- Joined
- Sep 13, 2007
- Messages
- 87
- Reaction score
- 0
I heard there is an initiative to consider DPMs as full physicians like MDs and DOs by 2015, is this true? What impact will it have on the profession if this comes true?
This is an article on 2015, and you can read the whole thread also:I heard there is an initiative to consider DPMs as full physicians like MDs and DOs by 2015, is this true? What impact will it have on the profession if this comes true?
I agree with Feli. One of the main issues is that there are some states that do not define pods as physicians and therefore, they are not covered under medicaid. A federal bill is currently in the works that would define pods as physicians and would therefore blanket any states where that already wasn't the case. But hopefully, that will be resolved before 2015!
The rest of 2015 has to do with parity. Also, there are still some hospitals where pods are not considered members of medical staff (although I would think it odd to grant a doctor privileges at a hospital and not consider him/her a member of medical staff) and vision 2015 may help with that. Concerning the "unlimited scope", I would hope by that, they mean uniform scope of practice nationally. I don't think you'll see any DPM's doing an OB/GYN residency anytime soon!
I personally think that DPMs should stay in their realm of profession. It should be separated from the realm of the MD and DO. Podiatry is podiatry, dentistry is dentistry, optometry is optometry. And then there is the MD and the DO. This talk of DPMs getting into residencies other than their PMS standard is ridiculous. You treat the foot and ankle, anything else belongs to the realm of the medical physician (MD and DO).
That is my own view.
I think you are missing the point. The point is not what we treat but what we learn.
No one said we should be able to enter into MD or DO residencies.
2015 strives for parity, not DPMs to get MD/DO residencies.
In the October 2007 Journal Oklahoma State Medical Association, President's Page, W.H. Oehlert, MD,MMM, writes that in May, US Rep. John Sullivan (R, OK) and Jim McDermott (D, WA) introduced a new bill - Health Care Truth and Transparency Act of 2007, which would require that health care profesionals clearly state their professional credentials in advertisements.
In Oklahoma statute, 9 classes of persons may use the word "Doctor" or an abbreviation thereof:
1. DPM (podiatry)
2. DC (chiropractic)
3. DDS or DMD (dentistry)
4. MD (medicine/surgery)
5. OD (optometry)
6. DO (medicine/surgery)
7. Phd, EdD, PsyD (health service psychologist)
8. PhD, EdD (speech/language pathologist)
9. PdD, EdD (audiologist)
It used to be that Classes 1 - 7 could use the term "Physician", but the statute has been amended to limit that to Classes 3, 4, and 6 (DDS/DMD, MD, and DO).
He ends with this, "There are 9 classes of "Doctors", and 3 classes of "Physicians", but only 2 classes who "practice medicine", MDs and DOs."