Hovorka C F
Center for the Intrepid, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Can Prosthet Orthot J. 2023 Dec 22;6(2):42221. doi: 10.33137/cpoj.v6i2.42221. eCollection 2023.
The orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) profession has a history of responding to market demands in a reactive rather than proactive manner. This has created significant impacts including shrinkage in scope of practice and constraint in remuneration for professional services due to a fee-for-device third party payer system. Rapid changes in technology and healthcare combined with an outdated device-centric reimbursement system are creating unprecedented challenges that threaten sustainability of the O&P profession. Hence, a reassessment of the value of O&P care, and the O&P workflow process is necessary to inform an update to the value proposition and practice model for sustainability. This article reviews key factors contributing to the current state of O&P, and potential solutions involving an update in practitioner competencies, and the care delivery model (from device-centric to client-centric and values-based). Updates could be achieved by leveraging the use of digital workflows that increase efficiencies and enhance the value of clinical outcomes. Eventually, these updates could enable the O&P profession to elevate the value proposition that aligns with its most important stakeholders: client-patients and third-party reimbursement agencies in a rapidly changing technology and healthcare landscape.
矫形与假肢（O&P）行业历来以被动而非主动的方式应对市场需求。这产生了重大影响，包括由于按设备收费的第三方支付系统导致执业范围缩小和专业服务报酬受限。技术和医疗保健的快速变化，再加上过时的以设备为中心的报销系统，正在带来前所未有的挑战，威胁着O&P行业的可持续性。因此，有必要重新评估O&P护理的价值以及O&P工作流程，以便为可持续性的价值主张和实践模式更新提供依据。本文回顾了导致O&P当前状况的关键因素，以及涉及更新从业者能力和护理提供模式（从以设备为中心转变为以客户为中心和基于价值）的潜在解决方案。可以通过利用数字工作流程来提高效率并提升临床结果的价值来实现更新。最终，这些更新可以使O&P行业提升其价值主张，以在快速变化的技术和医疗保健环境中与其最重要的利益相关者：客户患者和第三方报销机构保持一致。
