“We find the best solution for our customers”

Patients are customers that require quality – when it comes to the consultation, treatment and product. This is the philosophy of Orthosanit, a family-run business in Turin, Italy. In the discerning market of self-payers, the owners are valued for their specialist knowledge, active networking and high-quality solutions even in acute cases.

“Just put your finger on the pump and press the release valve button on the outside of the shell. That’s how you can control the air cushioning and adapt the brace to the swelling,” says Davide De Martinis, explaining the AirLoc’s function to his acute patient. Shortly after, this patient can safely walk out of the medical retail store in Turin wearing the ankle brace in his shoe, protected from painful movements and twisting. “No patient leaves the store without having unpacked the product. We always offer comprehensive advice and instructions on how to use it. Our objective is to offer an all-encompassing consultation. We rely on top quality for our products,” says Davide’s father, Michele De Martinis, Managing Director at Officina Ortopedica ORTHOSANIT. He has been following this motto since he established the orthopedic medical supply retail store 50 years ago at Corso Monte Grappa 50, west of the city center. It all started out on 19 square meters with two windows, but Michele De Martinis consistently developed it further over the years with his wife, Rosy. The next generation, Davide and Francesca, has been involved in the family-run business since 2010. After many expansions, the Orthosanit premises now cover about 1,000 square meters on two floors. A prosthetics laboratory is connected to the retail area on the ground floor. Upstairs, there is space alongside offices to conduct posture and movement analyses and to make plaster casts. The orthopedic workshop is accessed via the inner courtyard.

Networking to raise awareness

Orthosanit is the port of call for patients from all parts of the city and the surrounding area. The medical retailer is well-known among hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physicians and physical therapists for their excellent cooperation when it comes to medical care and valuable exchange of ideas, for example at conferences, where Michele De Martinis shares his insights gained as an orthotist. At the moment, he is also the President of CIDOS, a Piedmontese association to promote networks in the industry, with a focus on high-quality products and services. In some cases, Orthosanit also supports the discharge management of hospitals if follow-up care with medical aids is required for rehabilitation. Generally, patients visit the medical retailer on the recommendation of their physician. “The physician either specifies a certain product for the indication or the general product group which we use to find the best solution for the patient,” Davide De Martinis explains. “This is where our consultation services start because the Italian health system does not reimburse patients for medical aids, not even in acute care. Patients have to bear the costs themselves. So they’re all the more interested in finding out how a product works, which benefits it has, and what kind of quality it is.”

From individual requests to recommendations

Prescribing physicians are also interested in top quality to ensure therapeutic reliability and compliance. “That’s how we found out about Bauerfeind and the AirLoc about 15 years ago,” Michele De Martinis recalls. A customer who was diagnosed in the emergency department of the nearby Martini Hospital visited Orthosanit with a product request on the recommendation of his physician. De Martinis and his employees familiarized themselves with the ankle brace and have been convinced by its protective function and excellent comfort ever since. When worn in shoes, the slim brace provides patients with the required stability and confidence to continue being active without having to worry despite the injury. The orthotist adds: “During acute ankle care, quick and ideally low-pain treatment is key. Compared with similar products, the new AirLoc generation offers even more significant benefits.” The level of compression as well as the fit of the brace can be usefully adjusted to the ankle’s degree of swelling using the integrated pump and release valve. The inner foam lining with a soft microfiber top cover ensures that the brace is comfortable to wear. This has also been confirmed by the exclusively positive feedback of De Martinis’ patients. 

We regularly visit hospitals and rehabilitation centers in the area to present new product solutions to specialists. They can then ask questions and really get to know these innovations to ensure they can include them in their treatment decisions where appropriate. This brought the AirLoc back to the specialists’ minds.” The new generation has a practical universal size, which guarantees a high level of supply reliability. The anatomically contoured brace can equally be worn on the right or left foot. It adapts to the individual foot width thanks to its elastic connection under the heel bone. “We can treat every patient right away. And we save storage space, which is always limited anyway. If needed, Bauerfeind’s quick delivery service also ensures that we can get the AirLoc within one day from Germany,” Davide De Martinis adds.

Solutions for a quality-conscious client base

The close cooperation between the two family-run businesses Bauerfeind and Orthosanit has existed for more than 15 years. “We often recommend the brand. Younger customers in particular who have an active lifestyle are very quality-conscious and want premium solutions,” Michele De Martinis explains. Orthosanit therefore also provides patients with other Bauerfeind braces in addition to the AirLoc, such as the LumboLoc, LordoLoc or Spinova Osteo for the spine, or with supports from the tried-and-tested Train range. De Martinis’ daughter, Francesca, is convinced: “We can offer our patients the best solutions. We have the experience, excellent products and a network of healthcare facilities that my father has been building with a lot of commitment.
I’m really proud of that.”

Images: Bauerfeind, Udo Schönewald