RE: Retirement Options (Joe Borden, DPM)
From: Art Hatfield, DPM
I just turned 70 in June. I deferred taking my SS until then. I am getting about 40% more than I would be getting if I had taken it at my full retirement age of 65 and 8 months. I know there are different opinions on this subject, but I always felt that I will need that extra 40% more when I am in my 80s than I needed it while still working.
Taking your SS before reaching your full retirement age (for you 66 years of age) will cause your benefits to be reduced to $1 for each $2 you earn if you are still working. Unless you have a very short life expectancy, wait until are at least your full retirement age. You really need to talk to a SS Administration officer or read, "What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits," available from the SS Admin. It's probably also available on line. Also, remember you probably won't qualify for Medicare until you are 65.
Art Hatfield, DPM, Long Beach, CA, Afootjob@juno.com
RE: "Unified" Post-Graduate Training (Charles M Lombardi, DPM)
From: Michael M. Rosenblatt, DPM
The three-year residency “requirement” for podiatrists is a direct result of the political position we are in with allopathic medicine. Whenever MD competitors (primarily orthopedists) attack podiatry, it is always in the same guise - our training. The lengthy residency (and ABPS certification) some of us have taken is a reaction to that criticism, and the other, that our training is “sporadic” and unreliable.
In fact, most podiatry schools have taken on a centralized philosophy of didactic training in basic sciences. Clinical training has been harder to pin down, and there are still variations in that target between schools. But there are also wide gradations among our own non-surgical competitors’ training, specifically nurses and physician assistants. Whenever we have political infighting, I think it helps...
Editor's note: Dr. Rosenblatt's extended-length letter can be read here.
RE: Accessing Digital X-Rays on a Wireless Tablet (Neil H Hecht, DPM)
From: Farshid Nejad, DPM
It is possible to access your image database or PACS through many apps by simply logging onto your server. Remote desktop connection is on all PCs. I can also do it through my iPad using an app called RDP. But it will give you a degraded image. IcRco has an app that is compatible with its system and can directly give you the image quality needed for accurate diagnoses. But it comes at a cost in addition to the standard system expense. I am very happy with their system.
Farshid Nejad, DPM, Beverly Hills, CA, drnejad@footnankledoc.com
