07/10/2023    

STATE PODIATRY NEWS

Oregon Medical Board Votes to Expand Ankle Surgery Eligibility

 

The American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM) has announced that the Oregon Medical Board (OMB) passed an amendment to the rule to perform ankle surgery. The previous rule required a podiatrist be board certified by ABFAS in RRA in order to perform ankle surgery. Under this overly restrictive regulation, only 15% of Oregon podiatrists had access to perform ankle surgery. The ABPM submitted a petition to the OMB to amend the rule to recognize a podiatrist’s training in ankle surgery, not their board certification, as the qualification to perform ankle surgery. Simultaneously, we filed a petition for judicial review in the Oregon Court of Appeals challenging the OMB’s delegation of governmental regulatory authority to ABFAS, a non-governmental entity.

 

After considering the public comments, the OMB voted to expand the eligibility to perform ankle surgery to those who completed a 36-month, CPME-approved residency. Those who currently hold the permit, are grandfathered into the eligibility.

 

Source: American Board of Podiatric Medicine