Hanger Clinic (division of Hanger, Inc. ) (NYSE: HGR) provides prosthetic and orthotic patient care services in the United States. The company has more than 640 patient care centers located in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Approximately 650,000 patients visit these centers each year. Hanger Clinic, (formerly Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics) operates under the umbrella of Hanger, Inc. (formerly Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc.), headquartered in Austin, TX (formerly Bethesda, MD). According to the company's 2007 annual report, the patient care market for prosthetic and orthotic services in the United States is estimated at $ 2.5 billion per year. Hanger Clinic represents about 25 percent of this market. They employ about 3,500 people, including more than 1,080 prosthetic and orthotic practitioners.
Leading Hanger Patients include:
- Jeremy Campbell, winner of two golds at Paralympic Games 2008, and world record holder for Pentathlon P44;
- Retired Staff Sgt. Heath Calhoun, Iraq War veteran, spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project, and a key advocate in part of the Federal Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) payments to help wounded American soldiers and their families
- Aron Ralston a famous mountaineer in May 2003 when he amputated his right lower arm with a dull knife to free himself from falling rocks
- A famous non-human Hanger patient is Winter, the bottlenose dolphin (the main attraction at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium) famous for its prosthetic tail (designed and manufactured by Hanger)
Video Hanger, Inc.
Histori
James Edward Hanger, who was first amputated in the American Civil War, founded the company in Virginia in 1861.
A commentary in Ambrose Bierce's postwar memoir that "We shoot the Confederate foot in Philippi" refers to Hanger. At the age of 18, Hanger joined the Confederate cavalry in Philippi, Virginia, on June 2, 1861. One day later, during the Battle of Philippi, Hanger took shelter in a cage with the rest of Churchville (Virginia) Cavalry when the first solid Union Union " "bounced into the cage and hit his leg. The injury required for Hanger's leg amputation was above the knee, and he underwent the first war amputation of the war, in the hands of Union surgeons. Hanger goes back to his parents' home to recover the use of a prosthesis that is essentially a wooden stamp. His dissatisfaction with fit and limb replacement functions caused Hanger to design and build new prosthesis from sticks, rubber and wood, with hinges on his knees and legs. The device works well, and the state legislature commissioned him to produce "Hanger Limb" for other wounded soldiers.
Manufacturing operation for J.E. Hanger, Inc., was established in the cities of Staunton and Richmond. Hanger was awarded his first patent for an artificial limb, number 155, of the US Patent Office on March 23, 1863. For many years Hanger developed and patented additional products for veterans and other amputees. In 1906, Hanger moved the company headquarters to Washington, DC. In 1915, he traveled to Europe to help World War I ampute and learn from European prosthetists.
Five sons of Hanger are active in operating family businesses. In 1915, they divided J.E. Hanger, Inc., into four separate companies, each operating in a different region of the country. At the time of Hanger's death in 1919, the company has branches in Atlanta, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, London and Paris.
Significant technological advances in the US prosthetic industry were largely absent in the years leading up to World War II. A new wave of amputated veterans demanded better prosthetic options, and in 1946, the federal government began providing funding for prosthetic research and development. J.E. Hanger, Inc., is able to introduce new prosthetic socket designs made from enhanced materials such as thermosetting resins.
Also around this time, the orthotics industry (braces/supporters) is trying to join the prosthetic industry. In 1950, the American Orthotics and Prosthetics Association was formed, and with that came a new emphasis on clinical education and certification practitioners. In the mid-1950s, J.E.Hanger, Inc., has added orthotic services to its business, and has grown to 50 offices in the US and 25 in Europe.
The 1960s and 70s had relatively little technological improvements, but the 1980s marked the beginning of a period of advanced technological development that continues to this day. In 1986, Sequel Corporation, a communications company based in Colorado, sold its cell phone business and began investing in the orthotics and prosthetics industry. In 1989, Sequel bought J. E. Hanger, Inc., from Washington, DC. At the time of purchase, J. E. Hanger, Inc., was a $ 8 million business with offices in 11 cities and eight states. Soon after, Sequel changed the company name to Hanger Orthopedic Group. Ivan Sabel, president and chief operating officer, focuses on designing and manufacturing the company's prosthetic and orthotic devices and distributing them nationwide.
In 1996, the company purchased J. E. Hanger, Inc., from Georgia. The acquisition doubled the size of the company, which now has 175 patient care centers, six distribution sites, four factories and 1,000 employees in 30 states. Hanger continued to buy small companies and in 1998, operated 256 patient care centers. In 1999, Hanger Orthopedic Group bought its biggest competitor and industry leader, orthotics and prosthetic division of NovaCare. This added 369 additional patient care centers. In 1999, Fortune Magazine placed Hanger Orthopedic Group as 79th in the list of One Hundred Fastest-Growing Companies. Following the acquisition of NovaCare, the company continues to expand its holdings with related specialty businesses.
Maps Hanger, Inc.
Subsidiaries
In 2009, Hanger Orthopedic Group consists of four wholly owned subsidiaries serving different segments of the orthotics and prosthetics industry. In addition to Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, ownership includes Prosthetic Supply South, Innovative Neurotronics and Linkia.
Southern Prosthetic Supply (SPS) is the largest distributor of orthotic and prosthetic materials in the world. SPS has five distribution centers and 300,000 product offerings.
Innovative Neurotronics, Inc. , specializes in the development and commercialization of emerging neuromuscular technologies. Neuromuscular refers to the use of electrical stimulation to improve the function of the affected limb.
Linkia is a network management company that works exclusively with the orthotics and prosthetics industry. SureFit Offer exclusively in podiatry offering a wide selection of products and solutions for practice.
Research
Company employees are editors and contributing authors of textbooks such as Prosthetic and patient management: comprehensive clinical approach , Adult and Children Functional Recovery with Top Upper Exclamations , and Physical treatment and rehabilitation: principles and practices.
Legal issues
In 2004, allegations of billing fraud were committed against the company when an office administrator reported a Hanger employee in New York to fabricate a fake recipe for a non-existent patient. A class action lawsuit was filed against Hanger for allegedly using fraud to raise stock prices artificially. Although 14 offices are mentioned in the lawsuit, Hanger says that only one location is involved in the fraud.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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