Imprudent and Profligate Practitioners?

[whiskers]

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I would like to open up a discussion and draw attention to current news articles highlighting alledged and otherwise proven criminal/civil misconduct by Podiatrists.

I think that such a topic would serve two major functions:

1. Serve as a starting point for topics pertaining to morality and legality within our DPM studentdoctor community

2. Highlighting my perception for the need of more debates on ethics within the Podiatric Medical Community and particularly the educational institutions when I think that young Podiatrists are most formable.


All men and women accused of civil and criminal offenses are innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

 

[narkotiks]

I would like to open up a discussion and draw attention to current news articles highlighting alledged and otherwise proven criminal/civil misconduct by Podiatrists.

I think that such a topic would serve two major functions:

1. Serve as a starting point for topics pertaining to morality and legality within our DPM studentdoctor community

2. Highlighting my perception for the need of more debates on ethics within the Podiatric Medical Community and particularly the educational institutions when I think that young Podiatrists are most formable.


All men and women accused of civil and criminal offenses are innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.

not a bad idea. something obviously spurred you into action--talk to us about it. what ethical/moral snag might many of us find ourselves in?

 

[whiskers]

It is probably not a good practice management idea to hide video cameras in employee changing rooms or exchanging sex for prescription drugs.

-----Cameras in Employee Dressing Rooms-----
I don't think that a successful Podiatry practice should have any hidden or even exposed cameras in their employee dressing area.
IMO, a Moral Podiatrist would ensure the safety and privacy of his or her employees and completely understand that he or she does not own them as objects for his or her personal delights.


-----Sex For Prescription Drugs------
This is a big no no. Using your professional license to exploit drug addicted humans is probably not a legitimate use of ones DEA license.

Instead a Moral Podiatrist IMO would identify a drug seeker and make an appropriate referral and note it in the chart.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/10/23/news/local/doc471e7a5046bf8315311359.txt

 

[OSUDDS]

zomg... not another whiskers thread.... 🙄

 

[narkotiks]

It is probably not a good practice management idea to hide video cameras in employee changing rooms or exchanging sex for prescription drugs.

-----Cameras in Employee Dressing Rooms-----
I don't think that a successful Podiatry practice should have any hidden or even exposed cameras in their employee dressing area.
IMO, a Moral Podiatrist would ensure the safety and privacy of his or her employees and completely understand that he or she does not own them as objects for his or her personal delights.


-----Sex For Prescription Drugs------
This is a big no no. Using your professional license to exploit drug addicted humans is probably not a legitimate use of ones DEA license.

Instead a Moral Podiatrist IMO would identify a drug seeker and make an appropriate referral and note it in the chart.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/10/23/news/local/doc471e7a5046bf8315311359.txt

i agree with you on this one. so i had to run a search, and i didn't find much else, which is a good thing. although i think one of my professors (DPM) sneaks a latte into our lecture hall where food and drink is forbidden.

 

[jays2cool4u]

i agree with you on this one. so i had to run a search, and i didn't find much else, which is a good thing. although i think one of my professors (DPM) sneaks a latte into our lecture hall where food and drink is forbidden.

 

[cool_vkb]

...

 

[IlizaRob]

It is probably not a good practice management idea to hide video cameras in employee changing rooms or exchanging sex for prescription drugs.

-----Cameras in Employee Dressing Rooms-----
I don't think that a successful Podiatry practice should have any hidden or even exposed cameras in their employee dressing area.
IMO, a Moral Podiatrist would ensure the safety and privacy of his or her employees and completely understand that he or she does not own them as objects for his or her personal delights.


-----Sex For Prescription Drugs------
This is a big no no. Using your professional license to exploit drug addicted humans is probably not a legitimate use of ones DEA license.

Instead a Moral Podiatrist IMO would identify a drug seeker and make an appropriate referral and note it in the chart.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/10/23/news/local/doc471e7a5046bf8315311359.txt

Believe it or not this kind of stuff is seen more outside the podiatric community than within. Probably only due to logistics. There are more of them (MD, DO, DDS, whatever) than us. This topic is not about the podiatric community, but rather human nature as a whole. Some people are just sick, regardless of profession.

Show me something that is proven to be exclusive and directly linked to the podiatric profession and then I will discuss it. All you're showing here is an hour of the nightly news.

 

[NatCh]

Show me something that is proven to be exclusive and directly linked to the podiatric profession and then I will discuss it.

Forward-facing fanny packs?

Thanks! I'll be here all week!

 

[IlizaRob]

Forward-facing fanny packs?

Thanks! I'll be here all week!

I know. When are they going to learn that its only cool to wear them on the side?

 

[NatCh]

I know. When are they going to learn that its only cool to wear them on the side?

That happens when you become Certified by the ABPS (American Board of Packs on the Side).

 

[jonwill]

Forward-facing fanny packs?

Thanks! I'll be here all week!

Not me boys, I've got a MAN PURSE! 😱

 

[OSUDDS]

I love how whiskers tries to portray every podiatrist/pod student as a crook. It makes me glad he's going in to the profession.

My guess is whiskers will be the next person to start a podiatry hate blog when he grows up.

 

[narkotiks]

Forward-facing fanny packs?

Thanks! I'll be here all week!

i was cruising the tube the other night, and stopped on "hogan knows best". he had just stared to reveal the secret contents of his fanny pack (which by the way should be re-named the mons pubis pack) in any case, i was shocked and amazed to find out how much gear a person can actually carry in this disgusting pouch!!
i think ill stick to weighing down my pockets.

 

[cel083]

i agree with you on this one. so i had to run a search, and i didn't find much else, which is a good thing. although i think one of my professors (DPM) sneaks a latte into our lecture hall where food and drink is forbidden.

Oh, boy, undergraduate students do this one.😉 (Okay, I take sodas into lecture halls where they are forbidden).

 

[whiskers]

OSU, it is my opinion that no one is born a crook, however somewhere along the line all crooks have a beginning.


Iliza, you have a valid point, but even though these individuals may not represent the profession as a whole to you or I, but they do represent the profession to those who have been in contact with them and the folks in their broader communities.

It is my opinion that these crimes are not simply benign to the profession. There are relatively few podiatrists, in fact, most small towns in America have more people than there are Podiatrists in the country.

Every profession should address their fringe and podiatry is no exception.

 

[whiskers]

Case profile #2 since October 20ish 2007

ACTING on a TIP....

They got busted, one for pretending to be a Podiatrist and the other for giving him the stage and props to act with so to speak.

An honest podiatrist would care more for his or her patients and not allow any unqualified/uncertified person perform any type of procedure that could place the patient at risk.

http://www.local6.com/news/14501114/detail.html

 

[whiskers]

Case #3 since 10/20/07

This Pod purchased over 200,000 doses of Vicodin (hydrocodone) alone and an unpsecified amount of other class 3 drugs and then sold them to street dealers.

An ethical podiatrist would not contribute to the crime and addiction of his community for a few bucks.

46yrs old and going to prison for 4yrs.

This case brings up the fact of how the DEA tracks which providers prescribe what drugs and compares that to the average around your area.

Meidcare does a similar thing with billing codes.

Moral of the story? Don't be greedy and unethical at the same time, because there is accountability!

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/11/02/docsentence_1103.html

 

[whiskers]

Case #4 since 10/20/07 is a peculiar one.

This one had his license suspended 10 months ago for submitting false billing to ins companies and is the only podiatrist who has been disciplined by the sate of wisconsin in the last 5 years.

Curiously, this one again made the hometown headlines for

"charging $4,378 for an hourlong visit."

Although it is true a physician can bill what they want, I think it makes the profession look bad.

After a quick google search I have to wonder,
which podiatry school did this guy learn his skills from and maybe the editor should have called that school for an interview/comment on billing from the profs who may have taught him about podiatry!!!??? That would have made the article more interesting IMO to have read what opinions those who are tasked with molding the youthful pods think about individual amounts charged for the intems listed in the article.


I think that the ethical podiatrist wouldn't submit bills that were fakes.

Secondly, when I am a podiatrist, I will surely have respect for my patients enough so that they don't ahve to worry about paying me $85.00 for 2 syringes.

Ethical podiatrists, in my opinion, treat and bill other folks with the same respect that they would expect if they were vulnerable.

I am sure that he is well respected amongst his peers and has contributed so much valuable things to both his community and to the profession.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=682326

 

[jays2cool4u]

Case #4 since 10/20/07 is a peculiar one.

This one had his license suspended 10 months ago for submitting false billing to ins companies and is the only podiatrist who has been disciplined by the sate of wisconsin in the last 5 years.

Curiously, this one again made the hometown headlines for

"charging $4,378 for an hourlong visit."

Although it is true a physician can bill what they want, I think it makes the profession look bad.

After a quick google search I have to wonder,
which podiatry school did this guy learn his skills from and maybe the editor should have called that school for an interview/comment on billing from the profs who may have taught him about podiatry!!!??? That would have made the article more interesting IMO to have read what opinions those who are tasked with molding the youthful pods think about individual amounts charged for the intems listed in the article.


I think that the ethical podiatrist wouldn't submit bills that were fakes.

Secondly, when I am a podiatrist, I will surely have respect for my patients enough so that they don't ahve to worry about paying me $85.00 for 2 syringes.

Ethical podiatrists, in my opinion, treat and bill other folks with the same respect that they would expect if they were vulnerable.

I am sure that he is well respected amongst his peers and has contributed so much valuable things to both his community and to the profession.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=682326

Here
http://www.milwaukeepodiatrist.com/1_our_doctor.php

 

[IlizaRob]

OSU, it is my opinion that no one is born a crook, however somewhere along the line all crooks have a beginning.


Iliza, you have a valid point, but even though these individuals may not represent the profession as a whole to you or I, but they do represent the profession to those who have been in contact with them and the folks in their broader communities.

It is my opinion that these crimes are not simply benign to the profession. There are relatively few podiatrists, in fact, most small towns in America have more people than there are Podiatrists in the country.

Every profession should address their fringe and podiatry is no exception.

So you think exploiting the few who are crooks on a public forum with help with that perception?

Good thinkin.

 

[jonwill]

So you think exploiting the few who are crooks on a public forum with help with that perception?

Good thinkin.

I just don't understand the point. Sure, there are some crooked pods out there as well as every other type of doctor and every other profession on the planet. We all watch the news. I'm not sure what point whiskers thinks he/she is making. Podiatric Medicine and its docs are as ethical as any branch of medicine or profession for that matter. Pointing out the few unethical ones doesn't change that.

On the flip side, if you google "MD" and words like "fraud" or "suspended", you'll get an endless list. That doesn't mean I think any less of the thousands of MD's in this country, the vast majority of which practice in the highest ethical standard.

 

[whiskers]

Case #5

I hope Mr. Deitcher gets the help he needs.

accused of "fraudulently writing and obtaining prescriptions for his personal use."

An ethical podiatrist would not use his medical license to write him/herself scrips for meds. Instead they would recognize their own addiction and seek help. Addiction can affect any class of person and doctors are not excluded. The best way to avoid this type of situation is to remember to not tempt the addiction demons in the first place.

Ethical podiatrists know that they are entrusted with a professional license that carries with it an extreme responsibility to both their patients and the community as a whole.

http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/...bett_announces_prescription_drug_charges_agai

 

[OSUDDS]

keep em coming!

 

[whiskers]

Well, we started the out with only ~11k practicing pods, so now there are only 10,995 left after just a couple of weeks?

I view podiatry as a small town in america...
But I bet that many communities with more people than 11k people have less felony crime rates than our little community.

On another note,

Maybe it is good that some of the institutions are positioning themselves to be the number 1 producer of pods in the entire world!

 

[whiskers]

keep em coming!

I'm just directing traffic, I don't actually drive the bus that brings them!

 

[OSUDDS]

Heres an article you might like whiskers
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2264

It covers the span of 9 years.

"The database included 31,110 disciplinary entries against 20,125 physicians. The doctors with criminal convictions were drawn from this larger database."

Better yet "Some of the 2,247 physicians disciplined for criminal conduct during that time were even subsequently hired by the federal government to serve as physicians at federal prisons, the study found."

At least 5<20,125

 

[whiskers]

Heres an article you might like whiskers
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2264

It covers the span of 9 years.

"The database included 31,110 disciplinary entries against 20,125 physicians. The doctors with criminal convictions were drawn from this larger database."

Better yet "Some of the 2,247 physicians disciplined for criminal conduct during that time were even subsequently hired by the federal government to serve as physicians at federal prisons, the study found."

At least 5<20,125

Thank you for the link your Honor.

 

[OSUDDS]

I salute you!

 

[whiskers]

See below

 

[whiskers]

Case #6

Here's one for all those who claim Podiatrists are the "Lower Extremety Experts."

Anyway, this one is alleged to have violated his scope of practice in a Charcot surgery.

Moral of story IMO is that you don't do anything outside your scope of practice regardless of what your grades in pod school were or which residency you went to and what you feel you CAN do. Podiatry is not like regular physicians with an unlimited license, instead we have a very limited license.

I'm wondering if hospital administrators w/ pods in and out of their facilities are watching the outcome of this single case to set their own policies on the rest of us?


http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=182694

__________________________________________________

Case 7
Somewhat related to case 6. "Wasn't grandfathered in"

8 Million dollar Judgement

against another hospital for allowing ANOTHER (Different from 6) Podiatrist to conduct a procedure that they were not qualified to do.

And hospitals are probably scrambling to understand the rearfoot and forefoot thing that we as a profession have going on right now and our different boards.

Anyway at least we can say the "A" students are the surgeons and top notch trained... but how much has that mentality set back our profession I wonder. I think that this is an example of what happens when there are different levels of podiatry.

Standardizing the profession is key to our survival IMO.

It might not be kool for the big wigs kids to get the same residency that the other commoners get, but hey maybe it's time for a different ideology on that?

http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=54896
_____________________________________
Case 8

45 y/o pod caught trying to solicit 13y/o.


When trying to find a date, try to keep your selections to people over the age of 18.


http://www.greatfallstribune.com/app...EWS03/71205017

______________________________________
UPDATE on case #4 (The expensive biller)

Many people were concerned after reading the newspaper article on that one.

Moral, when you and your profession end up on the evening news or in the local newspaper, people get outraged and demand accountability.

More to come???
http://blogs.jsonline.com/piblog/arc...s-billing.aspx

_______________________________________
Case 9


Going to court again for 2 more surgeries that the pts claim to be botched.

Moral of story IMO? Know thy own limits grasshoppers and remember that microbiology and aseptic surgical technique are very important to your livelihood

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pb...0406/-1/NEWS04

______________________________________
Case 10

Alleged fraud passport seized (don't miss the comments on the bottom of article.... the ones about the public getting clipped lol)


http://www.pjstar.com/stories/120107/TRI_BF33Q3K4.064.php
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10090 remaining?

 

[DingleBarry]

Dude, how much time do you spend looking for these articles? It might be useful to channel your energy on a more positive topic - maybe start a thread about happy, successful podiatrists. You're messing with my chi.🙂

 

[whiskers]

Dude, how much time do you spend looking for these articles? It might be useful to channel your energy on a more positive topic - maybe start a thread about happy, successful podiatrists. You're messing with my chi.🙂

My interest is in the deviates of podiatry and I'd actually like to see where each went to school and were educated to see if there is any type of trend.

BTW
did you mean Chi or ICH? lol

 

[DingleBarry]

My interest is in the deviates of podiatry and I'd actually like to see where each went to school and were educated to see if there is any type of trend.

BTW
did you mean Chi or ICH? lol

It would be interesting if there was a correlation between what school the podiatrists went to and future felony charges. I am,however, extremely doubtful that any such correlation exists.

BTW, I don't even know what ICH means!
Intracerebral Hemorrhage?
International Conference on Harmonization?
or Ichthyophthirius - disease of freshwater fish? lol

 

[OSUDDS]

I heard network54 needs some writers whiskers

maybe you can get paid for all of your hard investigative work

you remind me of Carl Monday!

 

[MarquetteGuy]

45 y/o pod caught trying to solicit 13y/o? Alleged fraud passport seized? I was unable to open these articles using the links provided, but based on the headlines posted, these have nothing whatsoever to do with the podiatric profession. These are simply character flaws, not podiatric flaws. These could have just as easily been M.D.'s, D.O.'s, D.D.S.'s, or persons of any other profession. Like I said, I was not able to read these articles, but based on the headlines, they have no bearing on podiatry as a profession whatsoever. As for the other articles, this again is no different from any other medical profession. What about the dentist who spread HIV to 8 of his patients due to improper cleaning of instruments? What about the MD who leaves a towel or some other instrument in a patient following a surgery? The point is, there are numerous mistakes made in any given profession, not just podiatry. As unfortunate as this is, it's called 'practicing' medicine for a reason. I agree that the medical mistakes listed above are terrible and no one wants to see those things happen, but the bottom line is that they will happen in any profession, no matter what profession that may be. Just some food for thought.