Update : 29th July, 2013.
Dear Member
Update # 05 / 2013.
-
Mike Smith passes on after a long illness.
GEMS – responses forwarded to practices.
COIDA – signed receipt required for all services rendered
Revised ALF tariff list becomes effective from 1st August.
One “News Flash” was circulated since our last Update on 21st June, and this was:
- 24th June = GEMS request for info re o/s 60 day accounts.
Lynette Chapman recovering well:
In our last update we reported on an O&P who was hospitalized after a serious motor accident on
Sunday, 9th June. Now seven weeks later, Lynette Chapman, an O&P at the Steve Biko Hospital
O&P Centre, is on the road to recovery. This week she will be visiting the Dentist and the
Orthopaedic Surgeon and several other specialists. She is now able to walk on her own and look
after herself. Her major problems are the pains caused by her broken left arm, neck and collar bone,
but she is getting stronger everyday and thanks all SAOPA members for their prayers and support.
One of Lynette’s biggest problems is that Insurance does not want to pay out for her motor car, as a
friend was driving and the insurance claim has stalled on the nominated driver clause. The car only
had 22000km on the clock and was valued at R84000, so it is a major concern for her. Lynette hopes
to start some exercise later this week and she is motivated and keen to get back to work, which she
hopes will happen in about two to three weeks time.
Lynette was one of the first two ladies who qualified in O&P in 1978/9, after she started as one of five
ladies in the workshops of Neels Uys (from Kimberley) on the 1st December, 1975. Three of the
group left soon afterwards and Lynette and Rina Ferreira, both from Ermelo, continued with the
course. Lynette qualified in Bloemfontein and Rina in Auckland Park. Show your support for Lynette
and give her a call…….082 439 3985…..she would love to hear from her colleagues.
Jack Ball Award winner Mike Smith passes on:
Mike Smith, aged 80, passed away on Saturday, 6th July, 2013, after a long illness. He started his
training as an Orthotist Prosthetist in 1949 at the old Government artificial limb factory in
Johannesburg. The head of the department at that time was Tommy O'Gorman. In 1960 he joined
Barford Jones in private practice and in 1969 became a partner. During 1975 he was instrumental in
forming the AOPPP together with Mervyn Lieberthal. The first meeting took place at the Protea Hotel
Hillbrow, Johannesburg. The following year the 1st AOPPP congress was held. This formed the
foundation for our ongoing annual congress as we know today. During the following ten years he was
instrumental in the running of the AOPPP and organizing the annual congresses.
He was nominated for the Jack Ball award in recognition for what he had done for the profession and
became the third recipient of the prestigious award in 1989. Mike retired in 1993. He is survived by
his daughter Heather, husband Peter and two daughters. He will be sadly missed.
Many thanks to Ed Coleman who provided the above information and our condolences go to Mikes
family and friends. May his soul rest in peace.
Urgent task for every practitioner:
Every Practitioner, intern, and student, working at a practice, must sign a revised declaration, and the
SAOPA 2013 membership form has had this declaration inserted at the bottom of the form. See
attached. Please sign, per O&P, and send your form to the SAOPA office, before 15th August.
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Revised A&L tariff list applicable from 1st August, 2013:
A&L Management (formerly ALF) has issued version 2013.3 (dated 1 August, 2013) for the
suggested annual Orthotist / Prosthetist Guide to Tariffs for 2013.
There are a number of deleted (3), amended [price changes (357)] & new (145) tariff codes.
This new version is now available on the SAOPA website, under the following heading:
Tariff calculation 2013 Ver2013.3 - 1 August 2013 v1.0
Please note that some funders only use the first version of these codes, effective 1st January, 2013.
GEMS – progress on o/s 60 day accounts:
GEMS indicated that they will assist with the processing of accounts that are over 60 days and we
sent out the news flash on 24th June, whereby we requested members to do the following:
1. Create an Excel template with the header: GEMS claims:
2. Add your practice name and practice number and contact details at the top.
3. Create the following columns: patient name / member number / dependent code (ie 001, 002)
/ date of service / amount outstanding / status of claim.............leave this blank.
4. List all your o/s claims which are 60 days or older.
In response to the News Flash, 42 practices submitted the required templates, which were forwarded
to GEMS for their intervention and response. To date 8 practices have had their templates returned,
listing what action was needed. It has been noted that most of these practices have had most of their
o/s accounts settled, and our grateful thanks are extended to Reginald Sadiki for his assistance.
If your practice is battling with GEMS accounts that are over 60 days, complete the requested
template and email it to SAOPA soonest. It will then be forwarded. Please do not send it direct, but
via the SAOPA office. Responses re info required must also be via the SAOPA office. Please do not
send hard-copies to us, as GEMS has requested that all the info be submitted via email only.
Please note that we have received no further information regarding the GEMS investigation.
COIDA – summary of changes to the CF protocol:
- Prosthetics always requires pre-authorisation.
- Orthotics only needs a doctor’s prescription.
- Acknowledgement of receipt, both for orthotics and prosthetics, is essential (pg 66 of gazette)
- Emergency / urgent repairs can be done, and submitted with a special motivation.
Remember - the only fax number to be used for authorisations / quotations is 012 - 324 8343.
This is a busy line, so if it is down, wait a while and resubmit. Please do not use any other number!!
COIDA payments to O&P practitioners:
- The CF target is to process and pay invoices within 60 days of the service provided to the patient.
- Is the CF is behind in your payments? Please send details to the SAOPA office for us to assist.
FATO Congress 2013 – final request for names:
The FATO Congress of 2013 is to be held in Yamoussoukro, capital city of Cote d'Ivoire, (Ivory
Coast) from 30th September to 5th October, 2013, and we urgently need to finalise the details of the
SA delegation. Mike Barkley and Jacques Swanepoel are confirmed. Who will be joining them?
Are you going? Are you making your own arrangements, or will you be part of the SA tour group?
Please confirm your intentions, per email, by latest 1st August, as FATO need to finalise delegate
numbers, and we need to confirm delegate names & finalise our tour group arrangements and costs.
Even if you have emailed the SAOPA office before, please send another confirmation. Suppliers are
also urged to support the FATO Congress Expo……..contact the SAOPA office for the forms.
Have you tried the customized SAOPA prosthetic folders?
Available in two colours – pink or manilla – at R9-50 per file.
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ISPO SA Congress – 2014:
The first meeting of the organising committee was held at the Westin Hotel on 16 th July and we are
pleased to report that Jonathon de Villiers was elected as chairman of the Organising Committee,
with Micheal Nel the vice-chairman. A committee was formed and possible dates were discussed.
More info to be included in our next issue
Medical Aid news:
Fedhealth:
Mike Barkley and Stanford Slabbert met with a senior official at Fedhealth in Cape Town on 15th July
and a detailed proposal is being drafted to propose a formal working relationship with this medical
aid. Do you have any suggestions or input that should be included in our document. If so, please
email the SAOPA office before 1st August. Any complaints about Fedhealth? Send us the details.
Discovery Health:
Please note that Discovery Health have stated that Dr Comfort shoes are now an exclusion to their
patient benefits. They will not pay for these items. Their website will soon be updated to reflect this
and other new exclusions.
TUT awards ceremony 2013:
Congratulations are extended to the top five B-Tech students from 2003 – 2012 and Prof Toriola
congratulated each of the winners at the recent TUT ceremony, held on 28th May, and prizes were
sponsored by JOS America and presented by Riaan Knight :
1st
Eluan Kuhn
84,2 %
2nd Mike Barkley
83,4 %
rd
3
Jacques Swanepoel 83,2 %
4th
Grant Monaghan
82,4 %
5th
Dorinda Snyman
80,2 %
Eluan Kuhn missed the auspicious occasion because his wife had just given birth to triplets, so
quite a day for Eluan. Congratulations!! Maybe we will get a photo for our next Update?
TUT programme convenor, Mariette Schmidt, announced the following annual TUT awards for 2013:
- Student Representative - Lothian Basson
- Link between students and lecturers to keep the communication channels open.
- Socializer of the Year
- Danny vd Merwe
- Good to have a balance, even as students, therefore TUT encourages social events.
- Cricket trophy
- 2nd year students – 2nd year student & amputee Werner Botes.
- Third years compete against the 2nd years in a cricket event.
- Most involved student and most enthusiastic student - Jacqueline vd Berg
- Sponsored by Orthopaedic Suppliers and presented by Carla Potgieter
- Most improved student - James Mokali
- Chosen on an average performance during the three years
- Sponsored by Knight Medical and presented by Riaan Knight
- Best Academic student - Willem Malan : 77% over the three years.
- Sponsored by OSSUR and presented by David Fourie.
- Best practical student - Adriaan Marais : 77% over the three years
- Sponsored by Otto Bock and presented by Stephen Baard and Zinhle Nkosi
- Best Overall student
- Nicola Jacobs : 73% over the three years.
- Sponsored by Orthomed and presented by Thys Lotter
Mariette noted that it was the first time that the top 3 awards were presented to 3 different individuals.
There were also two awards for the top B-Tech students of 2012, and these were presented by
TUT’s Prof Toriola and Prof Marais:
- Best practical project, sponsored by OSSUR
- Nicolene Smith
- Best overall student, sponsored by Knight Medical
- Eluan Kuhn
Congratulations to all the award winners. Your peers and the O&P profession salute you!!
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Forthcoming major events:
28 August to 1 September, 2013 : WFSICCM Congress – Durban ICC
- World Federation of Societies of Intensive & Critical Care Medicine: www.criticalcare2013.com
18 September to 21 September, 2013 : American World Congress – Orlando, Florida, USA.
- The American O&P Association will host their annual event.
30 September to 5 October, 2013 : FATO Congress – Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire.
- Contact the SAOPA office for all the details. Be part of our first delegation to a FATO event.
28 to 30 October, 2013 : HASA 2013 – Advancing Healthcare together – Cape Town ICC.
- The Hospital Association of SA will host this event: www.conferencehasa.co.za
7 to 9 November, 2013 : ACSA Disability Trade & Lifestyle Expo – Expo Centre, Nasrec, JHB.
- SAOPA will have a stand at the Expo.
13 to 16 May, 2014 : OTWORLD - Orthopädie + Reha-Technik 2014 – Leipzig ICC, Germany.
- World Congress and International Trade Fair, OTWorld: setting standards the world over.
May 2014 - taking place for the eighth time at the Leipzig Fair and Exhibition Centre, OTWorld
encompasses the World Congress and the leading world trade fair for prosthetics, orthotics,
orthopaedic footwear technology, compression therapy and technical rehabilitation. Some 300
speakers from 30 countries and over 500 exhibitors from some 40 countries will present new
products, developments and trends. The interdisciplinary dialogue will generate creative ideas, which
will improve the long-term quality of life of innumerable people.
"OTWorld can boast an impressive record; for years it has been, quite simply, the major venue for the
sector, both within and outside Germany. As a result of the linking of the trade fair and congress,
OTWorld offers a unique interface between theory and practice," explains Klaus-Jürgen Lotz,
President of the German Association of Orthopaedic Technology (Bundesinnungsverband für
Orthopädie-Technik).
Martin Buhl-Wagner, Spokesperson for the Executive Board at Leipziger Messe adds: "With the
highest levels of international participation, OTWorld is a real highlight in the calendar of events at
the Leipzig Fair and Exhibition Centre. The sector's innovative creativity never ceases to fascinate,
and I am confident that the technicians and craftsmen, scientists and representatives of industry will
arrive in Leipzig in 2014, carrying a host of new developments in their luggage."
For more information on any of the above events, and/or to be part of any possible SAOPA and/or
ISPO SA tour groups, please email the office.
Etana Professional Indemnity Insurance scheme for SAOPA members:
Our Etana policy is administered by CFP Brokers cc, and your contact person is Kristy Carr:
w) 011 – 794 8166.
cell) 082 330 5829
fax) 086 – 553 5547.
email) [email protected]
Please immediately notify Kristy, in writing, of any potential claim or complaint or HPCSA complaint
that might arise. Remember that an important condition of our Etana policy is that timeous notification
of any incident is crucial. If in doubt, contact Kristy, or the office. Never respond directly to HPCSA.
SAOPA stock items: email your orders to the office: [email protected]
SAOPA prosthetic carry bags : AK bags = R135-00 and BK bags = R125-00 + postage.
SAOPA prosthetic arm carry bags : dark blue or stone colour = R110-00 + postage.
SAOPA prosthetic patient folders : R9-50 each + postage. Pink or manilla / buff.
eCPD credits : Minimum purchase of 10 credits at R43-00 per credit.
Have you considered issuing patients with customized SAOPA prosthetic carry-bags?
Available in two colours – navy or stone.
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Latest SAOPA membership news for 2013:
To date, 128 practices have paid and their SAOPA CD’s have been delivered to them. Of these, 23
have still not submitted their signed and completed 2013 membership forms. Remember, your
website access codes will only be activated once your form has been received. No form, no access!
In the previous Update of 21st June, every practitioner was requested to sign the new declaration on
our 2013 membership form, and return it by 25th July. To date, only 42 members have returned their
forms. Please, sign the attached declaration and return it before 15th August.
We extend a warm welcome to two new practices:
- Sisonke Mgqibisi-Badashe Medical O&P is based in Mdantsane, East London, and she
joined us from 1st July, after having opened her practice in May, 2013.
- N.P. Madihlaba O&P is based in Polokwane. Ntweng Polycapus Madihlaba worked at the
Polokwane Provincial hospital for two years and he starts his practice from 1st August.
The following two practitioners have joined our listed practices:
- Genevieve Joubert has joined Jayson Chin and Associates in Cape Town.
- Hennie Lourens has joined Gerrit Ferreira in Rooseveltpark, JHB.
6 x positions for qualified O&P – check out these great opportunities:
Advert 1 = Grant Monaghan O&P is looking for a young O&P at his Johannesburg practice. Must
be motivated and dynamic and available to start soonest. Contact Grant at 011 – 803 6649 or email
your CV to [email protected] or [email protected]
Advert 2 = Therese Grobler needs an O&P to work at her practice in Middelburg. This is a full-time
position, under the supervision of an O&P. Students or young qualified O&P are welcome to
apply. Please forward your CV to: [email protected] or send it to SAOPA.
Advert 3 = Anton Kemp needs a qualified Orthotist & Prosthetist at his Bloemfontein branch.
Prospective candidates can email their CV to [email protected]
Advert 4 = Jeremy Kriek & Son needs a qualified O&P, at their Durban practice. Male or female,
for Full-time position, to start asap. To work alongside the O&P owner. TUT qualification results will
be required, plus CV. Please send CV’s to [email protected]
Advert 5 = Riaan Knight O&P has a Partnership opportunity in Port Elizabeth. Ideally a young and
qualified O&P, no capital input required. Please forward your detailed CV to: [email protected]
or [email protected]
Advert 6 = Jose de Barros needs a qualified O&P at his practice in Cape Gate, Cape Town, to start
soonest. Prospective candidates must have a keen interest in orthotics. Please email applications to
[email protected]
Young O&P seeks employment:
Bianca Daly is a young qualified O&P seeking employment in the Johannesburg or Pretoria area.
Email the office to request her CV. Alternatively, email Bianca directly: [email protected]
Internship requested:
Do you have an opening for an intern in the Gauteng area, either from now, July 2013, or from
January 2014? Any help will be appreciated. Email the SAOPA office with the details.
SASCA membership drive:
The Southern African Spinal Cord Association (SASCA) is a professional organization whose aim is
the study of all problems concerning traumatic and non-traumatic afflictions of the spinal cord. In
order to grow and enhance their knowledge it is important for their association to have members
working with spinal cord injured people so they can exchange ideas and network with like-minded
professionals. SASCA are on a membership drive. If interested, email [email protected] or
contact the SAOPA office.
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Amputee Cyclist - www.helgardmuller.com
Many wonderful amputees do great things and all amputees are an inspiration to our profession. We
recently heard about the plans of Helgard Muller, and he will soon be embarking on quite an
adventure, as per the attached article. If he will be in your area, why not offer some support and
maybe get some your amputee patients to ride a short distance with him, when he is nearby?
Amputee Support Group – ASG:
If you know of an amputee who needs moral support, or who needs to talk to another amputee,
please contact the ASG National Administrator, Peter Morris on 041 – 581 6883 or his new cell
number 079 895 0968 or email him: [email protected] Alternatively, contact the SAOPA office.
New contact people are needed for the different areas and if you know of an amputee who might be
interested in assisting with new amputees, please email the details to the SAOPA office. Why not get
one of your patients to run an ASG group within your own practice? Call Stanford to discuss the
various possibilities.
We need to assist new amputees to adjust to their new situation, and ensure that they overcome the
initial depression that sets in. Please consider using the ASG concept to assist your new patients.
Together, we can all do more!!
National Office: Telephone = 041 - 581 7390. Fax = 088 - 041 - 581 7390.
There are two new features in this Update, the calendar of major events, and the feature of an
amputee. Are they helpful, and should they be continued in future issues? Please let us know.
Do you have specific Medical Aid issues that we can assist with? Are there any problems that need
to be resolved? Illegal practices, unethical or unregistered people working within our O&P scope of
practice? Send an email to the office with all the details and let‘s work together to resolve issues.
Our next issue will be circulated mid August. Please send us your news or suggestions for articles.
Take care
Allan Oates
Chairman
082 320 3946
Stanford Slabbert
Administrator
082 9900 907
Attachment x 2 : - Revised SAOPA membership form
- Amputee cyclist – Helgard Muller
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