HAPPENINGS
BRACE ADOPTION
Many Cerebral Palsy Patients Don’t Use Prescribed Orthoses Among individuals with cerebral palsy who were prescribed lower-limb orthoses, only 35% use their devices every day. This finding from researchers at Gaziantep University in Turkey was attributed primarily to difficulty in wearing orthoses. The authors recommend that patients work closely with a rehabilitation team and take part in follow-up appointments to increase adoption.
35%
AOPA Offers Certificate in O&P Business Management
O&P professionals can stay up to date on the latest business trends and information by earning a Certificate in O&P Business Management, offered via a new collaboration between AOPA and the University of Hartford. This joint certificate program provides a unique leadership experience, fresh insights, and education for O&P professionals to advance their careers while learning proven techniques for developing better business practices and improving their companies’ returns. Participants—O&P business owners, managers, clinicians, manufacturers, and distributors—will complete a series of business and management courses to explore business challenges related to finance, sales and marketing, business operations, and reimbursement policies and management. The program has been designed to be similar to nondegree continuing education programs that universities offer in conjunction with their MBA programs. Visit bit.ly/AOPACP for details. O&P CYBERSECURITY
Data Breaches Continue To Impact Healthcare Facilities More than 550 healthcare organizations reported data breaches affecting 500 or more individuals to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, in 2021. The protected health information of more than 40 million individuals was exposed as a result of the breaches. The 10 largest healthcare data breaches last year were hacking/IT incidents. SOURCE: “This Year’s Largest Healthcare Data Breaches,” Health IT Security, Nov. 30, 2021.
PEOPLE & PLACES PROFESSIONALS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND TRANSITIONS
The Orthotic and Prosthetic Activities Foundation (OPAF) announced board members for 2022. Deborah Plescia, CPO, clinical specialist for Ottobock Orthopedic Services; Jacob Calvert, CPO, a clinician with Hanger Clinic and an adaptive fitness trainer; and Taushima Nixon, a graduate student at Alabama State University’s MSOP program who has experienced limb loss, have joined continuing members Matt Swiggum, Jena Baxter, Jackie Valdez, CO, and Elise Griset, CPO, on the OPAF Board of Directors. The executive board was re-elected to their positions, with 12
JANUARY 2022 | O&P ALMANAC
Travis Young, CPO, serving as president, Michelle Jamin, PT, DPT, as vice president, and Rebecca Snell as secretary and treasurer. Amputee Coalition CEO Mary Richards was elected as a member of the 2022 board of directors for the National Health Council (NHC). “NHC brings together the nation’s leading patient advocacy organizations, including the Amputee Mary Richards Coalition, to drive patient-centered health policies that improve lives,” said Richards. “I am excited to contribute to the leadership of the NHC and help expedite meaningful progress for Americans living with limb loss and limb difference and many other conditions.”
PHOTO: Getty Images
SOURCE: “Use of Lower-Extremity Orthoses in Patients With Cerebral Palsy and Related Factors,” Prosthetics & Orthotics International, Dec. 1, 2021.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
