halvorson, CPO, vice president of
orthotics for Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc.,
Bethesda, Maryland, agrees that education isan excellent bridge to
good relationships.
Hanger has been offering educational orthotic symposiums
four or five times a month--symposiums which stress the added value
of referring patients to certified or licensed orthotists.
The symposiums educate referral sources and allied health
professionals concerning the advantages to their
patients--e.g. the more complete continuum of care an orthotist can
provide through follow-up, such as adjustments to compensate for
swelling or edema, volumetric changes, and anatomical changes.
"I think that's helping in a number of ways," Halvorson
reflects. "Even the physical therapists and manufacturer's reps who
attend these symposiums are recognizing that there is a lot more to
orthotic treatment than just putting on an off-the-shelf AFO or
knee brace, and perhaps, considering the different variations and
modifications we can accomplish, we can have a better outcome than
they might, since they are inside an office or facility that
doesn't have the options an orthotic practice can offer."
Debunking the Obesity Myth
The capabilities of contemporary sports bracing suggest that
there are more athletes in the US than the popularity of diet
programs and obesity statistics would have us believe. The general
healthcare of the country has become a huge opportunity for the
O&P industry, Gavin believes. Historically, O&P has focused
on people who don't take care of their health, but as people become
more health-conscious and take on athletic challenges and
abilities, they open up new opportunities in the O&P
market--with demands for athletic bracing as well as prophylactic
bracing.
New Opportunities for O&P
"I think it's intriguing that the devices could extend beyond
protecting a person after a surgical procedure, and may be used in
prevention of an injury and ultimate surgery," he said. "As we make
patients and the medical community more aware of the benefits of
protecting our bodies from injuries, I would say that we're fending
off the negative connotation of weight, cosmeses, and lowered
performance. New bracing technology, which places the bracing into
alignment with the anatomical configurations of the body, does not
decrease performance, but actually enhances performance while it
helps to prevent injury."
The media attention to obesity, health, and dieting will thus,
he predicts, drive the public to adopt a more athletic lifestyle in
self-defense.
"There's no choice. In order to be healthy, you have to
exercise. And in order to exercise, you have to get involved with
athletic activity," he says.
"Formerly the general population, including backyard
athletes, used to get athletic bracing or orthotics after
they injured themselves," Gavin continues. "But unless you're a
regular athlete who lives athletic activity every day, you're
probably not going to receive a brace. We'll need to focus strictly
on the athletic community, whose needs are basically
performance-related."
Gavin foresees a need for the orthotist's services to evolve as
the sports bracing trend continues to change. If they can humanly
perform better, sports performers will become loyal orthotic
patients who continue to benefit from sports bracing and/or foot
orthotics.
"We need simply to stay in tune with the needs of athletes and
use our outstanding resources to meet their needs--that's where
bracing is going," Gavin points out. "The idea of the people in our
country becoming more athletic leads to a natural marriage with
O&P. All we've got to do is decide how to cope with the
interaction and the relationship we have with the athletic medical
community professionals as well as the sports medicine
professionals, as well as the athletic people."
Chris Jones, MD, of Colorado Springs
Orthopaedic Group in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a leading
authority on sports medicine, agrees that the world's health focus
seems to be trending toward a more athletic lifestyle.
"We live in oasis of fitness. Colorado Springs was ranked one of
the most fit cities in the nation, so I may have a skewed
perspective. Obesity is not a tremendous problem here. But from a
medical standpoint in general, I think our jobs are taking a little
more responsibility in terms of prevention versus treatment. That's
definitely true."
Professional Relationships
Jones also agrees with Gavin that trusted professional
relationships between referring physicians and ancillary care
providers are essential.
"It's uncomfortable when I'm not familiar with the
therapist serving my patient, for example, because if we're
not communicating, I can't be certain that they're accomplishing
what I want them to do. That relationship is important--and the
same goes for an orthotist. I want to know that they're going to
communicate with me, and if they have any questions about any
prescription, or how I want something fitted, that they'll speak to
me directly instead of guessing' at the correct approach. I think
an open line of communication is very important."
Jones encourages orthotists to develop such relationships by
coming to the physician's office to introduce themselves, perhaps
leaving literature or biographical material to detail their
background, their level of expertise, and areas of special skill or
interest. "The bottom line is that I'm not going to develop a
relationship with somebody I'm not comfortable with to begin with.
If I'm comfortable with their level of expertise, that would be the
person I could potentially develop a relationship with."
Jones recognizes and respects the specialized training
orthotists possess. "They know the ins and outs of proper
fitting techniques and are familiar with the problems that can
arise from improper fitting. So while therapists and manufacturers'
reps are trained well to do what they do, generally speaking,
orthotists are better suited for the fitting of braces. From a
physicians' standpoint, many of the orthotists I work with are
probably more knowledgeable specifically about braces than I am. Of
course I can and do apply the specific orthopedic or anatomical
viewpoint from my perspective, but I rely on them to be good at
specifically dealing with braces."
Given a magic wand and the power to create an ideal world for
himself professionally, Jones would look for even closer proximity
to the orthotists he trusts.
"It would be nice to have them in the same building, so that if
I saw a patient that I wanted to be fitted with a particular brace,
I could just tell my assistant to call the orthotic guy next door;
he'd come over, take a look, and we could fit the patient right
then and there. That would be the ideal way--that way I could
actually see the brace on him, give it my thumbs up, and send him
on his way."
A graduate of the University of Missouri School of
Journalism, Judith Philipps Otto has been a newspaper writer and
editor and has won national and international awards as a broadcast
writer-producer. She also has assisted with marketing and public
relations for various clients in the O&P industry. 
Table Of Contents - February 2006
|
