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This was in one of the ACFAS weekly email blasts - Optum classified podiatrists as "Allied Health professionals". I can't find the original "source" of the story online ie. where this came up / what triggered it, but if you search for it you'll find the response letters from APMA, ACFAS etc. I wondered if this was something that happened internally at Optum to podiatrists that they employ, but who knows.
-I'm pleased whenever I see our leadership organizations fighting for us. You should give money to the APMA and your local state leadership. Yes, they will do ridiculous stuff with it, but who else will try and fight for you on real issues. Who kept us from getting separate "podiatry E&M codes".
-I hope to hear about more lawsuits in the future against insurance plans.
-And... I can't help but feel vindicated when I say that insurance companies treat podiatrists like black sheep bastard children. This forum has a tendency to describe every bad thing in the world (inflation, housing prices) as if they only impact podiatrists, but this sort of issue really does feel specific to us. UHC probably reimburses a lot of people poorly, but they don't question that the MDs are doctors. This is the second instance I've seen of a major insurance company describing us as less than we are. I've got a contract on a server where another insurance company specifically refers to podiatrists as physician extenders and calls them out to receive dramatically less in reimbursement than MD/DOs on the same contract. Does anyone believe podiatrists will be offered fair contracts by an insurance company that doesn't even believe we are physicians? Flattering websites will not save future podiatrists from crushingly low reimbursement. Optum coming out and essentially saying what they think of us is jokingly great - it gives our organizations a clear opportunity fight, but I don't believe Optum is the only insurance company who believes that we are somehow less. Structural anti-podiatrism, a word I just made up, is real.
-I'm pleased whenever I see our leadership organizations fighting for us. You should give money to the APMA and your local state leadership. Yes, they will do ridiculous stuff with it, but who else will try and fight for you on real issues. Who kept us from getting separate "podiatry E&M codes".
-I hope to hear about more lawsuits in the future against insurance plans.
-And... I can't help but feel vindicated when I say that insurance companies treat podiatrists like black sheep bastard children. This forum has a tendency to describe every bad thing in the world (inflation, housing prices) as if they only impact podiatrists, but this sort of issue really does feel specific to us. UHC probably reimburses a lot of people poorly, but they don't question that the MDs are doctors. This is the second instance I've seen of a major insurance company describing us as less than we are. I've got a contract on a server where another insurance company specifically refers to podiatrists as physician extenders and calls them out to receive dramatically less in reimbursement than MD/DOs on the same contract. Does anyone believe podiatrists will be offered fair contracts by an insurance company that doesn't even believe we are physicians? Flattering websites will not save future podiatrists from crushingly low reimbursement. Optum coming out and essentially saying what they think of us is jokingly great - it gives our organizations a clear opportunity fight, but I don't believe Optum is the only insurance company who believes that we are somehow less. Structural anti-podiatrism, a word I just made up, is real.
