(Filed Under wholesale Mastectomy News). It takes a lot of time and energy to open a specialty boutique and run it successfully. For such a store to then become accredited to sell post-mastectomy products may seem unachievable.

According to Andrea Barbera, U.S. manager of Anita Care, Anita works to make this process easier through its certification program. The company offers a comprehensive, eight-hour class for “the reasonable fee” of $95.

With twenty years of experience, Barbera has observed that selling post-mastectomy bras and prostheses can significantly increase the sales of a small business. She reported that, unfortunately, there are 200,000 new breast cancer diagnoses a year, as well as an existing 2.5 million current survivors of breast cancer.

“A store cannot sell post-mastectomy products to a consumer who would be entitled to reimbursement through Medicare. I assure you that any woman buying these products, no matter how much money she has, will want to get the reimbursement she is entitled to; therefore the need for certification,” she explained. “For post-mastectomy consumers, Anita Care fills a special need with products for women who have undergone surgery for mastectomies and lumpectomies. We manufacture breast prostheses, swimwear and bras. We are also number one in fit and comfort. This breadth of experience places the company in a very special position to offer a comprehensive certification program.

“What makes our company superior is that we offer a minimum of eight hours of actual classroom training and hands-on learning on how to do fittings. The training is comprehensive and taught by accreditation consultants who have board certification. These classes are worthwhile for the new fitter as well as those already certified.”

Barbera and her team also strive to keep classes accessible to retailers in locations throughout the U.S. Laura Resz, owner of Bras n’ Things located in Delray Beach, FL., called the Anita classes “essential to my continuing education.”

“I take the Anita classes because they are comfortable for me geographically and I like them,” she continued. “I know I will get what I need from them [...] Although I have been fitting prostheses for 20 years, I always learn something new in the classes; especially now that the rules and regulations for Medicare that we must fulfill are changing constantly [...] They provide us with very professional models to work with, as well as topical information on new surgical procedures and different types of therapies.”

Connie Crider, an accredited post-surgical fitter and the owner of Connie’s Mastectomy Boutique in Crystal River, FL., also attends the classes regularly. “Andrea is a great teacher; she puts a lot of herself into the classes, making them fun and interesting, while demanding that you learn. ”

For further information, call (954) 730-8189, extension 108, or e-mail Andrea.Barbera@anita.net.

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Published 07-29-2010 by Amanda Torres Price