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PMNews
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| PM News | |
The Voice of Podiatrists
Serving Over 15,775 Podiatrists Daily
March 22, 2014 #5,019  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 | |
FINAL DAY TO VOTE
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| APMA COMPONENT NEWS | |
APMWA Announces 28th Annual Student Writing Competition
The American Podiatric Medical Writers Association has announced its 28th Annual Student Writing Competition.
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All papers MUST be non-technical in nature. Appropriate subjects include practice management, ethics, law, education, or any topic that would be suitable for a lay publication.
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There is no word limitation. Papers will be graded for content, style, grammar, neatness, and overall impact.
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First prize will be one thousand dollars ($1,000), sponsored by an APMA Educational Foundation endowment from Dr. and Mrs. Steven Berlin, and recognition in the APMA NEWS and the APMWA Newsletter. Honorable Mention Certificates may also be awarded.
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This competition is open to ANY enrolled podiatric student.
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Entries must be received by 4/15/14 via e-mail at bblock@podiatrym.com
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Entries become the property of APMWA, which may arrange publication of the entry.
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| PODIATRISTS IN THE COMMUNITY | |
NJ Podiatrist Helps Rock Star Get Back On His Feet
Last week, a benefit concert was held for Slick Aguilar, lead guitarist of Jefferson Starship. As an attempt to help Aguilar get back on his feet, podiatrist Dr. Daniel Margolin ran a fundraiser with his staff and patients to contribute to the cause. Aguilar has been entertaining his fans for over forty years and continued to do so until he was diagnosed with hepatitis C and required a liver transplant in July 2013. This debilitating disease affected his ability to perform, contributing to high medical bills and living expenses for his family.
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(L-R) Dr. Daniel Margolin and Slick Aguilar |
The intimate show featured Lou Gramm, the voice of Foreigner, and Marty Balin, from Jefferson Airplane/Starship, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Through a close friend, Margolin of New Jersey Foot and Ankle Center in Oradell felt the need to do more than just attend the event. Over a two-week period, New Jersey Foot and Ankle Centers ran an online raffle. At the office, staff members encouraged patients to buy raffle tickets and donate towards the cause.
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| MEETING NEWS | |
PA Podiatrist Named Board Member at Council for Nail Disorders Meeting
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Dr. Tracey Vlahovic |
The 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Council for Nail Disorders concluded yesterday in Denver, Colorado, one day before the American Academy of Dermatology Meeting. This year's meeting was absolutely fantastic and loaded with presentations germane to all podiatrists in practice. One of the highlights of the meeting was the unanimous election of Dr. Tracey Vlahovic for a podiatry seat on the Board of Trustees. The first seat is held by Dr. Bryan Markinson. Next year's meeting is on March 19th, 2015 in San Francisco.
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| QUERIES (CLINICAL) | |
Query: Synvisc for Ankle Joints
I have a patient with ankle osteochondritis. He is not interested in surgery, but has brought up the idea of Synvisc injections generally used in the knee. Does anyone have experience using Synvisc or similar injections in ankles? Please comment on technique, amount used, and reimbursement.
Larry Aronberg, DPM, Lake Worth, FL
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| QUERIES (NON-CLINICAL) | |
Query: Should the DPM Degree be Reduced to Three Years?
A November 2013 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) editorial entitled, "Are We in a Medical Education Bubble Market?" states, "we just have to recognize that the high costs of medical education are sustainable only if we keep paying doctors a lot of money, and there are strong signs that we can't or won't." Government is attempting to respond to lower reimbursements for physician services by reducing the cost of education by way of reducing the time it takes to earn a medical degree. New legislation introduced last week would allow graduates at accredited medical school programs in California to become doctors in three years.
What do you think? Is three years enough time? If this legislation passes, will other states and other professional medical degrees follow suit? Is podiatric medical education in a "bubble market" as defined by the NEJM editorial?
Robert Creighton, DPM, St. Petersburg, FL
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| CODINGLINE CORNER | |
Query: Custodial Care Facility Billing
We recently saw a few patients in what we originally thought was a nursing home. Afterwards, we determined that they were actually residing in a custodial care facility. I got the correct CPT codes from the APMA Coding Resource Center, and did the billing. My question is: Are there things we cannot do there, for example, wound care or dispensing DME? Is the place of service code "33"?
Erica, Office of James Hirt, DPM, Fenton MI
Responses: A custodial care facility is defined by Medicare as "a facility which provides room, board, and other personal assistance services, generally on a long-term basis, and which does not include a medical component." Unlike a skilled nursing facility, there are no restrictions in services you can perform. You should bill the services to your Medicare Part B contractor.
Tony Poggio, DPM, Alameda, CA
Codingline subscription information can be found here
APMA Members: Click here for your free Codingline Silver subscription
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ACE USA and RPS Healthcare Expand Podiatrist Professional Liability Coverage
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid guidelines and rules resulted in a record number of investigations and enforcement actions in 2011. ACE Medical Risk, a division of ACE USA, has responded through an endorsement that increases limits on Medicare/Medicaid legal expense reimbursements, raising coverage limits from $30,000 to $50,000 per action, with an annual aggregate of $50,000. This product is underwritten by companies within the ACE Group, an A.M. Best “A+” rated carrier, and is offered to podiatrists exclusively by RPS Healthcare, National Program Administrator of the Podiatry PLUS programs and one of the largest wholesalers and the largest Managing General Agent in the country. For more information Call 800-397-9697 ext 2646.
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (CLINICAL) | |
RE: Has Laser Nail Fungus Removal Been Proven Effective?
From: Leonard A. Levy, DPM MPH
There have been a handful of follow-up comments since I cited in PM News an extensive study on laser treatment for fungus nails done by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. * Dr. Andrea Bershow, the director of the nail procedure clinic at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, states, “I think we want it to work, but the evidence just isn’t quite there yet.” She published a report last year that reviewed current laser research which was quoted in the NY Times March 18, 2014. “The studies that have shown efficacy, she comments, “have been small, they haven’t been randomized controlled trials, and most of them have been funded by the actual laser companies themselves.”
*J Am Acad Dermatol. 2013 Oct;69(4):578-82. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2013.04.054. Epub 2013 Jul 13
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (MEETING NEWS) | |
RE: Notes from the Council for Nail Disorders Meeting
From: Bryan C. Markinson, DPM
The Council for Nail Disorders Meeting concluded today in Denver, Colorado. The program was full of topics of interest to podiatric specialists, including onychomycosis, laser treatment, longitudinal melanonychia, and nail unit surgical techniques. I thought I would pass along some key points that were made at the meeting:
1) Treatment for onychomycosis without confirmatory culture or histology is UNACCEPTABLE. Many commented on patients with history of treatment failure who never were tested. Although some dermatologists and...
Editor's note: Dr. Markinson's extended-length letter can be read here.
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Codes for Podiatric Medicine and More! 2013/2014 (26th Edition)
Make the transition this year with minimal stress and ultimate convenience.
This two-volume set contains podiatric medicine specific ICD-9-CM, ICD-10-CM (cross-referenced), E/M, HCPCS, CPT, E/M, E, and V codes, modifiers, guidelines for wound care, diabetic foot care, the Medicare Diabetes Shoe Program, and more.
Telephone and email support is provided at no additional cost for help with your tough coding questions.
Accept no substitutes. My publication is the one that you hear about. Join the thousands of satisfied podiatrists using my coding manuals for over 25 years. Available for immediate shipping!
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (NON-CLINICAL) - CLOSED | |
From: Barry Mullen, DPM
From my perspective, this boils down to, "different strokes for different folks" and has little bearing on reimbursement. Why generalize and attempt to extrapolate quality with time? I'd argue any randomly judged parameter, i.e. surgical time vs. given procedure, works along a bell curve. That curve's median, along with other surgery parameters, such as difficulty, associated medico-legal risk, etc. is what is likely utilized to assess reimbursement levels...at least I'd hope
so.
I'm fortunate to have trained with those I perceive as the "BEST" surgeons our profession had to...
Editor's note: Dr. Mullen's extended length letter can be read here. This topic is now closed.
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| RESPONSES/COMMENTS (OBITUARIES) | |
RE: The Passing of Gordon Duggar, DPM
Dr. Duggar was a deeply committed surgeon and podiatric educator. I learned from him as one of my mentors whenI was the first podiatry resident at Doctors Hospital in Tucker GA from 1969-1971. He was a calming, dedicated, and honorable gentleman in the then new world of residency training - a seedling of what would become the Podiatry Institute. We kept in touch over the past years, and I will miss his counsel and exceedingly warm heart.
Mark Feldman, DPM, Miami, FL
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| YOU CAN'T MAKE THESE THINGS UP | |
RE: Man Pretending to be Podiatry Student Arrested for Sucking on Woman's Toes in Walmart
A man was charged Thursday after police say he was caught on surveillance sucking a woman's toes at a North Carolina Walmart. According to WCNC-TV, Michael Brown, 31, is charged with assault on a female after 44-year-old Erika Porras reported the incident to police. Porras told officers she was shopping at the store Monday when Brown allegedly approached her and asked if he could help her try on shoes.
The woman said she believed he was an employee, so she agreed. Porras also stated that Brown told her he was a podiatry student. "He said, ‘I need to take a picture for research,' and when he did, he stuck her foot in his mouth," the woman's daughter, Kattie, told WCNC.
Source: WKRN via WCNC-TV [3/21/14]
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MEETING NOTICES
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| CLASSIFIED ADS |
PODIATRY OFFICE AVAILABLE – MANHATTAN
Turn-key office available in high volume areas on Upper East Side of Manhattan to lease or share. Digital x-ray, MRI, CT scanner, fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, and fungal laser. Price based on usage. Call 516-476-1815 or email podo2345@aol.com.
PODIATRY OFFICE AVAILABLE – NORTH SHORE, LONG ISLAND
Turn-key 4-treatment room office available in high volume area of Plainview, NY to lease or share. Digital x-ray, MRI, CT scanner, fluoroscopy, diagnostic ultrasound, and fungal laser. Price based on usage. Call 516-476-1815 or email podo2345@aol.com.
PART-TIME PRACTICE FOR SALE - GLENDALE CALIFORNIA
Rid yourself of totally relying on insurance payments for your services by using fluid Silicone implants. Great financial potential for an informed Podiatrist willing to promote this knowledge. 818-384-2479
PRACTICE FOR SALE - SOUTHWEST FL
Multilocation multidoctor practice in beautiful Southwest Florida. Practice has grossed over seven figures consistently and currently shows 10-15% growth in revenues with increase in new patients and patient visits. EHR is already implemented with meaningful use criteria met. Practice has been professionally evaluated by Provider Resources. Only serious inquiries to this email address. This is a great practice in Paradise and a good opportunity for the right doctor or doctors. Email to: practiceforsaleswfla@gmail.com
ASSOCIATE POSITION - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Very busy, two location group practice seeking a full-time, self-motivated and hard-working podiatry associate. Competitive salary offered. Please email CV to: podiatrists@icloud.com
ASSOCIATE POSITION - NORTH CAROLINA - GREENSBORO/TRIAD AREA
Busy, state-of-the-art group practice seeking full time associate. PSR 24 or above training preferred. Excellent opportunity for a highly motivated and ethical applicant. Competitive income and benefit package. Hospital privileges available. Board certified/qualified applicant, send CV and letter of interest to triad.podiatrist@yahoo.com
FULL-TIME ASSOCIATE POSITION – FLORIDA PANHANDLE
Immediate position available for hard-working, motivated individual in a well-established practice. Equal mix of primary care and surgery. Excellent opportunity to get on all insurance panels. Board qualified/Certified with ABPS preferred. Competitive salary and benefit package. Please email CV and letter of interest to kmoore@feetareneat.com.
ASSOCIATE POSITION - HUDSON VALLEY REGION, NY
Hudson Valley Foot Associates has a great opportunity available! We’re a high-volume, diversified, multi-office group practice utilizing state-of-the-art modalities. Great growth for a personable and motivated DPM. Please visit www.hvfa.com and forward cover letter with CV to info@hvfa.com.
ASSOCIATE POSITION - CENTRAL FLORIDA
Associate wanted for well-established practice in central Florida. Multi Physician Practice – Multi Practice Locations Competitive Salary and Benefits. Experienced support staff. Excellent opportunity for a promising future. To apply please go to www.yourcareerinpodiatry.com
ASSOCIATE POSITION - KENTUCKY
Immediate opening for palliative/general podiatric care provider in established clinics, nursing home and assistive living settings in beautiful Southern Kentucky. Travel involved, but transportation provided along with ability to provide a wide range of clinical care including DME. Board certification not mandatory, but must be eligible for KY state license. Base salary with incredible bonus opportunity/full benefits. Join Kentucky’s largest and most respected podiatric group. Email CV and letter of interest to: jonkim12000@yahoo.com
ASSOCIATE POSITION - SOUTHEAST FL
Associate wanted for mobile service to provide palliative care, diabetic and wound care. Good pay, flexible hours. Assistant provided. Send CV or letter of interest to info@dropinternational.org or call 800.779.8551
ASSOCIATE POSITION - NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
Position available leading to buy in after 6-12 months for the right person. Well established practice all aspects of care. Modern facility and latest technology. Need a self-starter ambitious person to work and grow the practice. Send Resume and cover letter to DRFOOT44@gmail.com
ASSOCIATE POSITION – SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Immediate associate position available. Applicant should be personal, self-motivated and independent. Will provide diabetic treatments, biomechanical exams, minor office procedures, major surgical corrections, in-home care. Great surgical growth potential. Competitive compensation package. Send letter of intent and CV to: admin@blaskodpm.com.
ASSOCIATE NEEDED - CONNECTICUT
Position available for a board certified or qualified individual who has an emphasis on DM foot care and is comfortable with all surgical aspects of forefoot, rearfoot and ankle surgery. Excellent opportunity for a surgeon. Competitive salary and benefits offered and a perfect community to raise a family. fax resume to bfsoffice@4udr.com
POSITIONS AVAILABLE - BUFFALO, UPSTATE NY, AND CONNECTICUT
Looking for podiatrists to see residents in nursing homes in Buffalo, Upstate New York and Connecticut. Great opportunity for supplemental or full time income. Email inquiries to phasetwopodiatry@gmail.com
PODIATRISTS WANTED – NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Podiatrists wanted for fully managed practice in skilled nursing facilities in the following areas: 1. Chico and Meadowood 2. Sacramento 3. Fresno – local and up to one hour south. Send CV and area of interest to: ZBUBBLESZ@aol.com
FULL-TIME ASSOCIATE POSITION - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Well established 65 year old practice looking for full time associate upon completion of a 36-month residency. Salary and full benefits including medical and malpractice included. Purchase opportunity available after probationary period. Full scope modern practice with 2 office locations. Great opportunity. Please email your CV to bkatzman2@verizon.net
PM News Classified Ads Reach over 15,500 DPMs and Students
Whether you have used equipment to sell or are offering an associate position, PM News classified ads are the fastest, most-effective way of reaching over 15,500 DPMs. for details, click here or write to: bblock@podiatrym.com or call (718) 897-9700 for details. For commercial or display ads contact David Kagan at (800) 284-5451
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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.
| | Guidelines |
- To Post a message, send it to: bblock@podiatrym.com
- Notes should be original and may not be submitted to
other publications or listservs without our express written
permission.
- Notes must be in the following form:
RE: (Topic)
From: (your name, DPM)
Body of letter. Be concise. Limit to 250 words or less). Use
Spellchecker
Your name, DPM City/State
- Subscribers are reminded that they have an ethical obligation to disclose any potential conflicts of interest when commenting on any product, procedure, or service.
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