Helping people have a better quality of life is what healthcare is all about. And Justin Proctor wants to be sure that quality of life means people can move around the way they want to without pain. As a licensed and certified prosthetist and orthotist, Justin launched his business to provide products to help people who have lost a limb and need a replacement (prostheses), need a brace to help keep a joint in place or moving the way it should, and “orthotics” which you put in your shoes to make sure you are walking properly and without pain. The business was launched because a patient of Justin’s mentioned he would love to have a service locally, in Medina. Justin partnered with Medina Hospital to see patients locally until his business got big enough he needed his own space. Today, Justin helps people from all over Northeast Ohio providing these services.

Working in a medical practice in Cleveland that helped people with braces and prostheses, Justin was helping a patient with ankle braces when he said he would love to have services closer to home. Justin also lived in Medina and was thrilled with the prospect of working closer to home so he discussed it with some people in the area who agreed there was a need. The company where he worked wasn’t ready to open another office, so he partnered with Medina Hospital and would see patients there. The business started to take off and Justin struck out on his own in 1996.

Most patients have health insurance which helps pay for products and services. So that means we have to know all the rules on what the different companies pay for and how they want invoices to be submitted. I have two people who work on this for me. But even when you follow the rules, the insurance companies can change their programs so it is difficult to know what and how to get paid. Medicare is the federal government’s healthcare program and they conduct “audits” periodically. An audit is where someone looks at all of our records to make sure we are doing everything right. So even if we did everything right, we have to show it a second time or they can take the money back. We pass all of our audits and eventually get paid, but it can delay payment from a few months to up to two years. 

Doctors and therapists refer people to us from all over Northeast Ohio. We also get a lot of referrals from our existing customers. Those referrals are the best! We always love when people who work with us send us their friends and family.

All medical records are electronic which is a big deal because when I started my business, every patient had a paper folder and in that folder was all their healthcare information, every single visit, and any other notes or things we needed to know about them. Now, all of that information is electronic so we save on paper, folders, and space. We also offer a program where a person who has a prosthesis and no longer needs it can return it to us and we’ll recycle it.

We work with the federal government through the Medicare program, state government through Medicaid, which is the state’s healthcare program, and the Veteran’s Administration to help people who are or were in the military. Also the licensing for what I do is run through the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics.

We generally don’t have openings in our office but there is a real need in the marketplace for more people with my certification. It is highly specialized and requires extra schooling and certifications, and gives you the opportunity to really impact people’s lives.

Why do employees like to work here?

We work in a clean environment with regular hours, which is unusual in healthcare. We are all really helping people and you can see the results of your work immediately. When someone puts on a prosthesis or puts the insoles into their shoes, you can see the relief and happiness right then. Our patients are so appreciative of what we do and it is really important work.