podiatry fraud

[kelus]

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http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/woman_cries_foul_over_podiatry.html

i read this and was appalled. I know every medical profession has its bad apples, but it is so sad to see this bad apple so close to home.
sure times are tough, but i hope times are not this bad. A couple of things bother me in this article. The aggressive coupon based marketing campaign, the ease in which orthodontics were prescribed with no condition being treated and how many times im sure this doc has done this without getting caught. Personally i feel this type of news is very damaging to the profession. so much so the doc should not only have to answer to the insurance company, but his profession as well .

what does every one think

 

[Feli]

Yep, you hear about this stuff from time to time, and unfortunately, I'm not suprised this was in NY. There was another real bad story awhile back where NYC pods were giving out cheap, generic OTC insoles to hundreds of patients and then billing Medicare and private insurance companies for expensive custom molded devices. That story even made 60 Minutes or some major national TV newscast, and it was a real embarrasment.

The good thing is that these kind of stories are definitely the exception to the rule; every profession has its problems and a few desperate practitioners with no ethics. Fortunately, there's measures in place to take away these crooked docs' licenses, but it still tarnishes the profession as a whole.

 

[JEWmongous]

Yep, you hear about this stuff from time to time, and unfortunately, I'm not suprised this was in NY. There was another real bad story awhile back where NYC pods were giving out cheap, generic OTC insoles to hundreds of patients and then billing Medicare and private insurance companies for expensive custom molded devices. That story even made 60 Minutes or some major national TV newscast, and it was a real embarrasment.

The good thing is that these kind of stories are definitely the exception to the rule; every profession has its problems and a few desperate practitioners with no ethics. Fortunately, there's measures in place to take away these crooked docs' licenses, but it still tarnishes the profession as a whole.

Wasn't that at NYCPM? Pretty crappy for the profession when this happens at one of our own pod schools

 

[aphistis]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/woman_cries_foul_over_podiatry.html

i read this and was appalled. I know every medical profession has its bad apples, but it is so sad to see this bad apple so close to home.
sure times are tough, but i hope times are not this bad. A couple of things bother me in this article. The aggressive coupon based marketing campaign, the ease in which orthodontics were prescribed with no condition being treated and how many times im sure this doc has done this without getting caught. Personally i feel this type of news is very damaging to the profession. so much so the doc should not only have to answer to the insurance company, but his profession as well .

what does every one think

New York podiatrists are doing braces now? Man, that is sketchy.



😉

 

[KingJ]

Don't worry about it guys, like many people said there are bad apples in every professions.

I can pull similar and even worse stories about MDs, dentists, accountants, and lawyers, don't fool yourself into think that your one profession is the only one untainted by dishonesty.

 

[jonwill]

New York podiatrists are doing braces now? Man, that is sketchy.



😉

Well then I guess it is fine for you guys to do orthotics!!!

 

[GetnMyFtNtheDor]

Why are people so quick to assume the negative? This doctor is not a fraud. Unfortunately, this pod is a victim of the media. If you read the article, you will see that it contradicts itself a couple times. Additionally, if you read between the lines you will see that the patient misunderstood the doctor's promotion. The exam was the only free part. Otherwise, why else would she be giving her insurance information. Anybody with common sense knows that they will not get a pair of orthotics for free...the patient should have known that

 

[rom3o]

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/woman_cries_foul_over_podiatry.html

i read this and was appalled. I know every medical profession has its bad apples, but it is so sad to see this bad apple so close to home.
sure times are tough, but i hope times are not this bad. A couple of things bother me in this article. The aggressive coupon based marketing campaign, the ease in which orthodontics were prescribed with no condition being treated and how many times im sure this doc has done this without getting caught. Personally i feel this type of news is very damaging to the profession. so much so the doc should not only have to answer to the insurance company, but his profession as well .

what does every one think

Uhhhh.....

Not to mention the article couldn't even get things right.

To her surprise, however, Cigna HealthCare recently sent a benefits statement for her daughter's visit. It listed charges from the podiatrist's office of $1,550 for five surgeries, $250 for physician care and $990 for prosthetic devices. Along with other costs, it totaled $3,235.

Not to mention, how could the patient be so stupid to think that her orthotics were free? I don't condone the fraudulent billing, but really, did she really think they were doing her that much of a free service?

 

[rom3o]

New York podiatrists are doing braces now? Man, that is sketchy.



😉

Haha, when I first read over your post I equated braces with AFOs, KAFOs, etc. lol.

 

[bkpa2med]

I don't really think this doc did anything wrong. He offered a free office visit -- not a free day at the local spa. I'm from Staten Island and some of these people are *****s as you can see in this article.

The only difference I see is that if I were the pod in this case and received ~$600 for 20 minutes I wouldn't call the pt for the extra $200. In that case nobody would ever question you.

 

[kelus]

well, , i have to say some of you are probably right, this story may be more complicated then i original though. there is some evidence that the news story may not be entirely correct.

however, easy on the patient bashing. i come from a entire family that did not have the benifit of much secondary education and no post secondary. Dont be so quick to call them "stupid" just because they did not understand the worth of orthos. (they do look like shoe incerts. )
I personally did not understand how much podiatry services were worth until i started looking into the profession. I still feel that if a DR. lures patients in with free coupons, he should be crystal clear about when his services during the visit will cost.
im not even going to go into why the doc prescribed orthotics when the patient did not complain about pain.

this point goes beyond podiatry, other shady businesses do this as well. oil changes, massages and other coupons use the same shady practice of baiting people into their buisness with free coupons, and charging them for services without clearly communicating the cost.

im sure none of you would like it if a mechanic gave you a free oil and spark plug change only to give you your old one saying "take this, you dont need this, it was broken"
Then later you find the O2 sensor replacement cost 600 dollars (car was working fine before) only to be called "stupid" by the mechanic since you did not realize that it was a O2 sensory he gave you what not the free spark plugs.

i went through the trouble of making this whole story in hopes that some of you with umpteen years of higher medical education will consider that the world is filled with people who have no medical education. labeling some one "stupid" because they have not had the privilege of your education is no way to go.
just like some of us here on sdn have no mechanical education and blindly trust mechanics to be fair

 

[rom3o]

im not even going to go into why the doc prescribed orthotics when the patient did not complain about pain.

Actually there's a simple explanation for this. Either a) they had some misalignment/biomechanics issues or b) to redistribute the weight-bearing forces on the plantar aspect of the foot... why else would they be getting callouses?



I'm not even a podiatry student and I could tell you that, I would've expected one to.

 

[kelus]

Actually there's a simple explanation for this. Either a) they had some misalignment/biomechanics issues or b) to redistribute the weight-bearing forces on the plantar aspect of the foot... why else would they be getting callouses?



I'm not even a podiatry student and I could tell you that, I would've expected one to.

500 worth of treatment to treat callouses, Hilarious! that reminds me of another story i read of a dentist who talked a elderly person into getting dentures because her teeth were would not get any whiter after whitening treatment. There standerd of care, and then theres just creating extra work and profit.

but in all honesty, i have no idea. we would have to interview both the patient and doc to get the whole truth
as i said before, i agree this story may be more complex as i originally thought. It makes for a good discussion either way.
just keep in mind, every one has something abnormal about them, to treat every "abnormality" would bankrupt this country.
the key to discerning which abnormalities to treat is in request of specific treatment and pain. both of which were absent when this young lady was treated.

interesting story none the less

 

[GetnMyFtNtheDor]

It's not patient bashing. I'm not calling the patient stupid...she obviously suffers from DSR (delayed synaptic response 😀). If someone is a complete *****, that is not the doctor's fault. In many fields (auto mechanic, computer repair technician, optometry, etc), the exam is free. Any services after that, you are charged. That's basic marketing. You don't have to have a secondary degree to understand that...All I know is, I'm not giving out my insurance info if my medical services are supposed to be free.

 

[kelus]

It's not patient bashing. I'm not calling the patient stupid...she obviously suffers from DSR (delayed synaptic response 😀). If someone is a complete *****, that is not the doctor's fault. In many fields (auto mechanic, computer repair technician, optometry, etc), the exam is free. Any services after that, you are charged. That's basic marketing. You don't have to have a secondary degree to understand that...All I know is, I'm not giving out my insurance info if my medical services are supposed to be free.

DSR: 🙂
is that what it is?
i think i have DSR following some of my previous tests

 

[GetnMyFtNtheDor]

lol... sometimes DSR will strike without warning.