Choosing the right prosthetist and prosthetic company
Selecting a prosthetist and a prosthetic company is one of the most important decisions you will make. It's almost certain that, at one point, you will make a wrong choice. I, on the other hand, made many wrong choices and tried quite a few different companies before I could say that I was happy.
There are a couple reasons for this. The first reason is that I AM PICKY and I have HIGH STANDARDS. I do NOT let my prosthetist tell me that I should settle for anything less then what I want. In fact, the minute I hear something along those lines I will change prosthetists. Also, I continuously set new, higher standards for my prosthetist, regularly asking them to think outside the box and make things better. For me Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics fits this criteria!
What's right for you?
When you are choosing a company, consider what is important to you. Is it important they you have the latest technology? Is it important that you have locations around the country that you can use? Or do you need small shop where the owner comes to see you?
No matter who you choose remember one thing:
You need to be comfortable in your prosthetic the entire day. From the morning when you get up until bed time. If you are having issues, thinking about your leg, or limping, you need to address this with your prosthetist.
If he or she tells you that it's normal---run the other way! Go find someone else who can make sure you are comfortable and not in pain. Having a prosthetic leg should not stop you from doing anything. Period. Especially if you are a below knee amputee --- your prosthetic becomes just a nuisance.
My leg was so comfortable at one point, that a couple times I went to bed and fell asleep waking up to this dull rub on my thighs.....It was only then that I realized I had fallen asleep with my leg on forgetting to take it off. Now that's comfort!! (The rub on my thighs was from the vacuum system working!)
Small vs Big?
I used to think that that the best way to go is small. A small company cares for me and will take care of me when I need them the most. But after 14 years of small companies, I realized I was completely wrong. Here are some myths I used to believe and learned differently only by my own experience.
Please know that there are many wonderful small prosthetic companies that do not fall into the criteria I talk about below, and they may be a perfect fit for you. Just like there are large companies that donʼt follow best practices, so please donʼt take this advice as a sole resources. Do your research and donʼt settle!
A small company doesn't care about you any more or less than a large company. This is really true. The company (large or small) is not what cares about you; it's the people within that company that care or don't care.
You can come across nice people in large or small organizations. The only difference is that the small company of fewer individuals will have fewer bad people just by virtue of size. Hanger, for example, has over 640 patient care centers and employs 3,500 people! Of course you'll come across some that shouldn't be prosthetists or whose personalities just don't sit well with you.
But the nice thing about large company like Hanger is that with one phone call you can get a new prosthetist. In smaller practices this is almost impossible. They usually stay away from seeing other practitioner's patients, they talk about patients among themselves and might justify substandard behavior to avoid rocking the boat.
Owners of smaller practices will do this as well to avoid letting go and replacing this person. There is a cost associated with this that larger companies are better equipped to handle. And I bet you that if a few people complain about the same practitioner (in a large corporation) he or she will be fired shortly.
Guess what....large and small companies are both all about the money. We are all about the money. We all want to make more money and have a better life. The difference between large and small companies is that small companies may nickel and dime you because they don't have budgets like large companies.
Also, the owner is usually one of the prosthetists or is nearby watching everyone like a hawk. Decisions will often be based on money, not your well being because he or she needs to make payroll! Larger corporations don't have this issue. When they are concerned about making payroll they have other options (like lines of credit) to assist them. Patients are not the place where they cut corners!
This is true but the difference is -- if you complain to owner of the small company he will make the decision that will most likely financially benefit him/her. Whether that is to keep you happy as a patient because he wants your business or stand up for his employee because they can't afford the replacement.
And while large corporation's CEOs don't know who you are, they can be reached via letter, email or even phone. And let me tell you, if you notify the CEO of a large corporation about one of their employees failing to do the job to a point where he/she has to get involved -- I guarantee you a decision will be made to make sure you are taken care of. Please don't take this too far and call the CEO for every little thing! In large corporations there is a clearly defined ladder you can follow that will ensure your needs are met!
Beside these myths, here are couple other things to think about:
1. Bigger Buying Power - Larger corporations usually have more buying power, better discounts and faster turnaround.
2. Corporate obligations and responsibility - Large corporations can't 'fly under the radar' with unacceptable activities. If this ever happens it is usually accidental and they will rectify the situation immediately. They want to stay away from any kind of bad press so everything is done by the book!
3. Convenience - Large corporations like Hanger have a large number of offices across the country and all of their staff goes through the same training program. So when I am traveling it doesn't matter where I am, if I have an issue, I can contact nearest Hanger office, arrange for them to see me and correct the issue as soon as possible. Because they are all connected, the new prosthetics will have all of my information, will usually chat with my local prosthetist to understand me and my needs and upon completion, he will be updated with the work that was done.
4. Technological Advances - The O&P field in general is always technologically lagging. When dealing with smaller practices, they are just not capable of having access to technology and research and development departments like large corporations. The money is just not there.
5. Hours of operation - Smaller practices generally can't provide 24/7 support and any after hours issues will have to be resolved the next business day or at the next available appointment. Larger corporations have 24/7 support and a practitioner on call who is there to take care of your needs immediately. If you have to make an appointment to go into the office, they are usually more flexible as they have more practitioners to work with. Be careful of those practices that say they have 24/7 support, when in fact owner is getting the call and needs to stop his Sunday dinner to come see you. My guess is his/her answer will likely be skewed by what is happening at the time versus what your needs are.
