Orthotic fitters organization debuts, plans first symposium this summer
The American Association of Orthotic Fitters has been formed to provide a professional and educational organization to meet the special needs of orthotic fitters.
Membership is open to certified orthotic fitters (certified by either the Board of Certification/Accreditation International or the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics) and any other practitioners who fit braces as a part of their daily job responsibilities. As of late March, the new organization had more than 850 members, and had plans to eventually increase that number to more than 3000. Membership is $150 per year.
The AAOF will provide continuing education home study courses, starting with Augusto Sarmiento’s CD Manual of Fracture Casting & Bracing, which qualifies for 8.5 hours of home study. An annual symposium focusing on off the shelf bracing is scheduled for July 23-24 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.
Additional AAOF projects in the pipeline include orthotic fitter courses approved by the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education and affordable liability insurance for the orthotic fitter. A more detailed version of the organization’s website will host home study programs as well as educational videos.
“It will be the AAOF’s mission to protect and expand the orthotic fitters’ scope of practice through educational opportunities and working with other O&P organizations,” said Charles Barocas, AAOF executive director. “We hope to have a robust online experience. Our new medical economic environment predicts that we will be using more off-the-shelf bracing than ever before. The AAOF will be the organization that helps the orthotic fitter stay ahead of the curve so they can provide better service to their patients and referring physicians.”
To register, or for more information, visit www.aaofusa.org.
STS creates casting sock for Richie
Officials at the STS Company of Mill Valley, CA, announced in March that the company has created an ankle casting sock specifically for use with Richie Brace brand ankle foot orthoses, through an exclusive licensing agreement with Seal Beach, CA-based Richie Technologies.
The new product, marketed as the “Richie Brace Casting Sock,” is now available only through orthotic laboratories that distribute the Richie Brace family of products. Many of the labs have pledged to provide the casting socks at no charge to their Richie Brace customers.
“This just makes good sense,” said Peter Graf, DPM, chief executive officer of STS. “Dr. Richie has done an outstanding job creating a brand name synonymous with quality. We felt it the perfect fit for STS.”
Diabetic Foot Conference boasts record attendance, honors Joseph
The eighth DFCon Global Diabetic Foot Conference, held in March at the site of the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, attracted record participation from around the world.
More than 900 diabetic foot specialists from 31 countries attended, along with 70 pharmaceutical and medical device exhibitors. Despite the recession, attendance increased for the second consecutive year.
Warren S. Joseph, DPM, received the 2010 Edward James Olmos Award for Advocacy in Amputation Prevention. Joseph is a podiatric and infectious diseases attending at Roxborough Memorial Hospital in Philadelpia and the section of podiatric medicine at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Coatesville, PA. He is the editor of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association and author of the Handbook of Lower Extremity Infections.
The award is named after the Academy Award-nominated star of Stand and Deliver, who presented it at a ceremony at the conference. Olmos’ father and uncles underwent diabetes-related amputation before succumbing to complications of the disease, which has inspired his longtime commitment to diabetes awareness and to DFCon in particular.
The conference was broadcast live worldwide on Portal Education, and video of the education sessions will be streamed on the DFCon website.
The next DFCon meeting is scheduled for March 24-26, 2011, again at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.DFCon.com.
Redi-Thotics enters the matrix
In response to practitioner demand for an easy to use guide for device selection Brookfield, CT-based Redi-Thotics has developed a specific indication orthotic matrix.
The color-coded guide, organized as a grid with device types along the x-axis and clinical indications along the y-axis, is designed to facilitate proper fit and function of prefabricated orthoses and assist office staff with dispensing the correct device for the desired result. It recommends primary and secondary orthotic options for specific clinical indications, with primary options designated by a large colored dot and secondary options designated by smaller dots in the same color.
The matrix features all five specialized pre-fabricated Redi-Thotic devices: Flex (blue), Slim (purple), Max (green), Control (orange), and Ultra (red). Each device is manufactured from a unique mold with different materials.
