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FootZine,
Volume 30 |
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| This issue of FootZine has a new
Practice Management Gem, more Crystal-Clear Coding, feedback on the
AAPPM/PPMAA meeting of last week, and some ideas about learning
opportunities closer to home. In the last week we have been able to add several pages of photos to the FootZine web site from the WSPMA/WSPMAA seminar and the "Murder Mystery". (All the photo pages link from the bottom of the main Picture Page: http://www.footzine.com/FZ_8.htm ) Many thanks to Lynn Homisak and Denis DeBoer, Ann Orminski, and Heather Schafer for sharing their perspectives on the event! *_* *_* *_* X-rays are taken in our offices daily. We take for granted the appearance of those black, white and gray images. The link below goes to a site with work by an artist who takes X-ray images (including some feet) to a new artistic level. http://www.gustoimages.com/xray-homepage.htm ~ Gayle *_* Letters
*_* From: Gail Bennett, PMACre: AAPPM Meeting ("The Ultimate Staff Meeting") I wanted to let you know I attended the AAPPM this last weekend in Philadelphia. What a great weekend. I would like to personally put a plug in for that group. Ray Posa was extremely helpful and has only good things to say about you, Gayle. He even told the whole group about FootZine and how intelligent you are, etc. What a great guy. Then of course is Hal and all he does. He makes everyone feel so welcome. Hal goes out of his way to help everyone. Bill McCann is extremely helpful as well. And of course Lynn, Phill Ward and John Guiliana are very nice and helpful. A personal thank you to each of them. And let's not forget the hunk from Universal Footcare Products that was exhibiting, he was cute and very hot! If you belong to AAPPM you get a discount with Universal and some of the other corporate sponsors. I can promise that if you attend an AAPPM conference you will not be disappointed and your doctor will not be sorry for sending you. Thanks, Gail Bennett, PMAC *_* *_* *_* From: Linda Casella re: Contacting Hal Ornstein, DPM Gayle, I am trying to get in touch with Dr. Hal Ornstein by email. Can you give that out? Thanks, Linda Casella *_* Reply *_* Linda, My e-mail is hornstein@aappm.com All the best always... Hal Ornstein, DPM *_* Bring
the Meeting to You *_* A letter this week from a podiatric assistant
in the Southwest expressed the hope that she would be able to attend
a seminar someday soon. She is relatively new to this field,
and has heard about various programs but has not been able to attend
one yet. Based on correspondence and conversations with other
assistants, I don't think her situation is unique. There are
many assistants who are in small or isolated communities, or in
practices that cannot afford to send staff members to the big
meetings. But that doesn't mean that they can't have a
valuable and enjoyable learning experience.By Gayle S. Johnson, PMAC To use her case as an example, she is not in a big city, but is within an hour or two of some much bigger cities that have many podiatrists and podiatric residency programs. In fact, within 100 miles of her town, there are two major cities and 17 smaller communities with at least 50 podiatric practices. Using the doctor's state association directory, or the association's web site for their doctor-locator information, she and her co-workers could invite staff from those "nearby" offices to attend an informal day of lectures some Saturday. If their own office has a large reception area, they might be able to accommodate everyone there. Otherwise, a hospital cafeteria or meeting room, or even space at a community center or a civic organization, might be available at no charge for educational purposes. If her doctor is supportive in this, she could ask him to speak, and perhaps he would encourage other doctors to do the same. She could ask the directors of the residency programs if some of the residents would be available to give lectures or hands-on demonstrations to the group. Between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, they should be able to hear about 4-6 different topics. For lunch, the possibilities range from brown-bagging to asking a pharmaceutical or other sales rep to provide pizza and soft drinks. On an even smaller scale, if there are enough participants close by, a similar approach could work on a week-night, with a single speaker focusing in-depth on just one topic. Holding such a study session after work means that people have a chance to eat either on the way there, or on the way home, so meals are not a concern. This worked for years for assistants in Dallas County, especially as we were all studying hard for Certification. Every month we met in an office or even someone's home, and one of the doctors gave a comprehensive presentation about one subject that we anticipated might be covered on that exam. When we got to "Instrumentation", we went to an office that had a very complete O.R. setup, and spread out all of the instruments and talked about what each one was and how it was used. Being able to see the real thing instead of an illustration made a tremendous difference, especially to the assistants whose doctors might not use a particular instrument in their offices. The doctor who lectured about X-rays got books donated by Kodak for the group, and in addition to his slides, he showed actual films and explained how certain anomalies occurred. In another office O.R., we had hospital scrub nurses demonstrate sterile technique, gowning, gloving, and more. In Harris County (Houston), the hospitals that had podiatric residency programs were very willing to let us use their cafeterias or small conference rooms, and their A/V equipment was also available to us, so we had no expenses there, either. Having an "official" organization with dues and elections isn't required to make educational opportunities available. It does take time and some phone calls, and often a little innovation. In this time of email communication, mailing costs for planning such things could be almost eliminated. There are lots of possibilities if you can get a few folks interested.... small starts can grow into bigger things. With time, the commitment that is shown by such gatherings may reap more interest from potential sponsors. In addition, I think the doctors would be pleased at the interest their employees show in wanting to become more knowledgeable and more competent in their work. There is also the "side" benefit of the camaraderie that develops, the networking to share resources and solutions, and the friendships that can last decades. If you want to get such a study group started, write to me and I'll be happy to pass along your information to FootZine's subscribers. If you have had such a program, send a note, and photos if you have them, for us to share. *_* Crystal-Clear
Coding *_* At the recent AAPPM meeting in Philadelphia,
one of the most common billing questions concerned the correct way
to bill orthotics. The answer to the question is to bill
specifically for the device you are dispensing. Many insurance
companies will cover “orthotics” but not orthotics related to
the feet. When verifying insurance coverage for an orthotic,
make sure you tell the company what code you plan on using.
Often an insurance company will cover a lesser device but not the
type of device you want the patient to have. The orthotic
codes are listed below with their descriptors.By Phillip E. Ward, DPM Billing Orthotics L3000 L3001 L3002 foot insert, removable, molded to patient model, plastizote or equal, each L3003 L3010 L3020 L3030 *_* FootZine
Feeture Article
*_* It is not possible to reach a destination when
driving if the destination is not known. A football game
without end zones would be quite amusing to watch. Too often,
managers and leaders set their employees up for failure by not
spelling out simple expectations. Children behave best when
they know what their parents expect, and in a sense this does not
change as adults.*_* Gems of Practice Management *_* by Hal Ornstein DPM, FACFAS and Lynn Homisak, PRT Clear Expectations Pave the Road to Success Communicating expectations to staff is most important during the training period for new employees but it does need to be a continuous process. The expectations should be communicated in writing and verbally, presented in specific and simple terms. An office meeting is an excellent venue to discuss general expectations of all employees. This should also be done one-on-one. Patient care can be enhanced by telling them “For you to achieve the best results, it is expected that you are to follow the treatment plan.” This is especially important when performing surgery. Many lawsuits are a result of expectations not being specifically and clearly told to the patient relating to post-op pain, limitations of activities, what the foot will ultimately look like, and length of time before they can return to their normal shoe gear. You will find that the staff greatly appreciates understanding expectations and how they can be met. Provide any tools your employees need to not just meet but also exceed the expectations set forth. We have an assignment for both doctor and staff. It is due ten days after reading this. Doctors, write down 5 -10 expectations for your staff in general. Assistants, write down 5 10 individual expectations for your doctors and managers in your practice. Begin each one with “I expect…”. The staff should also meet as a group and make a list of 5 -1O expectations beginning with “We expect…”. When all is said and done, we expect that you will soon have clear and concise expectations communicated throughout your office! Previous "Gems" can be found on their own pages of the FootZine.com web site, at http://www.footzine.com/FZ_90.htm *_* *_*
*_* Here's a travel tip that I learned from my
Ocean Shores seminar roommate, Phillis Pearson. She suggested
packing a self-addressed, stamped, padded mailing envelope in your
carry-on bag. Airport security should allow you to mail back to
yourself any "contraband sharps" that were inadvertently
left in the bag using that envelope. You'll have to get out of
line to do it, but at least you won't have to spend months searching
for replacements. Too bad I didn't know that last year, when I
forfeited forgotten items at each airport! Thanks, Phillis!When I go to the Oregon Podiatric Medical Association meeting next week, I'll remember that one. Because it will be another one of those short weeks, FootZine will take a break next week. But as always, feel free to write! ~ Gayle *_* *_*
*_* Copyright 2003 Gayle S. Johnson, PMAC All
Rights Reserved. Gayle S. Johnson, PMAC |
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