11/01/2014    Stanley R. Kalish, DPM

Would You Change Occupations if You Could? (Robert Kornfeld, DPM)

It was somewhat disconcerting that such a great
percentage of our profession would opt for a
change in their occupation as seen in the recent
PM News survey. However, we might be surprised as
to the statistics of unhappy people in almost any
profession not just podiatry and medicine.

As a participant in the white coat ceremony at
NYCPM a few years ago, I was privileged to hear
many inspirational speeches addressed to the
future doctors. The audience was filled with proud
beaming parents as they saw their children cloaked
in their white jackets. We need to remember that
"The ability to diagnose medically and surgically
is an honor given to a chosen few."

There is no other profession in the world that
creates the instant respect when asked of your
occupation and; you say I am a physician. We must
try to remember this when;we are surrounded by the
negativity of what we perceive has happened to
doctors, the answer is simply nothing has happened
to doctors that can't be changed by "you". If you
are not passionate about your work it will only be
a job that brings home a paycheck.

Change whatever it is that is bothering you about
our profession. How, Stan do we do that? The
answer "one" answer. As Jack Palance said to Billy
Crystal in "City Slickers", It's up to you to
figure out what that one thing is. If you are not
getting paid what you think you should you first
must realize that you must treat worthy patients.
Worthy of your services and whatever that means.

If it's purely money that is your concern than
build a" boutique practice" or accept only
patients with good insurance or cash. Realize your
image may change when you make a purely financial
decision about you profession. There is, however,
another way to look at this. If I get paid well, I
can ecomically treat whom I wish to treat and
treat the rest pro bono. I can then use my
increased revenues and invest in the state of the
art instruments, equipment, implants, and
orthobiologics and get reimbursed for these
improved techniques.

This is only true if I'm making money in my
practice and surgery center.I have found a way to
do this with my free standing surgical center and
a new billing concept.I'm happy to teach this to
all who ask at no charge from me. This method of
billing is a patient advocate process that puts
the power in the hands of you the podiatrist
delivering the service. Ask youselves this
question. Could there be hundreds millions of
dollars made in major league baseball by ticket
sales, TV revenue, banners and hot dogs etc., if
the ball players never showed up to play?

The answer is a simple "NO." Why in medicine do we
perpetually allow the tail to wag the dog? We have
the Hippocratic oath and can't strike: so how can
we defend ourselves and our patients in the"
profit "motivated insurance industry. The answer
is obviously not simple as we enter into the
unknown realm of Obamacare. Change and the fear of
the unknown is an opportunity for some and a
disaster for others. FDR said "We have nothing to
fear but fear itself."

Stanley R. Kalish, DPM, Jonesboro, GA,
srkalish@bellsouth.net

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