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| PM News | |
The Voice of Podiatrists
Serving Over 15,728 Podiatrists Daily
January 22, 2014 #4,968  Publisher-Barry Block, DPM, JD
A partner of Podiatry Management http://www.podiatrym.com
E-mail us by hitting the reply key.
COPYRIGHT 2014- No part of PM News can be reproduced without the
written permission of Barry Block
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| PM NEWS QUICK POLL | |
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| PUBLISHED PODIATRISTS | |
Chapter in New Textbook Marks 400th Publication by PA Podiatrist
The 6th Edition of Ham's Primary Care Geriatrics has just been published and released by Elsevier - Mosby - Saunders.
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Drs. Arthur Helfand and Jeffrey Robbins |
Chapter 45 - pages 466 - 474 entitled Foot Problems has been authored by the team of Arthur E. Helfand, DPM and Jeffrey M. Robbins, DPM. The chapter also contains ten (10) clinical illustrations. This Markes the 400th Publication by Dr. Helfand.
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| INTERNATIONAL PODIATRISTS IN THE NEWS | |
I’d Go to Jail to Protect My Patients: UK Podiatrist
A podiatrist says he is prepared to go to prison to highlight what he claims is a major flaw in the regulation of his profession. Mark Russell has been a registered podiatrist for more than 30 years, and last year was convicted of misusing the title podiatrist after he took himself off the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register. After pleading guilty to an offence with intent to deceive at the City of London Magistrates, he was fined £270 and ordered to pay a £27 victim surcharge as well as costs totaling more than £6,000 in November. Russell is appealing his sentence.
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Mark Russell |
Russell says his deregistration was in protest against the HCPC’s failure to protect patients from clinicians who have been struck off for misconduct. The HCPC registers all chiropodists and podiatists as “protected titles”, which means anyone qualified to work as such must be registered. But people working as foot health specialists or podologists do not need to register, meaning there is no check on their qualifications or practicing history.
Source: Rebecca Draper, The Gazette [1/20/14]
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Available Immediately!!
The New, Revised, Updated, 2014 Podiatry Coding Manual
From Michael G. Warshaw, DPM, CPC
It has been fully re-typed for excellent readability and reference. There is an added section on ICD-10 preparation. It is the highest of quality and podiatry information to aid in coding and billing for appropriate reimbursement and documentation to support what was billed. You will see why so many podiatry offices across the country refer to this book as their “Bible” when it comes to billing, coding, and documentation.
Only $99.00 including shipping!!!
Available in Book, CD, and Flash Drive Formats
To order by credit card, just access the website drmikethecoder.com
No credit card? No problem. Just mail a check or money order to:
Drmikethecoder, 3306 Ashby Lane, Richfield, OH 44286
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| PODIATRIC PRODUCTS IN THE NEWS | |
TX Podiatrist is Guinea Pig for New PPK Treatment
Donald G. Ashburn, a physicist, entrepreneur, and developer of products was in Athens on Friday to demonstrate a new product called Transderm Solutions created to bring welcome relief to plantar porokeratoses (PPK) sufferers. Dr. Dwight Bates, attending podiatrist at Disciples Clinic in Athens, was present at the meeting. Bates said he has treated many feet in his career, but his first-hand knowledge of the agony endured by PPK sufferers goes beyond his professional experience.
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Dr. Dwight Bates (center) with Donald Ashburn and his son, Donald Ashburn, Jr. |
“I never really knew what all of the excitement was about until I got one,” Bates said. “The intolerable pain is like being cut with a knife and a pin being pushed into the skin.” Bates decided to try the treatment on himself. “I didn’t feel pain, so I knew his system was at least not going to do damage to my old frail foot,” Bates said. The topical treatment is applied, and in a couple of days, the rock hard keratotic core crumbles away like wet clay.
Source: Rich Flowers, The Athens Review [1/16/14]
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| QUERIES (MEDICAL-LEGAL) | |
Query: Proving Loss of Income
Recently, due to a fire in the elevator closest to my office, I lost over 200 patients who could not navigate the 24 stairs to get to my office. It took two months to get the elevator repaired due to permits and inspections. I'm presently involved in a loss of income claim with my insurance company; however, since I made more money in 2013 than in 2012, it's hard to prove my loss. The adjuster and forensic CPA are just interested in numbers from year to year and put little value in those 200 patients that needed to cancel. Has anyone had similar problems, and is there any advice anyone can give me?
Name Withheld
Editor's comment: PM News does not provide legal advice. The best way to prove loss of income is to show the difference in income for the two months that the elevators were down compared to the same two months of the prior year. If the insurance company won't accept that, it's time to hire an attorney to protect your interests.
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| CODINGLINE CORNER | |
Query: ICD-10 Documentation
This ICD-10 stuff is so specific and all those letters and numbers tell the whole story...even more than my notes. Do we still have to bother writing progress notes? This seems redundant to me.
Arden Smith, DPM, Great Neck NY
Response: I'm assuming this is a tongue-in-cheek question indirectly commenting on the extreme specificity of the ICD-10 codes (and their descriptors) that the U.S. has chosen to implement from the global ICD-10 code set. But in case you were seriously wondering whether you needed to state in your documentation the specific information to support the code that you ultimately select to describe the reason for the visit (and for the "assessment" portion of your EMR if the terminology for the "assessment" language is stated in ICD-10 terms and corresponding code) -- the answer is yes.
In that respect, ICD-10 is no different than ICD-9. The content of the clinical documentation needs to support the code reported. It's the content of the documentation that determines the code to report -- not the code descriptor itself. The requirement for extreme specificity in ICD-10 reporting is having the unintended consequence of requiring that much more specificity in your notes. I wish I had better news, but the reality is that the need for documentation improvement is going to go hand-in-hand with the implementation of ICD-10.
Joan Gilhooly, CPC, CPCO, Lebanon, OH
Codingline subscription information can be found here
APMA Members: Click here for your free Codingline Silver subscription
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (NON-CLINICAL) - PART 1 | |
RE: Evil Rich Doctors
From: Arden Smith, DPM
My “paranoid twin” is sure that this article was pushed by an evil and very organized cabal that have an agenda strongly opposite to our interests and want to do away with...
Editor's note: Dr. Smith's extended-length letter can be read here.
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (NON-CLINICAL) - PART 2 | |
From: Martin V. Sloan, DPM
Googling Cantharidine Plus will pull up retail outlets that have the product available. My local compounding pharmacist is always happy to prepare the product for my use at the office.
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (OBITUARIES) - PART 1 | |
RE: The Passing of Fred Lubell, DPM
My classmate and dear friend, Dr. Fred Lubell (NYCPM, 1960), passed away January 18th, after a long illness. He practiced on Long Island, NY for many years and was a well-respected and loved practitioner. I’ll miss our regular lunches, along with classmate Spence Dubov, and we all send our love, hugs, and condolences to his wife Phyllis and family. The funeral services will be held Wednesday 1/22, 10 am at Gutterman’s Funeral Home, Rockville Centre, NY.
Arthur Gudeon, DPM, Rego Park, NY
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (OBITUARIES) - PART 2 | |
From: Richard H. Mann, DPM
It was with great sadness that I read of the passing of my friend and mentor, Dr. Martin Mussman. I remember him as a kind, generous gentleman who was respected and loved by those of us who were fortunate enough to have known him. He was responsible for many of the inroads made by our profession into the Department of Veterans Affairs. Marty was, I believe, the first podiatrist to be employed as such by the VA.
In response to the podiatric residency crisis of the late '70s, Marty created the first podiatric residency position in the VA system. I had the honor of being his first resident at the FDR Veterans Administration Hospital in Montrose, NY. Because of his bold vision, many more podiatric residency positions were created in the VA, educating many hundreds of residents. He was responsible for significantly improving our profession. His passing is a great loss.
Richard H. Mann, DPM, Boynton, Beach, FL
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (NEWS STORIES) | |
From: Alison D. Silhanek, DPM
Could we please stop glorifying podiatrists who are political candidates? I understand that one function of PM News is to report the happenings of all podiatrists, so I am not here to shoot the messenger. At the same time, the repeated announcements of the progression of a fellow podiatrist’s political campaign amounts to, in my opinion, an endorsement…even if it is not such legally.
Are we just supposed to be cheerleaders for another podiatrist’s campaign solely because...
Editor's note: Dr. Silhanek's extended-length letter can be read here.
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MEETING NOTICES - PART 1
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| YOU CAN'T MAKE THESE THINGS UP | |
RE: Outrageous Shoe of the Day
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The newest in removable sutures? |
Source: Submitted by Dr. Mark Hinkes
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MEETING NOTICES - PART 2
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| Disclaimers |
Acceptance and publication by this newsletter of an advertisement, news story, or letter does not imply endorsement or approval by Barry Block or Kane Communications of the company, product, content or ideas expressed in this newsletter. Podiatric Medical News does not represent the views, and is a separate entity from Podiatry Management Magazine and Podiatry Management Online. Any information pertaining to legal matters should not be considered to be legal advice, which can only be obtained via individual consultation with an attorney. Information about Medicare billing should be confirmed with your State CAC.
THIS MESSAGE IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE USE OF THE INDIVIDUAL OR
ENTITY TO WHICH IT IS ADDRESSED AND MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT IS
PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL AND EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE.
If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an
employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the
intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,
distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please
immediately notify me and you are hereby instructed to delete all
electronic copies and destroy all printed copies.
DISCLAIMER: Internet communications cannot be guaranteed to be
either timely or free of viruses.
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