ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS MAKERS
Pricing, Fittings and Cash in Orthotics and Prosthetics Units
A family arrives on a surgeon's referral for a custom limb, the workshop takes measurements, and over several fittings the job drifts. The technician re-casts twice, the material costs more than quoted, and the final payment sits on the family's next visit. Nobody has added up what the job actually cost.
Our help is in costing each job honestly, plan fittings and workshop hours, manage materials, and collect payment at the right moments. We do not advise on device design, fitting technique or clinical suitability. Your prosthetist-orthotist and the surgeon decide those, under the relevant council.
Discuss your priorities ↗COMMON CHALLENGES
The pressures
we often see.
- 01Each device is custom, so two similar jobs take very different hours, and quotes made by feel leave the workshop absorbing re-casts and extra fittings.
- 02Fitting visits are booked ad hoc, and a technician waiting for a patient who does not arrive costs more than the workshop usually counts.
- 03Materials such as thermoplastics, carbon, liners, knee joints and feet are bought in batches, with expensive items sitting unused or being ordered in a hurry.
- 04Surgeon and hospital referrals are the main source of work, but the owner rarely records who sends what, or how long their payments take.
- 05Government scheme, NGO and insurer-supported jobs are paid late and in parts, and the workshop funds the gap from its own cash.
OUR FOCUS AREAS
Where the work
usually starts.
- 01A job card that records measured hours, material issued, re-casts, and fitting visits, closed with a final cost.
- 02The quote-versus-actual comparison on the last fifteen jobs, by device type.
- 03A fitting calendar that blocks technician and clinic time, with a confirmation call the day before.
- 04Material stock by item, reorder point, supplier lead time and the last price paid.
- 05Referral sources by surgeon, hospital or NGO, with jobs sent, amounts and days to payment.
- 06Instalment and advance rules for private patients, written so the family sees them at the first visit.
- 07Scheme and sponsor receivables, aged, with the paperwork status against each.
- 08Workshop roles: who measures, who fabricates, who fits, and who signs off before delivery.
START THIS WEEK
Things you can do
before you call anyone.
- Pick three finished jobs and write down every hour and material that went into each, including re-casts. Compare the total with what you charged. The gap tells you whether your quotes are guesses.
- Call the five referrers who send you the most work and ask how they would like to be told when a device is ready. Write the answers and set up one routine for all of them.
- Hypothetical example: a below-knee job quoted at ₹40,000 uses ₹16,000 of material and 30 technician hours. If those hours cost ₹300 each, labour is ₹9,000 and re-casts have not been counted yet.
A PRACTICAL ENGAGEMENT
Start with the priorities
that matter most.
We begin by understanding how your business runs today, find the gaps, and agree the scope in writing. Recommendations are shaped around your team, your resources and your goals.
- A job costing sheet with hours, materials, re-work and a margin line.
- A fitting schedule template with technician, room and reminder fields.
- A material reorder sheet with minimum stock and preferred suppliers.
- A receivables tracker for private, scheme and sponsor-funded jobs, reviewed weekly.
Not the right fit when: A device that failed or hurt a patient, or a question on standards and registration, belongs with your council, your insurer and possibly a lawyer. Sort that out before costing jobs.
Explore a business audit ↗LET’S MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
