PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Building a Tower of Understanding Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP, leads efforts to investigate O&P outcomes and devices to inform clinical decisions and benefit individual patients
O&P Almanac introduces individuals who have undertaken O&P-focused research projects. Here, you will get to know colleagues and healthcare professionals who have carried out studies and gathered quantitative and/ or qualitative data related to orthotics and prosthetics, and find out what it takes to become an O&P researcher.
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APRIL 2022 | O&P ALMANAC
NEW STUDY ON PROSTHETIC
feet provides important information for prosthetists across the United States, and could prove consequential for reimbursement purposes. Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP, a director of clinical and scientific affairs at Hanger, worked with a team to study the outcomes associated with some prosthetic feet after the Pricing, Data Analysis, and Coding (PDAC) reclassified several devices. “The recent decisions by PDAC to categorize feet based on the presence or absence of distinct mechanical features, rather than observed performance and outcomes, has really impacted the field,” explains Stevens. “The result has been a reversion of sorts to taller, heavier feet that satisfied the PDAC requirement.” Team members examined the outcomes data to determine if the trends they saw in mobility correlated to features or functionality. Specifically, they studied L5987 feet that retained that coding profile, L5987 feet that were reclassified as L5981 feet, legacy L5981 feet, and L5987 feet that were never submitted to PDAC. This landmark study is one of many undertaken by Stevens and his colleagues to take a closer look at important O&P topics. As an associate
within the Hanger Institute for Clinical Research and Education, Stevens develops evidence-based clinical programs designed to help patients improve their orthotic and prosthetic outcomes. In collaboration with his associates, he is involved in outcomes implementation, groundbreaking research studies, and the establishment of Clinical Practice Guidelines and national standards of care. His interest in research dates back to his early days as a clinician—when he first sought to better understand why certain O&P devices are appropriate for specific patients.
Solving Clinical Problems
For Stevens, O&P research is key to improving clinical skills—and ultimately, patient outcomes. “Especially as a young clinician, I didn’t feel my experience was enough to provide the best care for my patients,” he recalls. “I saw research and literature as a way to augment my limited experience.” Stevens, who graduated from the University of Washington’s O&P program, performed his first systematic review shortly after he finished his first round of board exams. “I remember being very frustrated with one of the
PHOTO: Hanger Clinic
Phil Stevens, MEd, CPO, FAAOP, presents at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists.
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