AOPI orthotics & prosthetics helping patients be their best

Published 2:00 pm Monday, December 4, 2023

In 1999, Roy Ray “Trip” Rice III opened Augusta Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc. (AOPI). Like his father and grandfather, he is a prosthetist and he naturally strives to ensure that each patient that comes into AOPI deserves the absolute best care. 

APOI branched off from Atlanta Prosthetics, which was owned by Rice’s grandfather in both Atlanta and Augusta.

Over the years, AOPI has expanded from Augusta and opened facilities in West Columbia, South Carolina and one in Milledgeville. AOP offers experience in the field of orthotics and prosthetics and also employs practitioners who can work with patients of all ages and activity levels.

Located at 535 N. Cobb St., AOPI Milledgeville is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

William “Bill” Eason has worked in orthotics and prosthetics for more than 40 years. He is a board-certified orthotist by The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics and is licensed by the state of Georgia. Eason received most of his training in Warm Springs, Ga. and at Northwestern University. Before joining APOI in 2016, Eason owned and operated Milledgeville Orthotics. Eason has worked with Roy Ray Rice, Jr. (Tripp’s father) and Tripp for years, assisting with the prosthetic needs of their patients. 

Eason says that he still gets plenty of joy from his work, watching the field evolve over 40 years or so from the technology to the way that orthotics and prosthetics are made. 

AOPI offers full orthotic and prosthetic services, custom fabrications to patients that are seen based on prescriptions from their physicians. 

“We have to have a prescription from your physician and then the corresponding paperwork that we have to have for insurances and stuff like that to get it paid for,” Eason said. 

Years ago, AOPI was known as Milledgeville Orthotics, and later its name was changed to Milledgeville Augusta Orthotics & Prosthetics. 

Eason said AOPI has built a reputation for serving people with the best orthotics and prosthetics care possible and for treating their patients like family. That extends to the physicians in and out of town.

“We try to treat every person that we service as a family member. We don’t try to just shoo them out the door and stuff like that,” Eason said. “We take pride in what we do, and we like to see our patients do well.

The goal at AOPI Milledgeville, Eason said, is for patients to become the best that they can be. 

“Take care of the patient first, and we’ll worry about everything else later. That is kind of the attitude that we kind of have, our patients are going to come first.”