Cost of Custom Orthotics

Members do not see these Ads. Sign Up.

How much do you charge for a pair of custom foot orthotics?

The infamous Parish and Bell thread started me looking into how much I charge patients for a pair of custom foot orthotics.

This thread is a little more appropriate to UK clinicians as the fabrication costs seem to be a little more expensive here than in the states(?)

I have read the other threads related to this and they seem to be concerned about how much it is worth as opposed to what we charge as an average.

Just to start us off, I charge £165 for a pair of custom foot orthotics.(sharp inhalation!) This is regardless of the adaptations, additions, covers and prescription variables attached. Although I have no standard prescription, a typical orthotic would have posting, skives, forefoot extensions, Spenco top cover and perhaps a Mortons extension.

The cost of whatever the capture method is factored into their assessment appointment time so is not charged for seperately (although there are exceptions). The orthotics cost, to me, on average, £105 to have fabricated. Allowing for postage/packaging costs, plaster/foambox costs(some companies cover these costs) and swifter turnaround times(occaisionally required), return for adaptation costs and associated postage, I would have thought that £115-£125would be the average cost to me to produce those devices.

I charge 25% less on subsequent pairs that the patient may wish to purchase so on occasion, I earn no mark up from the orthoses. The rest of the time, a mark up of 25% is the norm. Including clinical time costs, the average cost to the patient for assessment, foot capture and fabrication of orthotics and fitting appointment is approximately £275

I think that £165 sounds like a lot of money to charge a patient for orthotics but when I break down the costs, I'm not making much. The NHS work I do is a contracted service from a private company and I would say the average cost of custom orthotics (similar to the above typical orthotics) from them is £250-£300. Therefore, the companies that I use privately are very competitively priced.

I understand that there is no price to pain relief and all the moral arguements that go with it. I also understand that it depends on how much I value my own expertise. But, I want brass tacks here - what is a reasonable amount to charge for custom foot orthotics?

Regards,

Robin

 

Hi Robin
I think you will find that the cost of the orthoses produced for your NHS patients is the same as your costs privately, the contracted company then puts a 'mark-up' on the cost to the NHS

 

If you are providing good quality custom orthoses and alleviating your patient's symptoms then you are correct - you are not making much and underselling your clinical services to the patient - even at £250. Typically, I charge an inclusive fee of between £470 and £780 depending on the orthotic type/cost - and this includes initial assesment, gait/video analysis, casting, supply and two follow-up consults.

 

I tend to agree with Mark on this and rarely sell orthotics but include them as a part of the charge in the total service, emphasising to the patient that the greater benefit comes from the hands on work, from which they are usually benefitting before the orthoses arrive for fitting anyway.

I do suspect that in the not too distant future podiatrist relying on good profit from orthosis supply alone may be disappointed

Ian

 

Here in Florida, USA, the average charge for orthotics is @375 dollars. If insurance covers it, they reimburse about 180 dollars. Many patients here are on managed care and the Podiatrists get paid a mere 50 dollars total to do the biomechanical exam, casting and dispense the orthotics.

We now have Dr. Scholls offering custom fitted orthotics for 49 dollars at Pharmacies.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a law that the only healthcare providers that can offer custom orthotics would be Podiatrists/Chiropodists? I for one believe that Podiatrists competent in Biomechanics should charge enough to make a well deserved profit. And if you charge to low, are you not devaluing your service and your product?

Steven

 

I agree Steven, the general public has at least 3 TV's in the house. So they will watch the Dr. Scholls ad and run out to grab a low cost alternative for what the trained doctor has been offering all along. We as healthcare providers are left with the task of cleaning up someone elses mess....Off the shelf orthotics have there place in retail outlets but when will the powers above put a stop to weeding out the need for licensed experts in foot releated treatments???......argh!!!!

 

Steven

Might be interesting to find out how many Podiatrists are actually competent at providing suitable foot orthoses?!

 

Lab guy,

While I empathize with your plight for reasonable reimbursement, I feel your view on who can prescribe foot orthotics is very short sighted. It is not a "profession" thing. Rather, many professions have the skills to evaluate and fabricate bio mechanically sound foot orthotics, it is whether the individual takes this on and wants to create a superior product that will help their client.

I am a physical therapist and educator and when i teach this content to PT students I send them out with the explicit instructions that this is another avenue of practice that they can pursue if they so choose it. It is up to them to decide if they will continue their education with regards to proper evaluation and fabrication of orthotics upon completion of their PT degree.

Regards,
eric

 

Graham, you will find people that are competent and those incompetent in all fields and professions.

Eric, Thank-you for correcting me. I would add Physical Therapists to my list as they are well educated and have an excellent academic foundation to build upon to learn more about biomechanics and orthotics. Here in the USA they are required to attend 3 years of PT school after 4 years of college so they have also made a considerable investment in time and money.

If people are going to make a sizeable investment for orthotics, I believe they should only be available from properly credentialed individuals such as PTs, Podiatrists and Chiropodists.

Pragmatically, when you are investing $200,000 plus in your education and all the years it takes, you do not want stores like the "Good Feet Stores" to be selling orthotics for $300 plus (that are nothing more than a prefab) by an employee that has no background in biomechanics or orthotics. You want your license that you have earned to mean something and help you earn a decent living. You want your license to prevent any Tom, Dick or Harry to open up shop and sell orthotics. Pre-fabs are fine for anyone to sell, not so with true custom orthotics.

Steven