Foot orthoses

Producing quality while maintaining cost efficiency

Wide range of applications for Bodytronic ID:CAM

From Bauerfeind Life Magazin on 17.06.2020

Story Check Bodytronic ID:CAM allows orthotists to quickly treat customers with personalized custom-made foot orthoses, while also maintaining cost efficiency. Its users summarize:

  • “Boundaries are shifting – technically and economically,” Tino Sprekelmeyer, Sprekelmeyer GmbH Orthopädie-Schuhtechnik
  • “I particularly appreciate the reproducibility,” Andreas Hempel, Hempel GesundheitsPartner GmbH Berlin
  • “It’s simply much quicker,” Martin Roth, Schuhorthopädie Roth GmbH

The Bodytronic ID:CAM web application is a modern and adaptable tool for orthotists modeling customized milled orthoses. It offers a wide spectrum of design options, reproducible results and significant savings potential – three users report on their practical experiences in life.

“We treat skew feet , flat feet and splay feet , and we create heel lifts with all sorts of designs. It works brilliantly,” says Martin Roth, Managing Director of Schuhorthopädie Roth GmbH.

We use Bodytronic ID:CAM every day. We’ve been using it since its launch in 2016 to make customized milled orthoses. With its predecessor software GloboCAD, too, we had many years of experience. And as a Bauerfeind Quality Partner, we were involved in its further development ,” says Tino Sprekelmeyer, Managing Director of Sprekelmeyer GmbH Orthopädie-Schuhtechnik und Sanitätshaus, an orthotist and medical supply retailer. At his locations in Osnabrück and Hagen am Teutoburger Wald, he mainly treats children, athletes and osteoarthritis patients with orthopedic shoes and foot orthoses. “Of course, we cover the entire range of indications, but we have developed a specialist focus,” Tino Sprekelmeyer explains, who is the third generation to run the long-established company and currently makes more than 200 pairs of foot orthoses per month with his 24 employees.
“More than two thirds of those are milled orthoses, because that is the most personalized way to treat patients.” He also uses Bodytronic ID:CAM to support the modeling process. “During everyday work, this system is like a practical , digital tool box for me. And thanks to its further development into a web application, I can now use it on any computer with internet access, without being tied to a specific location.”

Options for any requirement

The transfer of the measurement data – whether from a 2D foot scan or 3D digitization of foam imprints – is very simple, thanks to the appropriate interfaces. When modeling a foot orthosis, Tino Sprekelmeyer uses the model and module library, as needed, where elements can be freely modified to create the required topography. The modifications include arch supports, different pads or available intarsia as well as the almost infinitely variable range of soft cushioning materials.
“Using predesigns makes modeling foot orthoses with the Bodytronic ID:CAM easier and quicker. We’ve saved Bauerfeind templates with our own input for commonly recurring indications in the library, meaning they’re always at our fingertips,” Tino Sprekelmeyer explains. The fact that the software cannot replace the user’s professional expertise is important for the expert orthotist to point out: “Of course, in the end, every foot orthosis is only as effective as the model created in the program based on professional
know-how. But the web application does help with various profiles.” From the “Basic” module for the easy configuration of less customized foot orthoses using ready-made macros, to the “Professional” mode in which all parameters can be set by the user: different patients can be supplied with varying effort in a reproducible way. The “Advanced” profile also offers users the option to include feedback from Bauerfeind technicians. Tino Sprekelmeyer summarizes: “You could say: Bodytronic ID:CAM helps shift the boundaries of digital modeling. I also save costs by using the extended Bauerfeind workbench. That means we can produce customized foot orthoses that comply with high quality standards, while also maintaining cost-efficiency.”

All data available at all times

“Thanks to its further development into a web application, I can now use the Bodytronic ID:CAM on any computer with internet access, without being tied to a specific location,” says Tino Sprekelmeyer, Managing Director of Sprekelmeyer GmbH Orthopädie-Schuhtechnik und Sanitätshaus.

“In my opinion, the 100 per cent reproducibility of the foot orthosis is the biggest advantage of the web application,” says Andreas Hempel , Managing Director of Hempel GesundheitsPartner GmbH in Berlin. “All the saved data is available at all times for subsequent treatment. For the same foot condition, we can produce identical foot cushioning with the right quality at the push of a button.” This is a huge advantage for patients as well as for the company that , with 18 locations in the greater Berlin area and a total of 200 interdisciplinary employees, offers a wide service portfolio and high degree of specialization in the individual specialist fields. He demands a lot of commitment , speed and, most importantly, reliability not only from his team but also from the products he makes for his customers – this includes more than 100 milled orthoses per month. “We’ve been working with the Bodytronic ID:CAM for about two years, and for more than one year, we’ve been using the diabetes module for about 10 per cent of our foot orthoses,” Andreas Hempel says, explaining that , based on the scanned foam imprint , they are producing individually modeled foot orthosis base layers as a foundation for diabetes-adapted foot cushioning. Together with the relevant cushion layer and a top cover, the expert orthotists can precisely adapt the foot orthoses to patients’ needs. Andreas Hempel and his sister Sonja are the fourth generation to run the family business. When the maintenance costs of their own milling system became too expensive, they decided to outsource the milling to Bauerfeind and to digitalize the modeling of foot orthoses.

No need to search the warehouse

The fact that Hempel’s specialists now use electronic lasts as a foundation, also saves a lot of storage space, compared with the previous use of wooden or casting lasts, and makes work much easier. Andreas Hempel: “It’s immediately available for subsequent treatments, and you don’t have to go searching in the warehouse among many other kinds of lasts. Thanks to the technology, we are also able to make changes more quickly and don’t have to go to the machine first.” He also sees advantages when documenting invoices for the payers. The last data record can be created digitally and provided to the payer quickly. The web application doesn’t just make the work in an orthotist company easier. The treatment process is now also faster and cleaner for patients, because plaster cast impressions can be avoided in most cases. Much to their appreciation, reports Andreas Hempel: “We win patients over with compelling product quality and speed. Our customers are simply amazed by the digital opportunities.”

No-risk introduction

“In my opinion, the 100 per cent reproducibility of the foot orthosis is the biggest advantage of the web application,” highlights Andreas Hempel , Managing Director of Hempel GesundheitsPartner GmbH.

Irrespective of the size of the company or number of branches, the Bodytronic ID:CAM can be used in various ways as an online solution and is suitable for orthotists with all kinds of specializations and range. Schuhorthopädie Roth GmbH in Oberasbach, Franconia, also relies on the web application. “We use milled foot orthoses for most indications. With Bodytronic ID:CAM, we can, for example, perfectly model the base layers for diabetes-adapted foot cushioning.
We treat skew feet , flat feet and splay feet , and we create heel lifts with all sorts of designs. It works brilliantly. We integrate everything via the application and have it milled as we need it. The milled orthoses will then turn out exactly as planned. In the end, the final fine tuning that we take care of is fitting them into the shoes,” explains Martin Roth, Managing Director of Schuhorthopädie Roth GmbH since the beginning of the year. With his 25 employees, he has specialized in the provision of foot orthoses and special shoes as well as supports and compression stockings. Like Tino Sprekelmeyer and Andreas Hempel , he is leading a traditional company into modern times.

Three profiles for different manufacturing levels

Different profiles allow users to select the level of interaction when modeling milled orthoses.

Basic*:
Transfer of required customer data and some minimum specifications. Bauerfeind carries out the rest of the process, from modeling through to manufacturing of the customized milled orthoses.

Advanced:
Modeling based on customer data using a range of predefined basic models (predesigns) that can be modified as required. Bauerfeind manufactures the customized milled orthoses after carrying out a check.

Professional:
Modeling based on customer data using a range of predefined basic models (predesigns) that can be modified as required. Bauerfeind manufactures the customized milled orthoses without checking them beforehand.

* The “Basic” profile is not available in the “Foot orthoses adapted for people with diabetes” category.

Quick induction

Thanks to the intuitive operation of the web application and training provided by the Bauerfeind field sales team, the introduction of the Bodytronic ID:CAM was quick and without any difficulty. “Of course, if requested, we still manufacture products layer by layer – some older patients don’t want to break with their habits. But we now use the software solution for the majority of products,” Martin Roth says. He adds: “It delivers premium, reproducible quality. If customers were happy with their foot orthoses, I can make exactly the same again. Our customers’ response is really positive. They are pleased with modern technology, and this gives us additional encouragement.”
Currently, the company models about 150 milled orthoses per week. “It’s not much more than before but it’s certainly easier,” Martin Roth highlights. “Rather than having to go through storage for everything, we’re getting the picked goods just-in-time. That saves a lot of money because I don’t have to store shoe size 34 a hundred times. I receive what I need.” And thanks to quick delivery times – currently 48 hours for conventional milled orthoses – this is much easier and quicker than before.

Starting without an investment risk

Another aspect is pivotal for Martin Roth: using the free web application. He was able to find out about the functionality himself, without any risk: “We didn’t have to invest anything, except in a graphics card for the PC, to be able to use the 3D data more effectively. If our tests hadn’t gone well , we would no longer use this tool.”
But he’s convinced of the powerful program as well as of the advantages of Bauerfeind milling foot orthoses: “It works, so I continue to order.“†

Made-to-measure quality

The Bodytronic ID:CAM system solution creates benefits for providers and patients by offering digital precision and versatile design options, combined with excellent specialist advice and practical experience provided by qualified personnel. For each new product , the user takes into account the current foot status and can compare treatments based on data stored in the system, ensuring optimized quality that satisfies the highest professional requirements.

Link to the web application:
idcamrev2.bauerfeind.com

Images: Bauerfeind, Steffi Behrmann, Andreas Wetzel

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