In The News

Entrepreneur Of The Year - A helping hand

Finalist
Health Science

When Joseph A. Sansone Jr. started TMC Orthopedic, the CEO had many obstacles to face. Not only was Sansone establishing a small medical business during a time when similar companies were struggling to compete with larger competitors, but TMC Orthopedic also had a legal issue.

After the legal case was dropped, Sansone made it his mission to make TMC Orthopedic a household name in Houston. Today, TMC Orthopedic is the largest provider of prosthetics in Houston and was recognized in 2008 as being the No. 1 place to work in Houston by the Houston Business Journal.

Much of TMC Orthopedic's success has occurred after Sansone switched TMC Orthopedic's focus strictly to prosthetics and great customer service. Today, TMC Orthopedic caters to amputees and physicians with unique services. The company's mission is to make the patients feel they are not on an assembly line of care. Sansone has developed a network for the amputee by bringing together the patient's primary care physician, wound care specialist, orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist. TMC Orthopedic also provides an amputee social group, which serves as a consortium for support groups around the city.

To ensure that his patients have a great experience, Sansone has established a distinctive partnership with their physicians. To maximize physicians' reimbursements, TMC Orthopedic has developed a stock and bill program. This program allows for TMC's products to be stocked in the doctors' offices; TMC Orthopedic also bills the insurer directly when the prosthetics are purchased. This has reduced the patients' need to go elsewhere for equipment.

In 2006, Sansone founded the charitable organization Limbs of Love, which provides prosthetics for amputees who cannot afford them. Sansone also lobbies for prosthetic parity, legislation that would prohibit health care companies from not covering prosthetic devices.

How to reach: TMC Orthopedic, (713) 669-1800 or www.myamputee.com