MD's claiming to be certified in osteopathy

[medicine1]

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

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[DrMidlife]

We can't help you here, but if you Google "CME OMT" you'll see what organizations you should be arguing with. Such as the AOA and ACOFP, which offer certification courses in OMT to MDs. And have done so for at least a decade. That AOA is the same one that will license you, eventually.

 

[BobBarker]

OSU has a MD as member of the OMM faculty.

 

[SomeDoc]

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

The patient benefits.
Chill out. It's ok.

 

[Lokhtar]

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

If they have training, what's the problem?

 

[homeboy]

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

Why? This is exactly what osteopathic medicine pushes: mainstream acceptance of fringe modalities.

And it merely reinforces against the preposterous notion that DOs are something inherently different than MDs, reducing OMM to a simplistic modality equivalent to, say, ultrasounding joints...which is ironically exactly what it is. [a simplistic modality, that is...despite how godly AT Still is viewed by some, I don't think he was related to superman]

And other than OMM, there is not one iota of tangible difference between MDs and DOs other than performance-based results...you can't copyright a mentality.

 

[Cp22kjer]

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

By making this thread you continue to segregate the two. Lets be real here, MD's that are certified are more than capable.

In addition I agree with the above poster.......... the whole idea is to proliferate DO's and it's a great thing to see MD's that are doing just that by using OMM.

 

[musicalmedicine]

If he has the training then good for him, and he is a good example of how some MD's find that some patients would benefit more from osteopathic treatment. I can imagine being upset if someone was just going around practicing osteopathic medicine without out any medical training but this guy is a doctor and chose to get further experience in osteopathic medicine, I'm sure he knows what he's doing.

 

[laboholic]

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

Well then, maybe DOs need to stop prescribing medications to make it fair.

 

[JaggerPlate]

If they have training, what's the problem?

Stepping on someone else's toes ... quite a common problem in medicine.

 

[DannMann99]

ALL DOs are certified in it, trained in it, and tested on it (if you take the comlex).

NOT ALL DOs USE IT IN PRACTICE (actually most don't)

If an MD wants to practice Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine I say as long as they are trained in it let them. Because it gets the WORD of osteopathy out there.

If it is such a coveted prize more DOs would use it. I'm hoping they don't change the name to Neuromusculoskeletal Manipulative Medicine (which I have heard tossed around on occasion...)

 

[bonesawz]

ALL DOs are certified in it, trained in it, and tested on it (if you take the comlex).

NOT ALL DOs USE IT IN PRACTICE (actually most don't)

If an MD wants to practice Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine I say as long as they are trained in it let them. Because it gets the WORD of osteopathy out there.

If it is such a coveted prize more DOs would use it. I'm hoping they don't change the name to Neuromusculoskeletal Manipulative Medicine (which I have heard tossed around on occasion...)

If an MD wants to enter the world of OMM, he can have my spot since I don't seem to be using it.

 

[Dakayus]

I kind of like it to be unique to our degree, but the spread of OMM being accepted by MD's is a great thing (proved that they are certified). Hopefully more and more people will become familiar with OMM.

 

[CorpuSpongiosum]

Like Heroin in the 70's, we should, being a cartel, try to get as many customers (ok fine, you call them patients) hooked on OMM as possible.

 

[Red Beard]

I don't know about all of you, but I had only 200 hours of overcrowded OMM lab time with almost no one-on-one training. I don't see how doing it as a CME course would be any less effective.

EDIT: I see the guy in the Duluth article had 'over 1000 hours of training.'

 

[USArmyDoc]

I don't get people who say this. If people start using it more, MD or DO, it will become a main stream modality. Let them use it as long as credit is given to correct party.

http://www.duluthbudgeteer.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22857&section=Business

The following article shows an example of how MDs are claiming to know osteopathy, and are treating patients with osteopathic medicine. I have personally met MDs that claim to be certified in osteopathy. I think this needs to stop. DOs should be the one's diagnosing and treating patients using osteopathic medicine, not MDs.

 

[USArmyDoc]

Well then, maybe DOs need to stop prescribing medications to make it fair.

Haha...nice

 

[Amy B]

VCOM also has an MD that comes to help during OMM lab and I will say he is great at OMM!!!! His story...he was treating a patient for months for a pain that he just couldnt help this patient with. He had a DO with him one week and that DO asked if he could treat the patient with OMM. This doc agreed and within 15 minutes, that patient was almost painfree. This doc was amazed and was shocked. He wanted to learn more about OMM so that he could help his patients. that is why he became involved with OMM. So MD or DO, to me it doesnt matter as long as they know what they are doing. The patients benefit and that is the goal, right?

 

[aecuenca2]

OMT is a billable procedure by both MDs and DOs. Just like any procedure, see one, do one, teach one. at least in the eyes of the billing and coding gods.

Of course, the more certification and training you have, the better you can defend any audit against your billing.

 

[facetguy]

OMT is a billable procedure by both MDs and DOs. Just like any procedure, see one, do one, teach one. at least in the eyes of the billing and coding gods.

Of course, the more certification and training you have, the better you can defend any audit against your billing.

Is the issue really about billing? I would think expertise might be a little more important.

 

[SomeDoc]

Is the issue really about billing? I would think expertise might be a little more important.

Ask how many non-NMM/OMM DO's still remember everything from their OMT course. Do the same for biochem.

 

[laboholic]

Is the issue really about billing? I would think expertise might be a little more important.

I dont know about you, but I hope and pray that 75% of my classmates (who will all someday be certified in OMM as a DO) never treat a human being with manipulation. Almost no one cares about OMM class. They dont study for it and they screw off during class. I'm sure that most people here know what I am talking about.

So... who cares if an MD treats someone using OMM? I could probably grab a random person off the street and they could do as well as some people graduating with a DO.

 

[aecuenca2]

Is the issue really about billing? I would think expertise might be a little more important.

I brought up the billing issue to demonstrate that OMT is considered a "procedure". And just like any other procedure, if the physician (DO or MD) are proficient in it, they can perform and bill it accordingly.

As I mentioned earlier, the more training and certification, the easier it will be to defend your billing for the practice of this "procedure". In the world of managed care, your point of expertise does come into play when an MD bills for it.

The only problem that has been discussed in some DO circles is the issue of the NMM residency. Many wonder if because this is considered a specialty in the realm of manipulative medicine, will it affect the reimbursement any DO who does OMT on a regular basis (such as Family Med).

Anyways, just some extra info for those interested.

 

[MaximusD]

I dont know about you, but I hope and pray that 75% of my classmates (who will all someday be certified in OMM as a DO) never treat a human being with manipulation. Almost no one cares about OMM class. They dont study for it and they screw off during class. I'm sure that most people here know what I am talking about.

So... who cares if an MD treats someone using OMM? I could probably grab a random person off the street and they could do as well as some people graduating with a DO.

You should not speak so poorly of your colleagues. This may be true but it makes all of us look bad.

 

[djnels01]

I brought up the billing issue to demonstrate that OMT is considered a "procedure". And just like any other procedure, if the physician (DO or MD) are proficient in it, they can perform and bill it accordingly.

As I mentioned earlier, the more training and certification, the easier it will be to defend your billing for the practice of this "procedure". In the world of managed care, your point of expertise does come into play when an MD bills for it.

The only problem that has been discussed in some DO circles is the issue of the NMM residency. Many wonder if because this is considered a specialty in the realm of manipulative medicine, will it affect the reimbursement any DO who does OMT on a regular basis (such as Family Med).

Anyways, just some extra info for those interested.

Do you forsee this coming to pass in the near future? i.e. only those completing an NMM/OMM residency being allowed to bill for OMT procedures? I have heard this somewhere before...

I ask as someone interested in FP who also wants to use OMM (and bill for it) on a somewhat regular basis.

And no, I wouldn't use it if I didn't think I was good at it...

 

[aecuenca2]

Do you forsee this coming to pass in the near future? i.e. only those completing an NMM/OMM residency being allowed to bill for OMT procedures? I have heard this somewhere before...

I ask as someone interested in FP who also wants to use OMM (and bill for it) on a somewhat regular basis.

And no, I wouldn't use it if I didn't think I was good at it...

I personally think it would be detrimental to make the billing of OMT exclusive to NMM/OMM residency trained docs. It would alienate a great proportion of physicians who do OMT.

If you take away the ability to bill for this procedure, then why do it in the first place? Free care can only get you so far when you have your med school debt to pay among the many bills you get every month.

If you are competently trained to do a procedure, then it doesn't matter...MD or DO. Just like if you are an FM doc trained to do colonoscopies, then you should be able to perform this procedure and bill for it accordingly.

Yes, there will always be a turf war...but there are enough patients and pathology in the world for everyone to take care of.

 

[laboholic]

You should not speak so poorly of your colleagues. This may be true but it makes all of us look bad.

Im just pointing out a truth. Maybe people should start taking OMM a little more seriously. It is actually kind of unprofessional and embarrassing to see people blowing off OMM class when they are at an osteopathic medical school.