About this episode
More and more Americans rely on prostheses. They’re custom-fitted, highly personal, and extremely expensive. Zachary Crockett investigates. SOURCES: Jordan Beckwith , YouTuber and advocate. Eric Neufeld , owner and medical director of Agile Orthopedics. RESOURCES: " Medicare Coverage of Durable Medical Equipment & Other Devices ," by Medicare (2024). " Limb Loss in the U.S. ," infographic by the Amputee Coalition (2022). " A Robot Hand Helps Amputees 'Feel' Again ," by Jeffery Delviscio ( Scientific American, 2019). " Differences in Myoelectric and Body-Powered Upper-Limb Prostheses: Systematic Literature Review ," by Stephanie L. Carey, Derek J. Lura, and Jason Highsmith ( Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 2015). " Local Coverage Determination: Lower Limb Prostheses ," from the Medicare Coverage Database (effective 2015). " Variation in the Care of Surgical Conditions: Diabetes and Peripheral Arterial Disease ," by Philip P. Goodney, Nino Dzebisashvili, David C. Goodman, and Kristen K. Bronner ( Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care Series, 2014). " Estimating the Prevalence of Limb Loss in the United States: 2005 to 2050 ," by Kathryn Ziegler-Graham, Ellen J. MacKenzie, Patti L. Ephraim, Thomas G. Travison, and Ron Brookmeyer ( Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2008). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.