Clerk has receipt… A lesson in the little things

A wise business person told me to always write down interactions with a business whether good or bad and how I would relate them to my business.

When I pay with a credit card at the pump I expect there to be a receipt. When “see cashier for receipt” comes up on the screen my expectations are not met. My thoughts immediately jump to why somebody so lazy they can’t put paper in the machine. Why is this convenience store forcing me into their store. 

When I take this lesson and apply it to my business I want my patients to get what they expect. If I take it further I want my patients to get more than they expected. As my wise sister says, “life is about managing expectations.”

The Other Side of the Booth

It was an hour before the attendees could come down and networking/spying/curiosity was in full force with the exhibitors down below. This was the first time that I had been on the other side (exhibitor side) of the booth. What I learned is there are so many amazing stories of entrepreneurs pushing excellence in our field.

If you have a chance ask Brandon from Legworks his story. Ask Josh from Protosthetics about his scratch built dune buggy he made in high school. Ask Cooper from Protosthetics about his story of building an additive manufacturing facility for a Fortune 500 company. Ask Tyler and Tyler from Additive Manufacturing about how they use their innovative modification techniques to build printed sockets. Ask Jeff Erenstone about he is using 3D printing technology to advance care worldwide but specifically in Nepal. Ask Dr. Graf and Dr. Stess how they decided to build STS casting and leave successful practices. Ask Paul Prusakowski how OPIE is moving toward outcome measures. Ask Bob Meyer from Bulldog tools how he is such a wizard with machining. Ask Brad Curtis from American Prosthetics how they keep innovating for our field. Ask Brad Mattear about his involvement in pushing for a bright future for technicians in our field. Ask Matt Perkins from Coyote Design what it takes to be a 5-time world champion triathlete. Ask Rob Weiss from D-Rev to talk about the trials in India for an affordable knee for the developing world. Ask Bob Radocy from TRS about the rigorous testing he puts his products through. The list goes on and I stand in amazement of the talent and stories of the entrepreneurs that are moving our industry forward.

#hopebegins Prosthetics Team makes a difference despite Hurricane Earl

The motto of the week: Have generator will make prostheses.

3D Carving an AFO and a Transtibial model with a Shopbot

Having a little fun. Looking for a cost effective ways to save time and money. I think we are on to something.

TRS Golf Hand

I recently had a patient that was tired of using his hook for golfing. We tried TRS hand and he states he feels like he has way more control of the club and he feels like he is getting more power through the ball. TRS 

Is the adjustable socket a new idea?

This is a picture from the late 50’s or early 60’s. I am always amazed at the “novel new” concepts that are available to us if we only looked around.  Google makes it easy!

KAFO with Surestep Metal Ankle Joints

Students Create New AFO? Why does it look like it is from the 60’s?

http://3dprintingindustry.com/news/students-create-new-ankle-foot-orthosis-82490/

Any comments?  I am still trying to process the article.  Too many misleading statements.  Where do we begin

1. “Additive manufacturing can change the face of prosthetic and orthotic medicine because both are stuck in the relative dark ages when it comes to fitting and producing new ones. It’s a time-consuming and expensive process that often requires multiple fittings.”

-Multiple fittings? Dark Ages?

2. “Making an AFO is a complex process, though, and it takes a number of fittings. That includes scanning, molding, vacuum heat forming and fitting. It can take up to a month and costs as much as $2000.”

-Take up to a month? Is 3D printing not a complex process?  What happens when you are 18 hours into your print and there is a glitch?

3. “Removing the excessive fittings were one of the main goals and it achieved this with a 3D scanner to create a millimeter precise model of the patient’s leg and foot. Simply put, if the first model is right then the first fitting is the only fitting.”

-One fitting?  Wow!  Anyone that has worked with the human body knows that this is a stretch.

4. “After weighing up the options, the students came back with good news and reported that PLA and PETG offer the best overall solution for an AFO.”

-Really?  Did you look at the fatigue cycles?  How many steps do patients walk in one year? So remind me, how long will the AFO last?

5. “The team of students managed to cut the fitting time from four weeks to just two days with rapid prototyping. They also slashed the costs and the experiment has been hailed as a massive success.”

-Four weeks? Did the 3D printer do the paperwork, check insurance, get authorization?

Summary:

3D Printing is amazing technology.  I am a fan of technology and it will play a part in the field of orthotics and prosthetics.  The problem with this article is that the Nick Hall really did not do much research on the industry and was not honest with those who read it.

 

 

Can Brent spell?

I am not the greatest writer/speller/sentence creator but I am using blogging to help me get better.  I love sharing information and sometimes  press “publish” too soon.

Why is the Rush Foot so Popular?

I was having a conversation with a friendand fellow prosthetist.  We were discussing which feet we used and he said that at the last Amputee Coalition of America conference the Rush Foot seem to be the foot of choice. He seemed a little perplexed because he had never used one before. I told him if he used one he probably would not order anything else.
I have been using the  Rush Foot for as long as they have been around. I continue to use it because patients love it. The walking is smooth, uneven terrain is not an issue, hills and ramps are no problem. The only issue I have had is one foot started to make a clicking sound and I could not trace it down. The clicking sound ended up being the foot starting to delaminate. When I started speaking with the people at Rush I realized I had gone too soft on a patient  who was a super high activity patient. The foot was essentially two categories less than what he needed. They replaced the foot under warranty without a hesitation. Great customer service! Great foot! Order one! Your patients will thank you.