Ethical Clinical Practice in Orthotics and Prosthetics: Follow-Ups

The field of Orthotics and Prosthetics has a strange business model.Orthotic and prosthetic practitioners cannot and do not bill for their time. To some, that may come as a surprise. The truth is, the only thing we can bill for (most often to insurance) is for the orthotic or prosthetic device "delivered" to the patient.

While some orthotic devices are straight forward and do not require follow-up care, with custom orthotics and especially prosthetics, we believe it is important to schedule follow ups appointments, as well as to see our patients when they have an emergent issue with their device, which helps ensure better outcomes. A follow up appointment may consist of an adjustment to the device, or education, and is a time for important feedback. We are not one of these clinics that deliver the product and never see the patient again. We do not charge for follow up appointments but believe the time investment is worth it and makes business sense too. We may not have the fanciest website, or the most aggressive marketing, but we hope our patients have good things to say about us!