Using an ‘Innovation Mindset’ to Problem Solve in O&P Featured in COPA Connection June 2023

When faced with challenges, Jimmy Capra, Click Medical’s co-founder and CEO, employs the “Innovation Mindset” into his creative and decision making processes. Through his 40-year career, Capra has learned how to step out of his comfort zone, letting go of fear of failure, to solve problems in truly new and innovative ways. “To succeed in selling a component product, which needs to be incorporated into a design, you need to invite and inspire your customers to think innovatively about how to build your product into theirs,” says Capra. How to enter and use the “Innovation Mindset” process to problem-solve in O&P was the topic of the session he hosted on June 21, as a part of COPA’s 2023 free webinars.

In 2014, Click Medical was inspired by incorporating the Boa® lacing system from a snowboard boot into an adjustable panel on a prosthesis so an amputee could self-adjust the fit of their own device. Previously amputees had only once choice…grin and bear the fit of their rigid socket. The residual limbs of amputees come in endless shapes and sizes and change in shape throughout the day. And amputees have diverse requirements for their prostheses from sitting to walking to cycling or even skiing. A solution was needed where a user could adjust the fit and function of their socket, by themselves, as needed. With Click Medical’s adjustable socket componentry, a prosthesis can be quickly and easily adjusted to meet the needs of the user with a simple turn of a dial.

Innate curiosity helps people to enter the “Innovative Mindset,” but Capra realizes this can be difficult, especially when there are multiple levels involved in the design and build process. At a prosthetic clinic, the clinic owner, the prosthetist, the technician, and the patient all need to be involved. Capra finds the greatest challenge may be the simple human fear that comes along with change. To overcome these challenges, a clinic owner must be dedicated to trusting the ”Innovation Mindset” and invite their colleagues to do the same. This allows for creativity to emerge, reframes failure into a learning process, and provides the opportunity to bring forth new solutions.

The “Innovative Mindset” can be beneficial in other areas of a clinic’s business as well. It can help practices and clinicians move beyond entrenched business processes, which can lead to better culture, better business outcomes, and better referrals. Using the ”Innovation Mindset” can help clinic owners think beyond the norm to elevate their business, ultimately positioning their practice to help amputees in new ways.

About Click Medical: Click Medical brings life-changing adjustability technology to the O&P industry. In 2014 the Boa® lacing system from a snowboard boot inspired the idea of adjustability in prosthetic devices, which would become Click Medical. Our mission is to empower users to overcome limitations, regain mobility and reclaim dignity. Click Medical is known for the RevoFit® Kits and the RevoLock® Kits.

Find more information at ClickMedical.com and @ClickMedical on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.