Choosing Your Prosthetic Provider: You have a choice

After an amputation surgery, there’s a lot to process. Between grieving over the loss you’ve just encountered, physical healing and planning for the future, choosing a prosthetic provider can feel like just one more decision on an already overwhelming list. But it is very important to remember you don’t have to choose the first prosthetic facility you’re introduced to at the hospital. You deserve to work with the best fit for you.

Hospitals often connect patients with prosthetic providers that they are contracted with, and that can sometimes be a helpful starting point. However, there are other, often better options. You deserve the right to explore your choices, ask questions, and find a prosthetist who makes you feel comfortable, supported, and confident in your care.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of providers out there who are more interested in getting you into a prosthesis and getting paid than they are in the ongoing care needed to truly make your prosthesis a positive part of your everyday life. A good prosthetic relationship not only gets you quickly fit and ambulatory, it also includes ongoing training, coordination with therapy and your doctor, adjustments, education and support as your needs change over time. A provider who is focused on all of this can make a meaningful difference in your experience. So, too, can peers – amputees who have made this journey before you. They can often add valuable insight and perspective and help you feel confident in your choice.

Our advice? Take a breath, ask questions, and learn about your options. Consider consulting multiple providers and asking them what typical appointment times look like, what you can expect in the first visit, and what a long term course of care might look like. Consider how the answers you receive match what you want in a long-term, trusting relationship. 

And if you decide that that means going with a provider who will be committed to helping you reach your long term goals, let us do the work for you.