The Voice of Podiatrists

Serving Over 10,000 Podiatrists Daily

November 29, 2007 #3,104 Editor-Barry Block, DPM, JD

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DEADLINE FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT ENDS NOVEMBER 30

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CA Podiatrist Has Spent 37 Years Serving Inmates

You may think being a podiatrist is funny business, but Don Griffith takes it very seriously; enough that he’s made it his life’s work. “I’ve been in practice for 40 years, 37 of those years here in Petaluma,” he says.

Dr. Don Griffith (Photo: Terry Hankins)

Griffith had an office in San Francisco for 20 years, and has been providing medical outreach to San Quentin inmates every Wednesday for the last 36 years. He is modest and diffident about his achievements, although one can only imagine what a change for the better he makes in his San Quentin patients’ daily lives.

“When most of them come to me, their feet are in bad shape,” says Griffith. “I saw one patient Wednesday who had three ulcers in his foot. I’ve seen patients with bullets in their feet. It’s because when they’re first processed in, their medical conditions aren’t normally assessed, and it’s usually much later that someone notices that they’re having problems with their feet. Also, they’ve never had much in the way of foot care.”

Source: Lynn Schnitzer, The Argus-Courier [11/28/07]

Tired of Hassling With Insurance Companies, NY Podiatrist Opens Yarn Store

Four years of medical school after four years of college. Three to seven years in residency and perhaps a one-to-three-year fellowship before you become board certified. A lot of education goes into becoming -- an entrepreneur?

Dr. Laura Eackloff

The answer is yes -- at least for doctors who leave their practices to start a business. It seems a little crazy, giving up the prestige and income of being a physician, but Laura Eackloff, 45, has never been happier. She was a podiatrist for 10 years and thoroughly enjoyed treating patients, but she hated spending more time on the phone negotiating with health insurance companies than examining her patients.

"Honestly, health care is a business, and I didn't like the business of medicine," says Eackloff, who shut down her practice and opened Gotta Knit, a yarn store in New York City's Greenwich Village. Her friends and family were extremely supportive of her decision to help people with their hands instead of their feet.

Source: Geoff Williams, Entrepreneur.com [11/27/07]

Clinton Proposes Increased Federal Regulation of Health Insurers

Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on Monday during a discussion of her health care proposal in Goffstown, N.H., said health insurers should face the same type of federal regulations as brokerages, the AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Clinton said that the federal government should increase regulation of health insurers, although states could implement additional rules.

According to Clinton, the current system allows health insurers to move to states with more favorable regulations and offer policies with limited benefits. She said, "We can't do this state by state. No state has the ability to get everyone in their state to get the insurance they need." Clinton added that health insurers spend $50 billion annually to avoid payment of claims. "This is all part of the business model," she said, adding, "I say to them, use the $50 billion to actually take care of people."

Source: AP/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via American Health Line [11/27/07]

Query: Hyalgan Injections for Ankle Osteoarthritis

I'm interested in hearing what others are doing as far treatment protocols for Hyalgan or Synvisc injections for osteoarthritis of the ankle joint. Please discuss frequency, total volume, etc.

Brian Maurer, DPM, Vail, CO

RE: Sculptra
From: Joel Morse, DPM, Bret Ribotsky, DPM

I read about this several months ago and it has one and only one indication which I cut and pasted from the Dermik website: Sculptra® is intended for restoration and/or correction of the signs of facial fat loss (lipoatrophy) in people with human immunodeficiency virus. So - how can anyone use it for painful feet?

Joel Morse, DPM, Washington, DC, Foxhallfoot@aol.com

I was happy to read that Dr. Losito was tackling the problem of soft tissue atrophy with PSTTA (pedal soft tissue temporary augmentation) with dermal fillers. I want to share my experience with the process. I have had talks with all of the major companies in the "filler" market regarding developing a process of starting some research on how these products (Sculptra, Juviderm, Perlane, Radiesse, Cosmoplast, etc) could be used to help people walk pain-free. So far, these requests have gone unanswered. There is just too much money in cosmetic indications to risk any problems, is the story I keep receiving.

I have also talked with manufacturers about the ability to fund a study on diabetic patients who have had previous ulcerations to prevent recurrence - This project was funded and is underway by Drs. Armstrong and Wu.

Having been doing PSTTA for a few years, I caution that Sculptra has not worked as well as others in this category for podiatry's needs. Sculptra after injected, loses its volume, then over the next 3 weeks it increases the soft tissue volume. What I have found is that weight-bearing causes the "product (Sculptra)" to move, and when the volume increases, it is not in the place you put it. I presented this data at the APMA meeting in '06. I have about two years of follow-up now and I am drafting a paper for JAPMA on this topic. So far, my favorite product is Radiesse, and I have seen great results up to 55 weeks.

Bret Ribotsky, DPM, Boca Raton, FL, Ribotsky@Doctorbret.com

RE: Dr. Neal's Success in Foot Surgery Seminar (Mark Johnson, DPM)
From: G. Daniel Shanahan, DPM

I had the pleasure to attend one of Dr. Neal’s “Boot camp” seminars and found it to be a career altering move in the best of ways. Although the Boot Camp's main focus is on helping provide the roadmap to getting your office accredited as a surgical facility, there are also many techniques revealed for increasing your income that are not the "typical" ones we all tend to see on a repeated basis.

If you have a practice with a Medicare payer mix, much of the information provided would still offer a means to elevate your practice to a new level. I personally found myself “rejuvenated” and better focused on how to administer my practice and market it in more efficient ways.

Having been in practice for 14 years and blessed with a healthy growing practice, the boot camp still taught me a ton of things I would have never known about. I am currently on course to get my surgery suite JCAHO accredited this coming January. It’s a lot of work, but I know it will be worth it. To me, attending the Boot camp is a no-brainer even if you are not going for the JCAHO accreditation.

G. Daniel Shanahan, DPM Commerce Twp., MI, footdan@comcast.net

RE: Duty to Report Violation
From: Richard Gosnay, DPM

Editor’s note: This extended-length note can be read at: http://www.podiatrym.com/letters2.cfm?id=16776&start=1

ISO SOUTH JERSEY AREA OPPORTUNITIES

ABPS Certified with 20 years of experience looking to relocate to South Jersey/South Central Jersey. I am looking for a practice that appreciates and understands the value of experience and integrity. I am willing to discuss ALL options, including employment, partnerships, buy-ins, practice purchases, etc. All info will be kept confidential. E-mail panel@comcast.net

PODIATRISTS NEEDED - CHICAGO --NORTHWEST INDIANA

Home Physicians, a medical group specializing in house calls is looking to hire podiatrists. We are located in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Full and part time positions are available. Competitive Compensation including malpractice. Contact Scott Schneider. Phone-773-342-4201 FAX 773-486-3548-E-Mail sschneider@homephysicians.com -- www.homephysicians.com

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