Podiatry vs F&A for clinic name

[billBOB213]

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If you could do it all over (or start now), which would you choose?
I know ACFAS is pushing F&A all day er’day, but I am more and more coming over to the Podiatry side. I am proud to be a pod, I know what I am, and am good with it. But looking for other opinions and if it would be a good idea in starting up a practice to go with one over the other. Thanks in advance

 

[billBOB213]

Btw if there is a huge thread on this please link it. I tried to search it, but my computer skills are more boomer than millennial, so muh bad if there is already a really good resource here.

 

[Bluecollarmed]

I think it depends what you are trying to draw in. If you want to try and establish a practice that sees more fractures, elective surgeries, and sports injuries I'd build it as F&A. Not saying podiatry practices don't get any of that but you can try to limit the nails and calluses from finding you via google search (they still will). Funnily, I had a guy in with a turf toe injury the other day and had onychomycosis and apologized for asking about the fungal nail because he wasn't sure if I/podiatry did nails lol.

 

[air bud]

I think it depends what you are trying to draw in. If you want to try and establish a practice that sees more fractures, elective surgeries, and sports injuries I'd build it as F&A. Not saying podiatry practices don't get any of that but you can try to limit the nails and calluses from finding you via google search (they still will). Funnily, I had a guy in with a turf toe injury the other day and had onychomycosis and apologized for asking about the fungal nail because he wasn't sure if I/podiatry did nails lol.

Sir you are building a practice the right way when you have people asking if you do nail care

 

[Bluecollarmed]

Sir you are building a practice the right way when you have people asking if you do nail care

haha I'm hospital employed as the foot and ankle arm of our ortho team so we still get some nail/callus patients that sneak their way in but I'm largely elective surgery and fractures mixed with a little wound/inpatient pus.

 

[air bud]

haha I'm hospital employed as the foot and ankle arm of our ortho team so we still get some nail/callus patients that sneak their way in but I'm largely elective surgery and fractures mixed with a little wound/inpatient pus.

Samies. This is the way. Having full face and backing of the administration to tell nail care patients not part of your practice you don't do this is the best part. You're too busy seeing real stuff.

 

[Weirdy]

PP

Am labeled podiatry both business name and advertising.
Local docs throw me anything foot and ankle related once they knew I could treat it.
Still get nails, wounds, plantar fasciitis, etc.
Also get ankle sprains, small non-op ankle fractures, ankle arthritis from old injuries etc.

Had this weird relationship with calling myself a podiatrist and getting second hand embarrassment for about 6months.
Couldn't figure out why.
When you're in residency you're foot and ankle hurr durr.

Being out now, am more comfortable saying "Podiatrist" and telling the local docs I take care of anything foot and ankle related.

Goal is to do a good job. The guys around me don't care what I call myself.
The people and patients that put crazy emphasis on titles tend to be people I don't care to be around.

The local pod groups around use both podiatry and foot and ankle in their business names.

 

[Adam Smasher]

Podiatrist. No pride, no shame. Just accuracy.

 

[Adam Smasher]

I'm a podiatrist, and I'll never not be one. Like a scarlet letter P on my chest.

I remember 10 years ago ACFAS was telling us to introduce ourselves as foot and ankle surgeons. I tried it for a very short while. Here's how that went:
Me: I'm Dr Smasher, the foot and ankle surgeon
Pt: you're an orthopedic surgeon?
Me: no I'm a foot and ankle surgeon
Pt: you're a podiatrist?
Me: no I'm a foot and ankle surgeon

Also this

 

[heybrother]

Check your state laws. Texas has rules related to what a podiatrist can name their clinic.

If you want to sue Texas for abridging your podiatric free speechs right I will donate $10 to your case, after you win the case.

 

[Weirdy]

This was when I was studying for jurisprudence exam
======================================
You must use the following identifiers in any publication related to practice:
Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, DPM, Podiatrist, Podiatric physician

Include 1 of the following to describe your practice:

• Foot surgeon
• Podiatric surgeon
• Foot specialist
• Doctor and surgeon of the foot
• Injuries and disease of the foot
• Podiatric physician

You need to include one of the following suffix (Name then after is below)

• A professional corporation
• A Prof Corp
• P.C
• pIncorporated
• Inc
• Professional Association
• P.A.
• PLLP
• Professional Limited Liability Partnership
• PLLC
• Professional Limited Liablity Company
• LLC
• Limited Liability Company

A practitioner practicing in a group composed of practitioners from different branches of the healing arts may practice under a corporate name, trade name or assumed name adopted by the group, provided the name fairly and objectively identifies the practice. In addition, within the group, the practitioner shall identify himself appropriately.

 

[Feli]

I think the obvious answer is to pick both... for keywords, ads, SEO, marketing, all that.
I have both phrases on biz cards, nearly all my signs, website, all of that.

The people doing F&A only are only kidding themselves.
The toenail pts, wound patients, DM exams will still find you, sorry.
You are a podiatrist in your education, your billing taxonomy, to insurances, to hospitals, etc.

 

[Boba Foot]

Injuries and disease of the foot

Whoever came up with this has no marketing experience.

 

[Weirdy]

Whoever came up with this has no marketing experience.

Texas specifically mentions I can't call myself an ankle doctor.
There's also a fine in there for amputation at the level of the ankle.

 

[DYK343]

Check your state laws. Texas has rules related to what a podiatrist can name their clinic.

If you want to sue Texas for abridging your podiatric free speechs right I will donate $10 to your case, after you win the case.

Texas specifically mentions I can't call myself an ankle doctor.
There's also a fine in there for amputation at the level of the ankle.

Wait so you legally can treat the ankle in Texas. But you legally cant state that you treat ankles in any advertisement, website, name?

 

[Homo sapien]

Whoever came up with this has no marketing experience.

Patient walking by: is this wart an injury or disease of the foot?

 

[Weirdy]

Patient walking by: is this wart an injury or disease of the foot?

Same patient walking by who wants disability filled out for plantar fasciitis, is unwilling to do any treatment, and weighs 400 pounds
I've had 3 requests for FMLA, disability for self limited tendonitis/PF after seeing the patient ONCE.
Drives me up a wall because they pull that *&^% AFTER they leave the office and expect me to just fill it out blindly then demand why it hasn't been done 3 days later.

 

[air bud]

Same patient walking by who wants disability filled out for plantar fasciitis, is unwilling to do any treatment, and weighs 400 pounds
I've had 3 requests for FMLA, disability for self limited tendonitis/PF after seeing the patient ONCE.
Drives me up a wall because they pull that *&^% AFTER they leave the office and expect me to just fill it out blindly then demand why it hasn't been done 3 days later.

Sounds like they need an office visit so you can fill out paperwork

 

[heybrother]

Wait so you legally can treat the ankle in Texas. But you legally cant state that you treat ankles in any advertisement, website, name?

I think we need to remember that the word ankle doesn't appear in the Texas scope. Our ability to treat it is essentially inferred.

Several years ago I saw a classmate from Texas who got great training elsewhere. I asked them if they were coming back to Texas, TThey told me - no, Texas sucks, better podiatry opportunities out of state. You can succeed mostly anywhere, but I wonder if they were onto something.

 

[Weirdy]

Sounds like they need an office visit so you can fill out paperwork

That's exactly what the medicine guys recommended
Stuff they don't teach you/you are insulated from in residency

 

[Bluecollarmed]

FMLA paperwork is the bane of my existence. The stuff people try to get off work for or have restrictions so they can do a different type of job at work...blows my mind. Who was it on here that said no FMLA paperwork unless they do surgery? Teach me.

 

[Sendin_Toes_2market]

Same patient walking by who wants disability filled out for plantar fasciitis, is unwilling to do any treatment, and weighs 400 pounds
I've had 3 requests for FMLA, disability for self limited tendonitis/PF after seeing the patient ONCE.
Drives me up a wall because they pull that *&^% AFTER they leave the office and expect me to just fill it out blindly then demand why it hasn't been done 3 days later.

lol. I get 2-3 a day for the stupidest ****. A lot of times I see them 1x and they go mia until I get the FMLA. If they miss the follow up I write a letter to the patient stating they are non compliant with follow up. Further evaluation needed. Also any FMLA paper work is 50$.
- I either get a 99213 and 50$ or save 30 minutes.
-Surgical and fracture care I do for free.

 

[Weirdy]

lol. I get 2-3 a day for the stupidest ****. A lot of times I see them 1x and they go mia until I get the FMLA. If they miss the follow up I write a letter to the patient stating they are non compliant with follow up. Further evaluation needed. Also any FMLA paper work is 50$.
- I either get a 99213 and 50$ or save 30 minutes.
-Surgical and fracture care I do for free.

Office here charges 35.
Legitimately thinking of going up on price.
3 people this week
Such a time sink and I've had a few where their work places contact me asking for more info cause they got caught out and about against my recommendations while being on FMLA

 

[Adam Smasher]

I flat out refuse to write FMLA forms for anyone I haven't operated on, with the exception of toe/met fx that have a pretty clear timetable for RTW. If it's some nonsense like crippling plantar fasciitis/tendonitis/arthritis, then I send them back to the PCP. Otherwise, these problems will NEVER get better and you will spend the rest of your career writing letters for them. You can charge however much money you want for the forms. $35-50 is nothing for someone who is getting phat lewt from the govt to sit around and watch maury povich.

My logic is this: if I go on the medical record saying this person is disabled, it becomes my obligation then to "un-disable" them. However we know that most people are able to slog through their work day with chronic foot pain. I tell patients that my goal for them is to be able to function in their place of employment despite their foot pain, and that simply giving them time off from work is not a real solution to the underlying biomechanical issue giving rise to their chronic pain. If they go on disability, they lie around, stiffen up, and it just makes everything worse--not just in terms of physical well being but mental well-being too. Patients who legitimately want to get better will agree with you, and I've had luck explaining to people in these terms. I'm sure I've had some scammers, but they don't stick with me for long and probably end up with Dr Weirdy.

Crazily enough, I've noticed my 5th toe arthroplasties are the patients who need the most FMLA. Usually they're seeing me because the pipj rubs inside their workboots/safety shoe and then postop they can't stand the swelling and can't get back into their workboots/safety shoes for ~3 months.

 

[Feli]

FMLA paperwork is the bane of my existence. ...

... Legitimately thinking of going up on price....

... I get 2-3 a day for the stupidest ****. ...

Welp, FMLA is lame, but the beauty is, if you ever own your own office, there is no FMLA (under 50 employees).

Ideally, you don't hire or work with the lazy ppl who abuse it in the first place, but a lot of people try to stretch it.

This is a pretty weird country in that there are many ways to be very successful.... but even more ways to scam the system.

I think the FMLA + STD forms are inevitable if you do surgery (particularly trauma). Not fun.

 

[Boba Foot]

This is a pretty weird country in that there are many ways to be very successful.... but even more ways to scam the system.

Isn't this the new American dream? Being successful and scamming the system aren't mutually exclusive. Billionaires and corporations paying low to zero taxes is the ultimate scam. We've even got a Con-in-Chief now.

Funny part is when disadvantaged people scam the system it's called fraud and lazy. When the wealthy and corpos scam the system it's called being successful, a "good business person" or "financially savvy". Different make-up, same pig.

 

[heybrother]

I'll avoid the contentious issues and just say my professional satisfaction has increased by reducing the number of freebies. Services that are worth money - like trimming keratin, discussing surgery, or filling prescriptions needs to occur in visits and be billed for.

 

[Feli]

I'll avoid the contentious issues and just say my professional satisfaction has increased by reducing the number of freebies. Services that are worth money - like trimming keratin, discussing surgery, or filling prescriptions needs to occur in visits and be billed for.

This^^^

We are professionals. Our time is $$$.
With reimbursements stagnant yet edu loans and office costs rising every year, you have to use common sense.
People can make an appt.... and 95-99% of people understand this.
The people who want free consult and info are not only not paying, but they're also taking a spot from someone else who would.

I don't return those "had a few more questions" calls and "can you tell me about X real quick" any more than ER or ortho or plastics docs do.

 

[Weirdy]

Got it.
I'm early out. I don't know if it will sink my ratings or if that even matters.
But the medicine guys laugh cause they had to go through the same thing so they're trying to make sure I understand it better at least be an office visit.

 

[Adam Smasher]

While I agree, time is valuable and we deserve to be compensated, I'll do certain things for free:

• Certain Rx refills if I've seen you within the past year
• Have important phone conversations with pts and/or family members. (I decide what's important)
• Probably something else. Every list needs 3 things.

Rationale:

• Medical legal, it looks bad to the jury if there's all sorts of unreturned calls
• Schedule management, refilling a rx is 1 min out of my day, and I don't like milking a 99213 out of someone when I could use the slot on my schedule for actual pt care--and hopefully more billing
• Personal experience, I've had some great doctors in the past who helped me and members of my family by taking time out of their day to make that phone conversation--including an ortho--so I choose to pay it forward

 

[Homo sapien]

Same patient walking by who wants disability filled out for plantar fasciitis, is unwilling to do any treatment, and weighs 400 pounds
I've had 3 requests for FMLA, disability for self limited tendonitis/PF after seeing the patient ONCE.
Drives me up a wall because they pull that *&^% AFTER they leave the office and expect me to just fill it out blindly then demand why it hasn't been done 3 days later.

I get a few of those. I tell them they don't qualify. Die mad

 

[Homo sapien]

I think we need to remember that the word ankle doesn't appear in the Texas scope. Our ability to treat it is essentially inferred.

Several years ago I saw a classmate from Texas who got great training elsewhere. I asked them if they were coming back to Texas, TThey told me - no, Texas sucks, better podiatry opportunities out of state. You can succeed mostly anywhere, but I wonder if they were onto something.

So can you or not do Texan ankles?

 

[Boba Foot]

So can you or not do Texan ankles?

You can do ankles in Texas, the law is just silent on ankle scope rather than outright saying ankles are allowed. Not sure what you can't do here that you can do other places except maybe split thickness grafts from the thigh and other things like that. I've seen pods take STSG from calf here to avoid that issue.

 

[heybrother]

We also can do gastrocnemius recession even though we don't have any language about "soft tissue to the tibial tubercle".