How 3D Printing, Recurring Patient Care, and a Century of Medical Expertise Are Creating a Unique Franchise Opportunity

When most people think about franchise ownership, they picture restaurants, fitness studios, retail stores, or home services. But what if one of the most interesting franchise opportunities you could explore was in a highly specialized corner of healthcare that most entrepreneurs have never considered?

Welcome to Orthotic & Prosthetic Clinics of America (OPCA), a franchise that combines advanced medical technology, essential patient care, and an opportunity for entrepreneurs to build a business that makes a meaningful difference in people's lives.

In a recent episode of the Franchise Wizards Podcast, host Daniel Purim sat down with Edward Kaufman, Founder and CEO of OPCA, to explore this unique business model, the innovations transforming prosthetic care, and what it takes to become a franchise owner.

🎥 WATCH THE FULL PODCAST EPISODE

A Specialized Healthcare Industry With Ongoing Patient Needs

Losing a limb can be a life-changing event. For many patients, however, amputation is the beginning of a long-term journey toward regaining mobility, independence, and quality of life.

Diabetes, vascular disease, traumatic injuries, and other medical conditions create a continuing need for specialized orthotic and prosthetic services.

Orthotics involve devices designed to support, align, or improve the function of parts of the body, while prosthetics replace missing limbs or body parts.

Unlike many businesses built around one-time transactions, orthotic and prosthetic care often involves ongoing relationships between patients and their practitioners.

Patients may return regularly for evaluations, adjustments, replacement liners, new sockets, and eventually new prosthetic devices.

For OPCA, this creates a business model centered on long-term patient relationships and recurring clinical needs, rather than high-volume transactional sales.

From 5 Days to 5 Hours: How OPCA Is Innovating Prosthetic Care

One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation with Edward Kaufman was learning how OPCA is using technology to transform the traditional prosthetic fitting process.

Historically, creating a prosthetic test socket required multiple steps: taking a physical cast of the patient's limb, shipping it to a fabrication laboratory, preparing a plaster mold, modifying the mold, and fabricating the socket.

The process could take approximately five days.

OPCA is dramatically accelerating that workflow through digital scanning and in-office 3D printing.

Today, practitioners can scan a patient's limb using an iPad or iPhone, make digital modifications, and produce an initial prosthetic test socket in approximately five hours.

This means a patient evaluated in the morning may be able to return for a test fitting that same afternoon.

For patients, faster fabrication can help accelerate the fitting process. For clinicians, digital technology provides precise measurements and greater flexibility in making adjustments.

And for franchise owners, this technology is an important differentiator in a highly specialized healthcare market.

Can You Own an OPCA Franchise Without Being a Doctor?

This is probably one of the first questions aspiring entrepreneurs ask.

The answer is yes. You do not need to be a doctor or medical practitioner to own an OPCA franchise.

During the podcast, Edward shared an interesting example: one of OPCA's leading franchisees previously owned pizzerias.

What made that individual a good fit wasn't medical experience. It was an understanding of business processes, operational discipline, and the ability to follow an established system.

An OPCA clinic typically operates with three key roles:

• Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist (CPO): The licensed or certified clinical professional responsible for patient evaluations, prosthetic and orthotic care, and collaboration with prescribing physicians.

• Administrative Assistant: Supports patient scheduling, documentation, insurance processes, and day-to-day clinic administration.

• Business Development Representative: Builds relationships with physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare referral sources to help generate patient opportunities.

The franchise owner focuses primarily on business management, staffing, operations, financial oversight, and growth.

OPCA also provides assistance with recruiting qualified clinicians, and Edward personally participates in evaluating clinical candidates entering the system.

A Business Model Built Around Relationships, Not Foot Traffic

Unlike a traditional retail franchise, OPCA clinics aren't dependent on customers walking past a storefront.

Clinics are generally located in medical buildings or healthcare centers, with facilities typically ranging from approximately 1,200 to 2,000 square feet.

Patient acquisition involves two complementary strategies.

Healthcare referral relationships: OPCA develops connections with physicians, surgeons, hospitals, rehabilitation providers, and other healthcare professionals who work with patients requiring orthotic or prosthetic care.

Direct-to-patient marketing: The company also leverages digital advertising, including Facebook and Instagram, to reach patients who may benefit from its specialized services.

This combination of professional referrals and digital marketing creates multiple avenues for patient acquisition.

And because patients often require continued monitoring and replacement devices, developing strong patient relationships is central to the clinic's long-term operations.

What Does It Cost to Open an OPCA Franchise?

According to Edward Kaufman during the podcast, the estimated investment for a single OPCA clinic is approximately $350,000–$400,000.

The investment supports establishing a medical clinic, equipment, staffing, and the working capital needed during the startup and accreditation process.

OPCA's clinical technology includes in-office 3D printers, which the franchise model leases rather than requiring owners to purchase outright. This approach helps clinics access updated equipment as technology evolves.

Edward also discussed an approximate $1 million net-worth expectation for prospective owners, with financing potentially available to qualified candidates.

Actual investment requirements and financial qualifications should always be confirmed through the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

Can the Business Scale to Multiple Locations?

Multi-unit growth is another interesting aspect of OPCA's model.

During the podcast, Edward explained that some early franchise owners have shown interest in expanding beyond their initial clinics.

While the original business concept envisioned sharing one clinical team across as many as four locations, experience with patient demand has led Edward to suggest that one or two clinics per CPO may be a more practical operating structure.

For entrepreneurs interested in multi-unit ownership, OPCA offers a model worth investigating, with growth dependent on market demand, staffing, operational capacity, and successful execution.

A Franchise That Combines Business Ownership With Purpose

One of the most compelling aspects of OPCA is the combination of entrepreneurship and patient impact.

This isn't simply a business providing medical devices.

It's a business helping people recover mobility, adapt to physical challenges, and pursue more independent lives.

With roots reaching back to 1923 through its parent company, Yale Surgical Company, OPCA brings a long history of clinical experience into a newer franchise system.

For entrepreneurs who appreciate healthcare, innovation, operational excellence, and relationship-building, it represents a very different alternative to traditional franchise categories.

And perhaps that's the biggest takeaway from this podcast: some of the most interesting franchise opportunities are in industries you might never think to search for.

Watch the Podcast and Explore Your Franchise Options

Want to hear directly from OPCA's founder about the technology, business model, investment requirements, and franchise discovery process?

🎥 WATCH THE FULL FRANCHISE WIZARDS PODCAST

Watch Daniel Purim's Interview With OPCA Founder Edward Kaufman

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About Franchise Wizards

Founded by Sheila and Daniel Purim, Franchise Wizards has more than 10 years of experience helping aspiring entrepreneurs explore franchise ownership.

We work with 750+ franchise brands across a wide variety of industries, providing personalized franchise matching, education, and guidance throughout the franchise discovery process.

Our services are completely free to prospective franchise investors. We are compensated by participating franchisors when a client we introduce successfully invests in their franchise. This enables us to provide consulting services at no cost to our clients.

Disclaimer

This article is intended for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell a franchise, an earnings representation, or financial, legal, or investment advice. Investment estimates and business information are based on statements provided by the franchisor and may change. OPCA does not currently provide an Item 19 Financial Performance Representation, according to its founder's statements during the podcast. Prospective franchisees should review the current Franchise Disclosure Document, consult qualified professional advisors, and independently evaluate the opportunity. No financial results or business outcomes are guaranteed.

Franchise Wizards does not guarantee financing, profitability, business performance, territory availability, or investment outcomes.← Back to Learning Center