A Letter From The President, Jeff Collins

2016 was the year of transition for Cascade.  In March, we reorganized the company to strengthen our support departments and integrate our newly acquired Canadian operations.   Company-wide, significant resources have been added to scale for growth, including additional sales territory coverage, inside sales, and a dedicated clinical services manager.  Along with this growth, we also recognize our organizational maturity, celebrating the retirement of Dave Campbell, VP, COO, and his thirty-five years of service.

Product offerings continued to expand, with Steeper, Regal, North Sea, TurboMed, New Limbits, and Click Medical joining our offerings in 2016 and APEX, M2, and Clubfoot Solutions launching in 2017. Expanded product lines from existing suppliers continue to broaden and provide our customers with the latest clinical options.

This past year, significant investments were made to improve our information technology infrastructure and support. We now have tools for business intelligence and analytics that help us understand where we need to focus and give us the ability to respond sooner to changes, challenges and opportunities. These investments also help support our integrated partners; from our own website www.cascade-usa.com, to our interfaces with OPIE and Medflex, to our integrations with our customers.  A new facility in Dallas, expanded facilities in Chico and Lancaster, and improved operations in Bedford Park have also paired nicely with these improvements, refining our logistical process.

In 2017, we are proud to be your partner.

Outside of the organization, the O&P landscape is also changing.  In late 2016, a new contract for RAC audits was awarded for a new national contractor, under new guidance from CMS. The LCD issued in 2015 was rescinded, but looms as we wait for a government to evaluate the science and refine the recommendations. Legislative initiatives (largely contained in Senate Bill S.829) with primary goals of making prosthetist notes part of the medical record, separating O&P from DME, and restricting payment to qualified providers, had its best chance in some time of succeeding this year.   But a last minute final no-cost score from the CBO, along with post-election chaos proved too much of a challenge to get this legislation across the finish line.

We move into the New Year on a solid operational footing, with many opportunities and many unknowns.  We move forward with our mission in mind; to provide superior value and support on the products that we source and the services we provide.  In 2017, we will embody the vision of becoming the leading and most comprehensive supplier of prosthetic, orthotic and related supplies and services, for certified, independent providers of O&P care in North America.

I look forward to working with our team, our customers, and our suppliers to continue to meet the needs of this dynamic industry, and appreciate the support, dedication and passion shared by all in this pursuit. In 2017, we are proud to be your partner.

Jeff Collins, CPA

President