The Voice of Podiatrists

Serving Over 14,000 Podiatrists Daily

April 08, 2013 #4,736 Publisher-Barry Block, DPM, JD

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We’ve just posted the April 2013 CME titled

April 2013 CME

You can Earn 50 CPME-Approved CME Contact Hours Online

PM News has begun a new weekly feature called Quick Poll. Each week, we will post a new poll based on some of the controversial issues discussed in our Comments/Responses section. Straw polls are not scientific and do not represent standards of care.

Quick Poll
Have you implemented EMR in your practice?
Click HERE for Results

Last Week's Poll Results

UK Podiatrist Collaborates on Newly Re-Opened Barefoot Trail

An historic country home in west Cornwall re-opened its barefoot walking trail on April 6. Visitors to Godolphin House near Helston can experience the sensory delights of feeling their feet on surfaces from sand to fir cones to sticky mud. The trail, which is a collaboration between the National Trust and barefoot evangelist Dr. Steve Bloor, a podiatrist based in Helston, opened for the first time last year but has been closed for maintenance over the winter.

Dr. Steve Bloor

According to Bloor, "Some people, though not needing them for physical protection, wrongly will need to wear shoes for their employment due to cultural expectations of their employer or clients. In these cases I would advise they wear minimalist shoes to reduce the negative effects on their feet and of course go barefoot whenever they can."

Source: This is Cornwall [4/4/13]

GA Podiatrist and Wife Close Sports Grill

After 14 years, Jocks & Jills Sports Grill in north Bibb County closed for good Saturday night. “It’s time to stop and smell the roses,” said Sandy Union, who owns the restaurant at 4680 Sheraton Drive with her husband, Macon podiatrist Dr. Thomas Union.

Jock & Jills Sports Grille (Photo: Woody Marshall)

“My husband is going to be retiring, and we just decided we were going to travel and enjoy our grandchildren. We’ve had some health issues, and we decided we’d better do it while we can.”

Source: Linda Morris, Macon.com [4/4/13] 

TN Podiatrist Releases New Album

Dr. John Bell is a successful podiatrist, author, and recording artist out of the Memphis area. He grew up in North Carolina, served in the armed forces, went to med school, established a successful practice, The Excelsior Podiatry Clinic in Western Tennessee, and seemingly had everything. But a painful divorce and custody battle almost broke his spirit.

Dr. John Bell

However, his faith and belief in God, plus his ability to channel that into 4 books and a new CD titled, "Dating Again," helped him take that which was a loss and use it as a tool of ministry to give hope to others.

Source: Podomatic [3/23/13]

APWH Holds First Annual Conference

Over 150 physicians from 30 states, including podiatrists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, radiologists, diabetologists, and vascular specialists attended the first annual meeting of the Academy of Physicians in Wound Healing (APWH). This physicians-only organization was founded by Steven Kravitz, DPM, an internationally known and respected leader in the area of wound care.

Dr. Steven Kravitz, Attendees at APWH Annual Meeting

Attendees were treated with three days of intensive lectures by world renowned speakers and a one-day optional course "The Diabetic Foot - A Comprehensive Review" by Allen Jacobs, DPM. The course concludes Monday with a CMET Wound Healing Certification Exam. Next year's meeting will be held March 2014 in Philadelphia.

RE: Recalcitrant Heel Pain (Loren J Miller, DPM)
From: Stephen Musser, DPM, Edmond F. Mertzenich, DPM, MBA

Although the pain is unilateral, I suggest ordering a rheumatoid profile to rule out any seronegative arthropathies. In addition, I would also order a Tc99 triphasic bone scan and look for a possible stress fracture. Keep us posted, this sounds like an interesting case.
 
Stephen Musser, DPM  Cleveland, OH, ly2drmusser@gmail.com

I recommend looking into the possibility that the patient has some back-related issues, i.e., bulging disc, lumbar arthritis, spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, and sciatica-type problems. I have frequently seen patients complain of heel pain and by asking a few more questions, it turns out that the problem was related to a more proximal issue. 

Edmond F. Mertzenich, DPM, MBA, Rockford, IL, doctoreddpm@frontier.com

RE: Recalcitrant Heel Pain (Loren J Miller, DPM)
From: Jeff Root

One other possible etiology that hasn’t been mentioned for Dr. Miller’s patient with recalcitrant plantar heel pain is atrophy of the plantar fat pad. When Dr. Miller said that his patient’s pain is directly beneath the heel tubercle, are we to assume he was referring to the medial tubercle? There are a number of biomechanical factors to consider. Individuals with a cavus foot can function excessively supinated or pronated, which can cause compression and atrophy of the medial (excessively pronated foot) or lateral (excessively supinated foot) plantar fat pad. A gait analysis can reveal if...

Editor's Note: Mr. Root's extended-length letter can be read here.

RE: Call Pay (Charles Myers, DPM)
From: Neil A Burrell, DPM

Our group covers the ER of two hospitals 24/7. Three out of four of us participate. We are paid 116.00 a day for being on call. We bill the patient's insurance and attempt to collect from those who do not have insurance. Most of the calls we get are notifying us of an admission. The hospitals set the payment of 116.00 per day. They used a formula based on how often we got called in the past and how many self-pays they see. We are pleased with the arrangements. 

Neil A Burrell, DPM, Beaumont, TX, nburrell@gt.rr.com

RE: Call Pay (Charles Myers, DPM)
From: David Secord, DPM

Some years back, I was solicited by the orthopedic group at the community hospital Level II trauma center to take everything below the knee which came into the E.R. I was generally for the idea until I found out that the standing call payment made to the orthopedic doctor when taking this call was not going to be shared with me when I took over. In essence, they wanted me to take the call, accept the liability, very likely do the operative case gratis (as a majority of the individuals coming to this facility had no insurance), eat the cost of the follow-up care, and THEY would keep the call fee. I obviously didn’t agree to such an absurd arrangement, but if there is a call fee, it is probably something the orthopedic group covering at your hospital arranged. If you can get them to share it, you made out better than I did.

David Secord, DPM, Corpus Christie, TX, ledocdave@hotmail.com

RE: MI Podiatrist Sentenced to Prison in Healthcare Fraud Scheme
From: Alan Stiebel, DPM

I would like to take this opportunity to pull Dr. Anthony “Joe” Kirk’s good name out of the mud. I have been a classmate and friend of Dr. Kirk’s for the past 34 years. What has happened to this honorable man is deplorable and I would like to set the record straight. Dr. Kirk was indicted for inappropriate use of the code 11730 on his Medicare nail patients. This is a code that has been used extensively by podiatrists when preforming nail debridement-particularly among podiatrists in Michigan. The bizarre part of this story is that Joe was not a heavy user of this code. In fact, he had a small practice and the amount of money obtained from this billing was about $10,000/year over a 7-year period.

It appears that the Feds caught a little guppy while trolling for whales! One of the sad parts of the story is that if Joe would have tried to fight to keep his honorable name and the ability to continue practicing podiatry, it would have cost him at least $300,000 and a long ugly court battle. Joe is a humble man of meager means. He has lived a near monastic lifestyle and the cruel irony is that he is now being portrayed as a big, sneaky, money-grubbing doctor who was ripping off the system. Nothing can be further from the truth! At 61 years old, Joe didn’t have the energy or money to put up with a long drawn-out, emotionally draining battle.

It saddened me to see the salacious headline of the Michigan podiatrist who is going to prison for fraud. Joe can no longer practice podiatry and his life has been turned into a living hell. This is a dangerous story that could happen to anyone. Joe deserves our sympathy and warm wishes, not any sneers or thoughts that we are better than him.

Alan Stiebel, DPM, Shelby Township, MI, alanstiebel@comcast.net

RE: TRAKnet Hires Its Original Computer Architect
From: Michael J Felicetta, DPM

Bravo to Nemo Tech for getting the heart and soul of podiatry software back with the profession that appreciates him, and additional kudos to Nemo Tech for establishing a singular podiatry-friendly EHR vendor. It has always been necessary for podiatric medicine to fend for ourselves in the healthcare field, and our niche has been bolstered by the events at Biomedix-TRAKnet's recent upheaval.
                                                        
Michael J Felicetta, DPM, Toms River, NJ, DrMFoot@aol.com

RE: 104 Applicants Not Matched for Residency Positions
From: Troy Harris, DPM

I am a current second year podiatry resident. During my second or maybe first year of podiatry school, our Dean stated to our class that he was upset that the new Western school received approval for more slots than our school. He stated that our school was more established and should have at least as many slots as the new school. I was infuriated that our schools were trying even then to enroll more students, because yes, even then, we knew of the residency shortage. It wasn't as big of a shortage as this year, but it was looming, and we students were aware. 

When students from my class asked our Dean about the shortage, we were told that there was no need to worry, that our class would match. Every year of podiatry school, I begged my student APMSA liaison to voice concern at their meetings about the shortage. I have read with anticipation each issue of APMA News and other publications over the past 5 years to see if the shortage would be front page news or be top priority of the president's message columns. It was mentioned here and there, but other priorities got more press. Apparently, now it is getting more attention. My opinion is that we all should do what we can to help, but along with this, the schools should not be allowed to take more students than residencies can be provided for.  

Troy Harris, DPM, Jacksonville, FL, troyharris56@gmail.com

RE: 104 Applicants Not Matched for Residency Positions (Robert Eckles, DPM, MPH)
From: Brian Kashan, DPM, Joseph Borreggine, DPM

In reading Dr. Eckles' post, which shed some new light and a different perspective, I have a question. He states that we are basically graduating the same number of graduates now as we did in 1979. Only, now, we have 9 colleges and then we had 5. So, why do we need 4 more colleges, all of the infrastructure costs, etc., to accomplish the same thing we did over 30 years ago? I think that would contribute significantly to the cost of an education, and put more financial strain on each institution.
 
Brian Kashan, DPM, Baltimore, MD, drbkas@att.net

Finally, a voice of reason and clarity. Dr. Eckles is the only person who makes sense. I suggest that Dr. Eckles attend and speak at every upcoming major DPM convention this year. He needs to speak to the masses. He has summarized everything that should have been said weeks ago when this happened.

He is right. I was one of the first critics who responded to this matter on PM News and did not have anything good to say because I was reminiscing more about what happened to me 25 years ago. I did not have any facts to back up what I was saying. For that, I sincerely apologize for...

Editor's note: Dr. Borreggine's extended-length letter can  be read here.

WEIL FOOT ANKLE & ORTHOPEDIC INSTITUTE- CHICAGO EXPANDING FOOTPRINT

Weil Foot Ankle & Orthopedic Institute is expanding their presence in the Chicago metropolitan area. We are interested in discussing merger with current  podiatric practitioners in Chicago and surrounding area. Practices that have a minimum of 5 to 25 years of activity are welcome to meet with us and visit our rapidly expanding practice that currently numbers 18 DPMs, a neurologist, a rheumatologist, an orthopedic surgeon, and a primary care sports medicine physician. For more information contact: info@weil4feet.com or call Stephanie Spiegel, COO at 847-390-7666.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST

Wanting full-time podiatrist (PSR-24 or greater) in 30+ year established practice situated in coastal community just south of Los Angeles.  Building out a new office near hospital. Compensation is performance based with practically an unlimited earning capability. A possible buy-in is negotiable. Looking for someone to take over practice in the future.  Excellent opportunity for young ambitious doctor.  Send resume to asbf@pacbell.net, titled, "Podiatrist".

ASSOCIATE POSITION - NORTH TEXAS

Associate position possibly available. Located 50 miles from Dallas. All phases of Podiatric care with no ER call. PSR 24 required.  Hospital privileges & strong referral base. Practice has EMR, digital X-ray & on site vascular testing. Very competitive salary and benefits. Please send CV to Footdoc3143@gmail.com

POSITIONS AVAILABLE - UPSTATE NEW YORK and CONNECTICUT

Looking for podiatrists to see residents in nursing homes. Syracuse, Schenectady, Albany  Cortland, Little Falls, and Gloversville, and surrounding areas, New Britain and Southport, CT. Great opportunity for supplemental or full time income. Email inquiries to phasetwopodiatry@gmail.com.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - WASHINGTON, DC/ MD SUBURBS

Prominent, established two office practice seeking well rounded, personable, ethical individual with sharp medical and surgical skills. Must be 24/36 month trained, ABPS qualified or certified. Partnership opportunity with ownership potential. Competitive salary with benefits package. Please send CV to ponyrunner66@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION – HACKENSACK NEW JERSEY

Full-time podiatrist PSR 24 or greater, board eligible needed for traveling between offices in Northern NJ, Saturdays. Slow to start but great potential – high end location. Personality a must, Not routine care shy, Multilingual a plus, base salary and malpractice. Info to anklefootdoc@optonline.net, please no attached files.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - N.E. INDIANAPOLIS (FISHERS/ANDERSON)

Full or Part-time associates to join board-certified podiatrist in diverse, modern podiatry practice in hospital and office settings. EHR, digital x-rays, PADnet, Cutera Genesis Plus laser, Pinpointe Laser, ESWT, mini-C-arm, all aspects of DME, and hospital affiliations with three networks. Limited wound care. No nursing homes. Current Indiana podiatrists welcome. Tremendous potential for individual(s). Send C.V. with salary and benefit expectations: john.lloyd@lloydpodiatry.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Requiring full-time podiatrist (PSR-24 or greater) in established Practice situated in a foothill community of Southern California. There is an existing patient base and a strong support team. Compensation is performance based with practically an unlimited earning capability. A possible buy-in is negotiable. Send resume to office@uplandpodiatry.com , titled "podiatrist."

POSITION AVAILABLE - CENTRAL FLORIDA

Two doctor practice looking for an associate to take retiring doctor's position with partnership opportunity for the right person.  Competitive salary, health insurance and incentives. Two offices serving a diverse number of routine, surgical and wound care patients. Two years surgical residency training and FL license required. If interested in this great opportunity please e-mail CV, surgical log and references to toesrus7@yahoo.com.

ASSOCIATE POSITION – NORTHERN CALIFORNIA/SF BAY AREA
 
We’re expanding, seeking podiatrist to join multi-office practice. Must have great people skills, bedside manner, and positive demeanor. California license required. No nursing home visits. Prefer private practice experience. Send CV and cover letter to: ebpod2008@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - HAMPTON ROADS VIRGINIA

Needs to be highly motivated, INDEPENDENT and surgically-trained to join a successful 40+ year practice surrounded with water sports, beaches and hiking. PSR24/36 ; well versed in forefoot and rearfoot surgery, diabetic wound care, sports medicine and diagnostic ultrasound. Please email CV & cover letter to feetloveus@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - ORANGE COUNTY, NY

Looking for a highly motivated surgical trained podiatrist in the Orange County, NY (West Point area). Hospital, wound center and surgical center affiliated. It is a busy practice that covers hospital inpatients, Wound Center, and takes ER call. The applicant has to be trained in all foot surgery and be able to handle advanced diabetic wound care. The practice is a 1 hour car ride from NYC and is close to hiking, fishing ,skiing and state parks. Please Email a CV and contact info to clsp4@yahoo.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - GEORGIA

Associate needed for a busy podiatry office in Georgia. Candidate must be self motivated and surgically trained (PMS24/36). Must be versed in forefoot surgeries. At least one year post residency experience is required. Please send CV to myromeclinic@yahoo.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - UPSTATE NY

Busy multi-specialty practice of PCPs, general surgeons, OB-GYN, podiatric surgeons looking for a full-time podiatric associate in  Upstate NY, Binghamton, Finger Lake Region. Great Benefits, opportunity for partnership. Must be highly motivated, personable and be Board qualified/eligible. Our podiatrists have over 100 years combined experience. Please send CV to associateinfoot@yahoo.com or fax 607-723-1567.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - SUBURBAN PHILADELPHIA

Full time, PSR 24-36 month trained podiatrist needed for busy suburban Philadelphia group practice. Multidimensional, multi-office group treating a wide range of patients including forefoot, rearfoot & ankle surgery, diabetic wound care, sports medicine, and workrelated injuries. Office & diagnostic equipment state-of-the-art. Full benefit package included with bonus incentive. Position available starting July, 2013 excellent opportunity leading to partnership. Please email to: bailliemw@gmail

ASSOCIATE POSITION - MARYLAND, DC, PA

A podiatrist is needed for the Baltimore, Washington, Pennsylvania area. Partner for the corporation. Surgery center, emergency room call and a hospital location. All areas of podiatry. Established practice. Salary and commission. Fax resume 410-857-4227 or email at butler@qis.net

ASSOCIATE POSITION - SOUTHWEST FL

R U a PM&S36 or PSR24 graduate looking for a bright future in podiatry BUT cannot be afraid to work hard to achieve. Nail care to reconstructive ankle/leg trauma. Attitude & God complexes need not apply. Frames/IM nails, must be comfortable applying. Work hard for exciting future. Superstars only. Send info mny1029@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION – TAMPA BAY AREA

Multi-location practice seeking individual with balanced medical and surgical training. Practice is well established with growing new patient visits. Offering competitive salary and benefits along with bonuses commensurate with performance. EMR already in place with well-trained assistants. Please Send cover letter and CV to office@fitfeetflorida.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - PHILADELPHIA SUBURBS- BUCKS COUNTY

Seeking top-notch, highly motivated candidate with excellent clinical & surgical training to join established, well regarded multi-office practice with full spectrum of podiatric care. Great opportunity for the right person. Please respond to poddoc2@aol.com  with Resume,  CV and references.

SPACE AVAILABLE - NYC & LI

Office to sublet and share - East 60th Manhattan, and Plainview, Long Island. access to an MRI, Joint Commission certified operating rooms, digital x-ray, diagnostic ultrasound, and access to a multi-specialty ambulatory surgical center. Also availability E 22nd between 2nd and 3rd and E 70th off 3rd. Turn-key operation - no investment needed PODO2345@AOL.COM 516-476-1815

PAID PRECEPTORSHIP AVAILABLE IN MANHATTAN

Surgical, Biomechanics, and Practice Management. Send C.V. to ddfcfootdoc@gmail.com

PRECEPTOR POSITIONS - PHILADELPHIA

(3) Preceptor Positions available in Philadelphia and possibly (1) or (2) more in NY/NJ. Practice is diverse with a strong offering in podiatric rehabilitation, sports medicine and pain management. Two preceptors successfully completed this past year and gained tremendous hands-on experience. Please send resume to: ediamond7@comcast.net. To learn more: www.philadelphiapodiatrist.com.

PRECEPTOR POSITION – TAMPA BAY AREA

Multi-location practice offering paid preceptorship. You will learn great patient care techniques along with nuisances that go into running a successful practice. We had a positive experience with a preceptor this past year and want to repeat this. If interested please send CV to office@fitfeetflorida.com

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - COMPLETE AMFIT ORTHOTIC FABRICATION SYSTEM

Complete Amfit Orthotic Fabrication System with Footfax SL Contact digitizer. System includes milling machine, PCs, all cords, parts, medical software, hardware and $2100 worth of insole blanks. System cost $45K New, Asking $10K. For more information visit amfit4sale.wordpress.com

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - BIOMEDIX PADNET SYSTEM
 
PADnet is clinically valuable, provides fair financial return with medically appropriate testing and seamlessly integrates with the complete suite of BioMedix® products and services. One year old. In Excellent condition. Buyer pays for shipping. Please contact Rhonda Daggs at info@footanklecenters.com

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE - USED Q-CLEAR LASER

Still under warranty. New laser head just added. First Best Offer. Marketing and training included. Dr. Zuckerman will train you. e-mail with questions to footcare@comcast.net

ACADEMIC POSITIONS - SCHOLL COLLEGE

The Dr. William M. Scholl College Podiatric Medicine is seeking up to three full-time academic podiatrists to train and lead the next generation of podiatrists in an interprofessional, multicultural learning environment. Applicants must be board qualified with preference for board certification in foot surgery and reconstructive rearfoot/ankle surgery. Salary and academic rank will be commensurate with scholarly credentials. Contact Robert Joseph DPM, PhD at Robert.joseph@rosalindfranklin.edu or (937) 479-1793. Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Health Science is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The administration, faculty and staff embrace diversity and are committed to attracting qualified candidates from historically underrepresented groups.

PODIATRIST SEEKING EMPLOYMENT - CHICAGOLAND AREA

Personable, well trained ABPS Board Certified podiatrist with 10 years experience seeking associate position or buy-in opportunity in the Chicagoland area.  Please email inquiries to ewcv5@hotmail.com.

PRACTICE FOR SALE - BROOKLYN, NY

28 year old practice in a desirable part of Brooklyn. EHR certified with stage 1 criteria successfully met. Practice has room to grow. Good mix of Medicare hazardous foot care; surgery and wounds. Low overhead. Priced to sell. Email Inquires to brooklynpracticeforsale@gmail.com.

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

PRACTICE FOR SALE - SIOUX CITY, IA, TRI-STATE

Solo practice, established over 40 years. High volume, general care with surgical and orthopedic mix. Surgical privileges at 2 major hospitals. Deferred financing available. Contact: Medical Office, PO Box 4516, Sioux City, IA 51104.

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