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08/10/2015 Rachel Eisenfeld, C.Ped
Pedorthists & Podiatrists Should Work Together: PA Podiatrist (Robert Scott Steinberg, DPM)
I am not a podiatrist. I have been a certified pedorthist for 8 years, who tries to continually educate myself by staying up to date with what is happening in the foot world. I do subscribe to PM News, but Dr. Steinberg’s response was sent to me by a an open-minded podiatristwho I happen to work with on a regular basis. I am not surprised by Dr. Steinberg’s response to Dr. McGuire’s comments. Most podiatrists feel the same way. Dr. McGuire, as well as the podiatrist I work with, are forward thinkers and do not pride themselves on having to do it all. I am not your “typical” certified pedorthist. I am 29 years old, I run my own orthotics company which does concierge mobile evaluations and I have my own fabrication facility. I get to meet all kinds of people and form a more unique bond with my patients than many healthcare providers wish they could achieve. I am a college graduate, from a four-year University, where I studied sports medicine and exercise science. I have 14 years of experience in gait analysis and shoe componentry. I happened to be qualified enough to win a government contract to work for the NIH as their certified pedorthist. I see patients in collaboration with world-renowned, published, Physiatrists and physical therapists. If Dr. Steinberg would like some examples of how the Podiatric Profession could benefit from pedorthic services, I think I am well qualified to provide some assistance. 1. We are supposed to be the foot biomechanics experts. As a certified pedorthist, I don’t know how to do bunion surgery or take out ingrown toenails, but I do know how the foot is supposed to move. Podiatrists know the movement of the foot as well, but most of your schooling is based on different pathologies and treatments well beyond orthotic correction pathologies. Why not collaborate with someone whose expertise is only in foot biomechanics? Having a specialist on staff makes your office appear full service. Adding a CPED, you can offer onsite orthotic full service from fabrication to adjustment and shoe fit. 2. I would like to think of myself as more of a podiatric physician assistant than an orthotic technician. I have thought, since getting into the profession, that the certified pedorthist should be in the clinical setting NOT in the shoe store or fabrication lab. Think about this scenario: someone comes in complaining of foot pain, you narrow it down to being a musculoskeletal issue that could be corrected with orthotics. You can just hand them off to your certified pedorthist to do the rest of the work, leaving more time for seeing more patients with more complicated issues. 3. When the patients ask you about their shoes, do you know why that shoe isn’t good for them and can you name at least 3 different brands and versions that would be good for that patient? What about 3 different brands/versions of dress shoes? Sure, you can give the whole quick spiel about heel counter, straight last, etc., but wouldn’t it be outstanding customer service if you had someone in your office that knows everything about shoes, like the types, brands and different functions? I read shoe catalogues for pleasure! I enjoy being the Wikipedia of shoes and your patients will greatly benefit from it. Dr. Steinberg is correct, though, the only way these services provided by a certified pedorthist would be lucrative is if there was time that could be billed for our consultation services. Unfortunately, there is not. If a certified pedorthist wants to work in a clinical setting, they are only going to get paid for half of their work. That’s if they make the orthotics themselves. Patients like the service, but are not usually willing to pay for extra services not covered by insurance. I appreciate Dr. Steinberg’s comments, but I hope that I changed his mind a little bit to see what a certified pedorthist can do beyond the orthotic. Rachel Eisenfeld, C.Ped, Herndon, VA
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