2. everyday work & motivation
What does a typical day at your medical supply store look like?
No two days are the same.
It's easier to describe a week. I attend orthopaedic consultations at the SPC to create interdisciplinary aid concepts. I carry out fittings in the field of rehabilitation technology and orthopaedic technology at our clinic.
I have various meetings, be it with our development department to find special solutions or with department heads to be in harmony and exchange ideas. I also take care of the exchange with the health insurance companies, as unfortunately not everything runs so smoothly in the approval process. I also support the parents, who actually need their energy for other things.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
Realizing concepts that work, being able to help patients and being able to pass on the appreciative thanks to the workshops.
I love the challenge of my job.
What is particularly challenging on a day-to-day basis?
There are so many ideas and needs. The bureaucracy and the approval procedures with the health insurance companies are very stressful. Parents, therapists, doctors and technicians naturally also have their own approaches. Getting them all under one roof and reconciling them is a huge amount of work.
Is there a situation that stays with you to this day?
"Louisa met you in neonatology before Grandma did" - that's what a mother said to her son. That was eight years ago. I was measuring orthoses back then.
When my twins came to Neo for a few days after birth two years ago, I had a completely different understanding of what that meant. I sometimes visit families so early on and explain things, try to encourage them and offer solutions for new situations. The system should provide much more support here...
3. behind the scenes of care
How do you provide medical aids?
We generally take a lot of time.
Especially for initial fittings and concepts. We talk to the physios and doctors treating the patient and take a look at the patient's home environment. Each joint is examined using a structured anamnesis, all functions are tested and the right aid is configured taking the diagnosis into account. Everything we discuss is documented in detail to give the health insurance company insight and understanding.
We work digitally. This means that we take many measurement points, make a 3D scan and photo documentation in order to then submit a meaningful application to the health insurance company. Production only starts once approval has been granted. Then the first fittings begin. Depending on the fitting, this can take several hours.
What is particularly important to you personally?
Professional competence, care and transparency towards parents and health insurance companies.
Where do you need a lot of patience during the process?
For the expectations. Finding and configuring the right aids. To manufacture. Depending on the fitting, it needs to be fine-tuned and made more precise. I would like to fit as little as possible. Only what is absolutely necessary.
What role does teamwork play for you?
We orthotists, physiotherapists, engineers, software developers and medical technicians work together hand in hand. We use our collective knowledge and live our motto: "active together"!
Briefly asked:
Listen or explain?
Listen!
Patience or speed?
Patience!
Safety or courage?
Courage!
4. team & philosophy
What makes your team special?
Passion. Cohesion. And our diversity - in every respect.
How would you describe your attitude or philosophy?
Our motto is "active together". We want our services to make a real difference in the everyday lives of children and their families.
What does a good team need to provide really good support for families?
Three things: expertise, listening and a goal!
And different perspectives. For example, when a team combines expertise with empathy and close communication, it can create solutions that not only work technically, but also really improve the everyday lives of children and their families.
5. personal view
Is there a tool that has particularly stuck in your mind - because it has made everyday life easier for families?
I love the moments when the kids are able to get around independently for the first time. Hence the active wheelchair. Unfortunately, it is so often used too late. People sometimes hold on to a buggy for a very long time.
Do you remember a piece of care that meant a lot to a family?
Sleep is sacred! Even for parents...
We made a foam bed in the prone position based on an impression.
In this position, the child was able to lie really relaxed for the first time and therefore slept for several hours at a time. Even the saturation was immediately significantly improved.
What does your work mean to you personally?
"Knowledge is the only commodity that increases when it is shared." (Marie von Ebner Eschenbach 1830-1960)
In line with this motto, I want to find the best solutions again and again and also establish standards in our industry. Unfortunately, there are still too few guidelines.
6. outlook & message
How do you see the future of medical aids for children?
Special care cannot be covered by blanket contracts from health insurance companies. In general, children's care needs more voice and visibility.
What changes would you like to see in the sector?
The statutory health insurance system follows a clear principle: services must be cost-effective. However, the provision of aids for children does not take place in tables, nor is it produced on an assembly line.
Application and approval with a reduction in bureaucracy. There are only a few specialists in this field anyway.
If you could give something to parents of children with disabilities: What would it be?
You are sometimes overwhelmed with information. Always listen to your gut! And stay confident.
Thank you very much, dear Louisa,
for your openness and the personal
insights into your work,
your attitude and your commitment.
🧡
FiNiFuchs asks
In conversation with Louisa, Managing Director of ORFO GmbH,
about the purpose, responsibility and future of providing aids for children.
"I accompany children and families throughout their lives.
By creating a basis of trust and creating tools
that enable real participation -
even where it initially seems hopeless -
makes me happy."
1. who are you?
Please introduce yourself briefly:
Who are you - and how did you get into the medical supply industry?
Hi, I'm Louisa, 34 years old and now mom to three boys. Second generation managing director.
After leaving school, I trained as an orthopaedic mechanic in our family business. I got to know every department. You could actually say that I grew up under the workbench.
I preferred to leave the commercial side, i.e. the "numbers" etc., to my brother Moritz. I enjoyed working with the children more. Diagnoses, therapies and medical treatment options appealed to me, which is why I completed another degree in neuro-orthopaedics in 2014.
What appealed to you most about working with children and their families?
Making the impossible possible. I accompany children and families throughout their lives. Through the basis of trust - creating aids to enable participation, which seems hopeless for some kids, makes me happy. We work on an interdisciplinary basis - for a high quality of life in the best interests of the patient.
Was there an encounter that changed your view of this work?
A standing aid in a kindergarten: the girl had been unable to stand since birth. Thanks to our BUKO aid, we were able to get her to stand at eye level. All the children went up to her and said: "Miriam, Miriam, you can stand". She was 6 years old at the time. She cried with joy. We all (teachers and therapists) had tears in our eyes.
This experience touched me deeply.
I felt confirmed that it is worth fighting for difficult and complicated approval procedures and communicating with all parties - I call it "communicating".