The Voice of Podiatrists

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February 10, 2010 #3,776 Publisher-Barry Block, DPM, JD

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We’ve just posted the February 2010 CME titled:

By Jonathan Moore, DPM, MS

You can Earn 30 CPME-Approved CME Contact Hours Online

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Orthotics Rule in the NBA: OH Podiatrist

"LeBron James is one of nine current Cavs who wear orthotics in their shoes for games and practices, extending a trend in the NBA in recent years. As little as 10 years ago, players who wore the custom inserts were the exception. More and more, it has become the rule as players have found the devices provide support for arches and help ease common cases of plantar fasciitis and prevent stress fractures. They do a wonderful job correcting angles and gaits," said Dr. Richard Hofacker, who has been the Cleveland Cavaliers podiatrist since the 1980s, when only a couple of players wore simple insoles.

Dr. Richard Hofacker

"Does everyone need glasses? No. Does everyone need orthotics? No. And there is a placebo effect where people feel better having them," Hofacker said. "But they do so many things for athletes, from proper arch support or decreasing plantar fasciitis to preventing stress fractures. But often it isn't that serious -- they help our players to lessen the blisters and calluses, and that is a day-to-day relief to these guys." 

Source: Brian Windhorst, The Plain Dealer via TrueHoop (ESPN)

NMPMA Elects New Board Officers

The following officers were elected at the Annual Meeting of the New Mexico Podiatric Medical Association during Winter Seminar held at the Sandia Casino Hotel, Albuquerque, NM:

President - Steve Wrege, DPM   
1st VP - Nathan Ivey, DPM      
2nd VP - Randall Brower, DPM   
Member-at-Large  - William Blake, DPM     

(L-R) Drs. William Blake, Nathan Ivey, Randal Brower, Janet Simon, George Ochs, Steve Wrege, Gerard Kerbleski.

Terms being served:

Immediate Past President - George Ochs, DPM  
Treasurer - Tommy Roe, DPM        
Secretary - Gerard Kerbleski, DPM 
Members-at-Large  Carlos Cadena, DPM, Raymond Giles, DPM    
Executive Director: Janet Simon, DPM

NMPMA Names Williams Podiatrist of the Year

The New Mexico Podiatric Medical Association (NMPMA) has named Edward D. Williams of Sante Fe, NM as its Podiatrist of the Year. Williams is a 1972 graduate of the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. He is a past president of the NMPMA and served two 5-year terms as Secretary-Treasurer of the New Mexico Board of Podiatry.

Dr. Edward D. Williams

Dr. Williams has  worked with his community in the role of volunteer in many areas. In 2000, he was awarded the Silver Beaver Award for community service from the Boy Scouts of America. He has provide free podiatric care  at the Villa Teresa Catholic Clinic for over 30 years and is a past board member. Since 1980, he has also been a volunteer podiatrist at the Delancy Street Rehabilitation Program.

Obama Calls For Bipartisan Policy Summit

President Barack Obama on Sunday underscored a push for a bipartisan solution to health reform, setting a Feb. 25 date for a policy summit with Democrats and Republicans alike in an effort to break a legislative impasse on Capitol Hill.

The olive branch to the GOP comes after Democrats lost their so-called “supermajority” in the Senate—the 60 seats needed to overcome a filibuster—and follows remarks the president made over the weekend where he pledged to push ahead with reform legislation that has been in limbo since the beginning of the year.

“So just in case there's any confusion out there, let me be clear, I am not going to walk away from health insurance reform,” Obama said during a speech made before the Democratic National Committee on Saturday.

Source: Matthew DoBias, Modern Healthcare [2/8/10]

Editor's Note: PM News is proud to present excerpts from Meet the Masters.

Bret Ribotsky: What is the key factor in finding the right practice partner?

Dr. Jon Hultman

Jon Hultman: My favorite quote from UCLA coach John Wooden is, “I would rather trust people and be occasionally disappointed than not trust people and be miserable all the time.” And that has been my relationship with my partners in various businesses and with pretty much everything I do. I think occasionally you are disappointed, but I think at the end of the day, we can all feel good about ourselves. If, in one business relationship, we feel that the other person does not trust us, it is never going to work out. I would rather afford that extent of trust. If they take advantage of it and I lose money, I think you know that is just the price of finding the right people. You know you do find them, and I think trust is a huge-huge factor.

Dr. David Helfman

Meet the Masters is broadcast each Tuesday Night at 9 PM (EST). This week's show features  David Helfman, DPM, CEO of Village Podiatry Centers of Atlanta, GA, The largest podiatry practice in the world. You can register for this event  by clicking here

Query: Allergy to Concrete?

I recently had a patient who indicated that he was diagnosed with "concrete feet." Has anyone heard of this as an entity or an allergy to cement/concrete?

Chuck Ross, DPM, Pittsfield, MA

Query: Billing/Scheduling

We have been having difficulties and frustrations with Cernar/Wisdom. Can anyone recommend another billing/scheduling computer system that also has excellent customer support? 
 
Margaret Portela, DPM, Union City, NJ

Query: Complication - Wound Dehiscence

A post-operative patient had a complication, a wound dehiscence which requires weekly inspection, debridement, and wound care. Normally, for this type of surgery, there are about 3 post-operative visits. However, in this case, because of the complication, there will probably be about 7-8 sessions for the wound care during the global period. The patient may very well need to go back to the operating room for debridement. How do I bill the post-op visits?

Robin Kubik, Brighton, MA 

Response: Whether this is a global issue or not depends on the payer's definition of global. If this is a Medicare patient, unless the patient is taken back to the operating room to repair the dehiscence, it would be considered included in the global allowance, and not separately reimbursed. In that case, you would append a "-78" modifier (unplanned return to the operating room for a related problem in a global period by the same physician - i.e., a complication of the original surgery).

Other payers may differ. For non-Medicare payers, contact them directly and ask for their policies and definitions.

Tony Poggio, DPM, Alameda, CA

Codingline subscription information can be found at:
http://www.codingline.com/subscribe.htm

RE: ABPS Examination Statistics (Robert Bijak, DPM)
From: Brian Kashan, DPM, Dan Klein, DPM

In reading Dr. Bijak’s letter, his comments and arguments also support the view he is opposed to. Board certification is one of the highest levels a podiatrist can attain. It is not supposed to be for all of us. ABPS is a surgical board. Many of us don’t even do surgery.

If the Boards were constructed so that everyone passed, what would board certification mean? Board certification was not designed or intended to have all podiatrists included. There are alternatives such as orthopedic and primary care certifications. I believe that if a podiatrist wishes to be board certified, there are enough boards for him to do so. Unfortunately, for any particular individual, surgical boards may not be in the cards.

As far as dissecting the boards into forefoot and rearfoot/ankle, this is not a unique situation. Orthopods, for example, may be certified by specialty as well, i.e., foot and ankle, hip, knee, etc.

Regarding comments that we say that MD’s don’t know anything about the foot, I would rephrase that statement, saying that podiatrists are the best trained and knowledgeable, as a profession, to treat the foot.

Brian Kashan, DPM, Baltimore, MD, drbkas@att.net

I am not surprised to see that the failure rate is so high. I believe that our study of podiatric surgery should be correlated with a requirement that residency teaching should focus on the surgical board's "scope of information." This should be reviewed after a residency to see if a candidate has the information to pass a board.  Perhaps mock boards should be given following a residency program to see where there are weaknesses for that candidate.

I agree that the stats reflect poorly on our profession and we need to correct this through constructive methods. We, as a profession, should require all surgical residency programs to schedule written and oral boards and see how well a candidate is prepared to take the exam, and then offer constructive ways to help that candidate succeed. We owe this to our brothers and sisters in the profession. We need to lead the way as a profession to be the final word in foot and ankle care.
 
Dan Klein, DPM, Fort Smith, AR, TOEFIXER@aol.com

RE:  EMR Change-Over (Kevin McDonald, DPM)
From: Martin G. Miller, DPM

The following statement by Dr. McDonald is not true: "Note to Dr. David Sullivan: Medinotes was never CCHIT-certified, as the final standards for certification have not even been released yet. Thus, to my knowledge, there are no EMRs that have been certified (only EMRs that are in position to become so - Medinotes is not one of them)."

There are and have been several stages of CCHIT certification and many EMR's, including Medinotes e, do have some of these certifications. Medinotes e is CCHIT 2008 certified, which is good until Jan 1, 2011 when the 2011 certification takes over. It is not and will not be 2011 certified, but for now, through the end of 2010, it is CCHIT-certified.

Here is a website where you can check the certification status of any EMR: Simply remove the check mark from the last line that says "CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR", click the Apply button, and you can search for everything that is currently certified through the end of 2010.

Martin G. Miller, DPM, Freeport, NY, mgmiller@optonline.net

ASSOCIATE POSITION - INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 
 
Hospital clinic practice with a large volume of all patient types. In need of 1-2 podiatrists, willing to work as a team and make a career in Indianapolis. One - two year residency training can be medical or surgical. Excellent income and ownership possible. Curriculum vitae to  twz1001@sbcglobal.net

ASSOCIATE POSITION - MARYLAND/D.C AREA

We are looking for an energetic and well-trained podiatrist to join our rapidly growing group; we have offices in Maryland and D.C and are in need of someone who is hard-working and growth-oriented. This candidate must be a graduate of a PM&S 36 residency program or have the equivalent in practice experience. We are looking for the person that wants to make this area their home and become an integral part of our group. If interested, e-mail your CV and cover letter to washingtonpod@aol.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - NORTHERN VIRGINIA/DC SUBURB

Excellent associate practice opportunity leading to partnership for PSR 24-36 foot and ankle surgically-trained physician. Currently 4-doctor/2 office practice in fast-growing area, expanding to 5 doctors. Hard working, personable, highly-motivated individuals needed. Great opportunity with excellent salary and benefits. No nursing homes. Top hospitals. Fax CV with references to 703-491-9994

SPACE AVAILABLE  With MRI– NYC/LI

Turn-key office space, East 60th and 22nd St. Manhattan and Plainview, Long Island. Available extremity M.R.I and dynamic ultrasound (East 60th St Manhattan and Plainview, LI). Tests are run by DPM and read by board-certified radiologist. Call for rental agreement. Satisfies Stark laws (516) 476-1815.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - W FLORIDA, BEACHES

Well established podiatry practice with excellent mix office/surgery seeking full time associate PSR 12-36. Excellent salary & benefits for the right hardworking, personable candidate. Email resume to capecoralpodiatry@live.com or fax to 239-573-9201

ASSOCIATE POSITION - TEXAS

Wonderful opportunity! Successful multi-office, multi-professional practice seeks well-trained new and established podiatric physicians with expertise in sports medicine, podopediatrics, rearfoot/ankle surgery, or hospital podiatry. A must to be outgoing, motivated, and personable with a dedicated hard-working ethical desire to become a winner. Send resume, current photo and letter of interest to sierrajip@gmail.com

PRACTICE FOR SALE - NORTHWEST CHICAGO SUBURBS

17 year-old surgical practice for sale. Practice sees a wide variety of foot and ankle pathology and is largely referral especially regarding surgical patients. Two offices fully equipped. Lease or purchase of office condo also possible. Doctor willing to stay Please email inquiries to crystallakefootandankle@live.com

PRACTICE FOR SALE - FLORIDA—CENTRAL/SOUTH

Turn-key operation grossing $570,000 annually based on one full-time doctor. Great opportunity for growing the top-line. Surgery is only 14% of the professional man-hours; it can significantly increase income. Medicare makes up 64% of revenues. Seller will assist with transition. Call 863-688-1725, ask for Chas.

ASSOCIATE POSITION FULL-TIME - SUBURBS OF CHICAGO

PSR 36 - month-trained podiatrist needed for busy suburban Chicago practice. Full benefit package included. If interested, please email your curriculum vitae to foot1st@yahoo.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION-INLAND EMPIRE, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Associate needed full or part-time for multi office practice. Must be ABPS BC/BQ. Hard working, ethical individual who is looking to a possible partnership opportunity. Looking for current licensed or resident completing program this spring. Email CV to bkatzman2@earthlink.net

ASSOCIATE POSITION – CINCINNATI, OHIO

This is your once in a lifetime opportunity to join one of the most successful practices in the United States. We do not have a seniority system. If you are motivated and have completed a PSR 24-36 residency, your income is limited only by your enthusiasm and desire to achieve. Email resume to khart@cincinnatifootcare.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - MARYLAND

Associate needed to join a multi-office podiatry practice in the Baltimore MD Region. Desired candidate should be surgically trained with Board Eligible / Certification. You must be hard-working, ethical, compassionate and confident in your abilities to deal with pathology, patients, staff and fellow physicians. Patient base is already established. Excellent income and growth potential for the right associate. Please forward a cover letter and resume and availability to FootDocMaryland@Gmail.com

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE – MICROVAS

Microvas Unit for sale in good condition, 1 year old. Works well for various conditions we treat.Joining multispecialty group and unable to bring unit. Best offer. Please e-mail inquiries to footdoctor@verizon.net

ASSOCIATE  POSITION - MONTANA

Great opportunity for a PSR 24 or 36 residency trained individual to join a dynamic two doctor group with physical therapy.  Needs good FF surgical skills, RF a bonus.  Beautiful office and great area of the country for outdoor recreation-minded individuals. Opportunity for partnership after employment. Please reply to: jclough@bridgemail.com

PRACTICE FOR SALE – WASHINGTON STATE 

Kent (20 miles South of Seattle) 15 year part time practice. Share office with two MD’s. Midmark 417, ExCel X-ray and processor Ritter M9 autoclave, instruments. Owner retiring. VERY REASONABLE PRICE. Call Martin Lynn @ 206.355.3701 Leave Message; or Email at mlynn@wport.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - CHICAGO AREA

Join one of the most successful, long-established podiatry practices in the Chicago area, with excellent salary and benefits. We have an immediate opening for a full-time podiatrist in a multi practice location in Chicago. Must have two years of surgical residency. Please e-mail resume to f-massuda@footexperts.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION – ILLINOIS

Quality Podiatry Group provides quality services to residents at long term care facilities. We are currently offering full-time or part-time positions for motivated ethical podiatrists. Immediate openings are available. If interested, fax curriculum vitae to 847-674-2113 or e-mail to feetwork@aol.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - MASSACHUSSETTS

Full-time/Part-time podiatrist needed for a busy nursing home practice. Please send inquiries to debbierobertsm4@hotmail.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION – MISSOURI

Expanding multi-location practice seeks motivated individual to contribute to growth. Practice enjoys strong reputation and name recognition. Prefer candidates with interest in partnership opportunity. Established locations available for PSR 24+ and includes incentive comp with benefits/coverage. Please send CV to jmurray@foothealers.com or call John Murray at 314.842.3875

PM News Classified Ads Reach over 12,000 DPM's and Students

Whether you have used equipment to sell or our offering an associate position, PM News classified ads are the fastest, most-effective way of reaching over 12,000 DPM's. Write to bblock@podiatrym.com or call (718) 897-9700 for details. THIS OFFER DOES NOT APPLY TO BUSINESSES PROVIDING PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. Note: For commercial or display ads contact David Kagan at (800) 284-5451

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