The Voice of Podiatrists

Serving Over 12,500 Podiatrists Daily

October 19, 2010 #3,987 Publisher-Barry Block, DPM, JD

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MD Podiatrist Provides Sock-Buying Advice

With summer over and people trading in their sandals and flip flops for socks and shoes, it's decision time. Dr. Ross Taubman, a Baltimore-area podiatrist, says he's beginning to have conversations with his patients in transition to fall footwear. "I'm really big on appropriate socks for activities," said Taubman, past president of the American Podiatric Medical Association. "No dress socks for exercise. You need cushioning to protect, and wicking to remove sweat."

Dr. Ross Taubman

The APMA website lists 14 manufacturers with socks — many for diabetics and those with poor circulation — that have passed its tests. Taubman says any of those products, and lots of others on the market, will provide protection. "In general, stores like REI will have quality items that are sports-specific. You can generally trust stores like that to ask questions and help you sort through them," Taubman said.

Source: Candus Thomson, The Baltimore Sun [10/17/10]

GA Podiatrist Runs in Local Tune-up for Upcoming Greek Marathon

Dr. Spence Misner has run in marathons in Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Atlanta. Earlier this year, he entered his name for a chance to run the original route that Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce that the Greeks had defeated the Persians in 490 B.C. Now, after “winning the lottery,” Misner will travel to Greece to run in his footsteps on the 2,500-year anniversary of Pheidippides’ run. Misner was proud to see Dalton, GA making a big step into the world of competitive running with its own event, a half marathon.

Dr. Spencer Misner at NYC Marathon

“This has been a totally incredible event,” he said. “It brings recognition to the community in a very positive way. Events such as this and the bike racing earlier this year show Dalton to be a very heath-conscious community and in tune with the environment.”

Source: Chris Whitfield, Dalton Daily Citizen [10/17/10]

IN Podiatrist Has Latest Financial Mystery Published

It's time for a shout out about local authors. We have a talented crew of writers in the Tri-State area, some of whom have received national acclaim, some who are only known locally, but all worth reading.

Dr. Brandt Dodson

Newburgh podiatrist Brandt Dodson's novels are published by Harvest House, one of the premier publishers of Christian fiction. Daniel's Den, his latest, is a suspenseful tale of a man and woman who find each other while on the run from a pair of vicious killers covering up a financial crime.

Source: Pam Locker, Evansville Courier & Press [10/17/10]

FL Podiatrist and Brother are Known For Elaborate Halloween Productions

A rather peculiar looking man dressed in a vintage tuxedo and sporting a gaudy red gemstone ring leaned against an old hearse during the recent Cruisin' Winter Haven car show and spookily grinned at a surprised onlooker. "Heh, heh, heh," said the man in the tux, affecting the laugh of Dr. Paul Bearer. "I always did say 'I'll be lurking for you.'"

Richard Koon as Dr. Paul Bearer (Photo: Greg Fight)

Richard Koon, who plays the role and his brother, Winter Haven podiatrist James Koon, are known for their elaborate Halloween productions planned to delight trick-or-treaters young and old.

Source: Donna Kelly, News Chief, [10/17/10]  

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

Bret Ribotsky: What do you suggest podiatrists should be doing to prepare for changes in the coming healthcare environment? 

Michael Lowe, Esq.

Michael Lowe: The managed care companies are trying to buy people to walk through contracts because there is so much uncertainty in the market place. So, they want longer and longer terms. So, negotiate. If they want a longer term, get better reimbursement over that three or five year contract. Get better rates. Get better, higher percentages of Medicare, if that is what they are paying.

I think you will see more consolidation. Can you align yourself with a bigger group? IPAs and MSOs are becoming very popular again. Look for them. You can try to use collective marketing, so to speak, in a compliant way to get better rates in the marketplace. Also, look to join a multi-specialty group.

Dr. Robert Frykberg

Meet the Masters is broadcast each Tuesday Night at 9 PM (EST). The next segment  will feature diabetic foot specialist, Dr. Robert Frykberg. You can register for this event by clicking here

Give Staffers Your Ear

Set off on a clear path to success: Start encouraging employees to share their views, submit ideas and raise questions. Solicit real input on important decisions as well as day-to-day matters. Doing that will raise their morale, but you will see more than that arguably “soft” benefit. As a leader, you need opinions, feedback and ideas from the people on the front line.

Suggestion: Think of your employees as “internal consultants.” Sure, you may hear some things that you do not want to hear. Still, the benefits outweigh that risk.

Remember: Failure to listen can only undermine your staffers’ ability to drive your practice forward. And if they feel unable or unwelcome to raise concerns, you set up the all-too-real risk of allowing little things to fester until they become full-blown crises.

Source: Adapted from “One Team, Many Voices,” Nita Clarke, The Daily Telegraph (London) via Communication Briefings 

Query: Company That Repairs Physical Therapy Units
From: Elliot Udell, DPM
 
I have an H-Wave electro-stim unit that needs an internal repair. The battery went bad inside and does not take a charge. It's soldered in. Does anyone know of any companies that repair these types of units. 
 
Elliot Udell, DPM, Hicksville, NY

RE: Verapamil for Plantar Fibromatosis (Payam Nikravesh, DPM)
From: Stephen Weinberg, DPM

Regarding the use of topical Verapamil for plantar fibromatosis, if you are looking for a non-surgical approach, you might investigate the use of Xiaflex, an injectable collagenase, that is used for Dupuytren's with some success. The manufacturer is Auxilium, and there is FDA approval only for the hands currently. 

Stephen Weinberg, DPM, Des Plaines, IL, saweinbergdpm@aol.com

RE: Doctor (DPM) Doctor? (Bryan C. Markinson, DPM)
From: Robert Bijak, DPM, Narmo L. Ortiz, Jr., DPM

A structure or profession is only as strong as its foundation. Dr. Markinson is correct in saying that to increase OUR scope we have to emulate the training (foundation) of nurse practitioners and physicians assistants, and real medical schools. As it stands now, we have seen that the highest the podiatric skyscraper can climb with its limited license is a 3-year residency, and then things begin to topple. (viz a viz Name Withheld's parity problem).
 
Where does the architectural planning begin for the podiatric skyscraper? The schools and the APMA. Without a change in their educational resolve, podiatry will continue to rest on the shifting sands of insurance companies, MDs, and hospital boards. The podiatric community needs to introspect and decide on what methods can be used to nudge the inertia of our schools and the APMA. If they felt as strongly as we do for a degree change, we would have seen a proposal. As of yet, nothing.

Robert Bijak, DPM, Clarence Center, NY, rbijak@ aol.com

After reading all of the posts concerning parity and scopes of practice and comparisons to nurses, physician assistants, and MDs, it's obvious that our profession will not progress to anything else unless the first step is taken once and for all: achieving equal scope of practice and reciprocity of licensing of podiatry among ALL of the United States. Dear APMA, please help us with this issue NOW!

Narmo L. Ortiz, Jr., DPM, Cape Coral, FL, nlortizdpm@embarqmail.com

RE: Doctor (DPM) Doctor? (Bryan C. Markinson, DPM)
From: Randall Brower, DPM,  Tilden Sokoloff, DPM, MD

Things have drastically changed since Dr. Markinson went to podiatry school. Where Dr. Mandracchia practices is the Des Moines area, the Iowa podiatry school is largely integrated into a D.O. school. I went there. They do not differentiate between DOs and DPMs for the first two years. So, yes we learned how to do pap smears, listen to hearts and lungs; we even had actors play patients in a video recorded session as we diagnosed acute abdomens. And in residency at Detroit Medical Center, we functioned as interns on the rotations we were in. I put breast implants in, helped lyse intestinal adhesions, rounded twice daily in the ICU and took ICU and ER call right alongside internal medicine residents.
 
Listen, Dr. Mandracchia and I know who we are, and we know our training is on par with any other medical resident, at least in Iowa. We already have an unlimited license to diagnose...

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

In reading the comments pertaining to parity and expanding scope, there is a fundamental misconception about how this is accomplished. Expanding scope is not what podiatric medical education should be concerned with. We do educate our students to the same level of education required for an MD or DO degree in the first two years (basic science). Our clinical science years are lacking rotations in OBGyn, pediatrics, and psychiatry. If we add those to our clinical years along with the internal medicine, dermatology, surgery, vascular surgery/medicine and surgery we already offer, parity would still be in question if we don't change our school charters in each state to offer an MD or DO degree from a podiatric medical school.

You would not want a 4th year MD or DO student diagnosing your acute abdomen. That is irrelevant, and for a discussion on an open national forum makes us look foolish and very out of touch with the training of a physician. They are trained as we are in differential diagnosis, but residency training starts...

Editor's Note: Dr. Tilden Sokoloff's extended-length letter can be read here.

RE: Rules for Rewarding Patient Referrals (Peter Walimire, DPM)
From: Pasquale Cancelliere, DPM

I find it embarrassing that a physician would propose such ludicrous schemes to promote referrals. Referrals should be based on professional merit and consistent patient outcomes, not on a "quid pro quo" basis. Raffles should be left for Bingo clubs, vacations left to time share buy-in programs. They have no part in establishing ourselves as professionals. We already still have a hard enough time being recognized as professionals and physicians. This is a bad misrepresentation of ourselves. I believe that if Dr. Walimire needs such "programs" to promote referrals to his office, maybe he should work on developing his skills to improve his patients' outcomes and let the quality of his work speak for itself.

Pasquale Cancelliere, DPM, Boston, MA, pcancell@bidmc.harvard.edu

RE: Organized Medicine Stands Up Against Medicare Pay Cuts (Wm. Barry Turner, BSN)
From: Bob Kornfeld, DPM

Dr. Turner has hit the nail squarely on the head. It is already true that without the 23% cut, physicians of many specialties are struggling to pay their bills. What the government has planned for us, the 23% Medicare cuts and the new Obama Care, will close many offices. We are already seeing the largest number of doctors retiring in their 50's than ever before, not because they are financially able to, but because they are really sick and tired of the incredible stress of running a practice.

Medicare and insurance companies dictate the standard of care. They dictate how you should chart every patient encounter and, worst of all, they reimburse based on their own mathematical formula for profitability which is completely independent of the costs of running a practice. In my mind, it makes no sense to jump through all of these hurdles and...

Editor's Note: Dr. Kornfeld's extended-length letter can be read here.

PART-TIME ASSOCIATE PODIATRIST WANTED - CENTRAL NEW JERSEY

Growing practice in need of an outgoing, hard-working associate. House calls, nursing homes and a busy, well-established office setting. At least a PSR12 preferred. Fax CV to 732 699 1901.

PART-TIME/FULL-TIME PODIATRIST NEEDED - INDIANA

Part-time full-time Podiatrist needed for our Indiana offices. Must have Indiana license. Must have completed two years of surgical residency. If qualified email to f-massuda@footexperts.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION – LONG ISLAND

FT/PT Associate position available with busy multi-office podiatry group on Long Island. Our practice is state-of-the-art, and encompasses all phases of podiatric care. We welcome new practitioners, or someone who would be open to merging a smaller practice with ours, and benefitting from our practice management overlay. We also invite residents graduating in 2011 who want to practice on Long Island to apply for this position. Compensation includes competitive salary and bonuses. Vacation pay and malpractice insurance are also offered with a full time position. Please send your CV by fax (631) 293-3462 or e-mail to mets724@gmail.com

PART-TIME PODIATRIST NEEDED - LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Busy Podiatrist looking for assistance with patients located in facilities, homes, office etc. Flexible hours, independence, and great compensation. If interested email CV to homefootcare@hotmail.com or call Terri at 323-353-8103.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

Associate needed for a dynamic group practice in Northern New Mexico. We are looking for a well-trained 3-year surgical resident to help us build our practice leading to partnership. In New Mexico we have a leg law. Besides a great professional experience, we have the mountains for skiing, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding. Ideal for an experienced podiatrist looking for a location change. Please send a resume to FootandAnkleAssociates@comcast.net

ASSOCIATESHIP - MARYLAND

A great opportunity to join and gain ownership interest of a well established, diversified practice in Maryland. 2-year residency needed, EHR, ultrasound, ASC, hospital close by with wound care center. Fax resume to 410-749-6807.

ASSOCIATE POSITION - FREDERICK, MARYLAND

Well-established group practice is located only 45 minutes from both DC and Baltimore. Immediate opening for a minimum PSR 36 Podiatrist for full time position. We have it all: EMR, digital x-ray, ultrasound, ASC, etc. Excellent salary with bonus structure and benefits. Please email resume to docsbnb@aol.com

IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE- ASSOCIATE POSITION - DAYTON, OHIO

Join a well-established modern practice with an excellent reputation and referral base. Base salary $100,000 and benefits with a bonus structure. EMR, diagnostic ultrasound, all aspects of DME, Padnet vascular studies, and CO2 lasers. We seek a surgeon that is well trained, personable and motivated to join our group of 3 Podiatric Surgeons. Would like this individual to buy in the practice eventually. Please send resume and photo to Ohiodoctors@aol.com

ASSOCIATE POSITION - NYC, NY

Part/time, full/time associate for busy, well established multi-doctor, multi-office NYC group. Seeking motivated, ethical, NYC licensed DPM with excellent office management and clinical skills in all phases of Podiatry. Board Qualified/Certified preferred. Salary plus incentives, pension/medical/dental. Partnership potential. Fax CV to 631-369-6570.

PART-TIME / FULL-TIME PODIATRIST NEEDED ASAP - CHICAGO

Part-time podiatrist needed for 2 offices in Chicago with an average of 20 hours/week. Must have Illinois license. Must have completed 2 years of surgical residency. If qualified, email to f-massuda@footexperts.com

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: PADNET SYSTEM BY BIOMEDIX

Less than 1 yr old. Two computer laptops included to allow flexibility of testing in 2 offices. Training by Biomedix included in price. Willing to sell for remainder of balance on lease. Contact by email at hassenfratz@hotmail.com

SPORTS MEDICINE FELLOWSHIP

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation Surgical/Sports Fellowship Aug 1, 2011 thru July 31, 2012. APPLICANTS MUST BE ABLE TO OBTAIN A CALIFORNIA LICENSE. Responsibilities include assisting in all types of foot and ankle surgery (approximately 500 cases), seeing patients in the sports clinic and completing 2 papers/research projects. Benefits include salary of $56,500/yr, medical, dental, malpractice, and CME allowance. Interviews at the Midwest Podiatry Conference Mar 3-5, 2011 & ACFAS Mar 8-10, 2011, but on-site visit is preferred. Minimum 24-month surgical residency training pre-requisite. Send a letter of interest, CV and three letters of recommendation to: Amol Saxena, DPM. HeySax@AOL.com

TRAUMA FELLOWSHIP - FOOT & ANKLE

Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines, IA is currently accepting applications for its 12 month trauma surgery fellowship beginning August 1, 2011. Fellowship to include advanced techniques in all foot and ankle surgery with an emphasis on lower extremity trauma, reconstruction & total joint replacement. Residency training required. Competitive salary and benefits. Please submit a letter of interest, CV, and 3 letters of recommendation to: Ben Olsen, DPM, Director: Foot and Ankle Trauma Fellowship, Broadlawns Medical Center,  1801 Hickman Road, Des Moines, IA 50314, 515-282-7927,  bolsen@broadlawns.org 

ACTIVE PRACTICE FOR SALE - NEW YORK CITY

Part-time practice available Mid-town Manhattan. Doctor is retiring. (212) 247-5148.

PRACTICE FOR SALE - MARYLAND, DC SUBURB

Great opportunity. Retiring after 38 years in practice at the same location. Practice is fully equipped with digital x-ray, diagnostic ultrasound, computer network, orthotic scanner and state licensed ambulatory surgical center that is fully equipped. Owner will stay on as needed for easy transition. dpmpracticeforsale@yahoo.com

PRACTICE FOR SALE - SW LOUISIANA

Only full-time podiatrist in city of 30,000. Great economic base of oil refineries and numerous petrochemical companies as well as riverboat casinos. Located in sportsman’s paradise. Practice comes with 2600 sq. ft. office building and all supplies. 7 area hospitals. Reasonably priced. Contact peshdpm@pol.net

AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER - PRIVILEGES AVAILABLE - NJ

Privileges available in a new 2 ORs. New certified multi-specialty ambulatory surgical center in Fairlawn, NJ - 8 minutes to the George Washington bridge. Specializing in podiatric surgery. Center will pick up and return patient home. Syndication is available. Center will accommodate doctors in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, and long Island. Will assist in getting NJ License. Call for information (516)476-1815 e-mail podo2345@aol.com. To view center, go to FAIRLAWNASC.SHUTTERFLY.COM

PM News Classified Ads Reach over 12,500 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 12,500 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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