This says it all......

[ExperiencedDPM]

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Members do not see this ad.

In my opinion, the ad that I’ve copied and pasted below is why our profession keeps taking steps backwards.

Yes there is a 3 year mandatory residency. Many are now also competing for fellowships. Some of these fellowships are legit and approved and some are simply a joke to obtain another certificate.

I can start a fellowship tomorrow on any BS I want, even though it won’t be accredited.

I read the ad below earlier today and literally got nauseous.

Name one allopathic “fellowship” that is structured to learn how to make money vs improving academic knowledge and surgical or medical skills. The ad below is wrong on SO many levels. It’s disgusting.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR PRACTICE MANAGEMENT FELLOWSHIP

New Jersey Podiatric Physicians and Surgeons Group, LLC Applications are now being accepted for a one-year postgraduate Fellowship in Practice Management. This experience will provide complete and comprehensive training in multiple aspects of podiatric practice management. Candidates should be in their last year of postgraduate training. All applications should be received by 31 December 2017. Inquiries should be directed to current fellow Dr. Amy Miceli: [email protected]

 

[dtrack22]

The same owner/group have conned (I mean convinced) a bunch of old, PMnews reading, nail dremeling, PADnet using, balance brace prescribing DPMs that one of the best ways to make money in practice is to hire associate DPMs at sub-PA prices. Heck, with a fellowship you can pay someone $60k (without any bonus structure) to do some patient care, some admin work, etc. I'm sure behind the scenes they are pushing this model to their AAPPM brethren as well.

 

[NatCh]

Practice management fellowship? What on earth? Yuck.

 

[ExperiencedDPM]

The same owner/group have conned (I mean convinced) a bunch of old, PMnews reading, nail dremeling, PADnet using, balance brace prescribing DPMs that one of the best ways to make money in practice is to hire associate DPMs at sub-PA prices. Heck, with a fellowship you can pay someone $60k (without any bonus structure) to do some patient care, some admin work, etc. I'm sure behind the scenes they are pushing this model to their AAPPM brethren as well.

Exactly.

 

[podoloco]

The best practice management experience a resident can get is spending more time in clinic seeing patients and going over billing with the attendings. Simply showing up for surgery is not even scratching the surface.

 

[ExperiencedDPM]

The best practice management experience a resident can get is spending more time in clinic seeing patients and going over billing with the attendings. Simply showing up for surgery is not even scratching the surface.

I do not agree. “Going over billing with the attendings” is in my opinion not a great idea. Many attendings have no friggin’ idea how to bill. That comment is a fact. In the hospital where I perform cases, I’ve heard more than one attending telling residents how to bill to make the maximum possible.

When I inquired what they were told, it was beyond belief. It all involved unethical billing, misuse of codes and unbundling procedures which is FRAUD.

 

[podoloco]

This sounds more like an issue with the attendings involved with your residency and/or your local colleagues. I learned the most useful lessons from spending time in clinics, learning how to translate the visit into proper diagnostic and cpt codes and learning how billing submission works. I was taught to use medicare LCD guidelines as my basis for billing. It has served me very well. It is pretty much outlines what qualifies for coverage across the spectrum of private and medicaid/medicare plans. If something does not qualify, I charge an out of pocket visit. Plenty of people are willing to pay, especially the ones that come in more frequently. I am one year out from residency, and own a private practice with one associate. I use a multispecialty billing service, and have frequent meetings to go over issues that come up our the world of podiatry billing. We stand out from most other professions due to the heavy use of modifiers. I have been to several "podiatry billing" seminars, and pretty much have only one take away lesson...Don't get creative, and just bill what you do. You can't go wrong with that.

I do not agree. “Going over billing with the attendings” is in my opinion not a great idea. Many attendings have no friggin’ idea how to bill. That comment is a fact. In the hospital where I perform cases, I’ve heard more than one attending telling residents how to bill to make the maximum possible.

When I inquired what they were told, it was beyond belief. It all involved unethical billing, misuse of codes and unbundling procedures which is FRAUD.

 

[podoloco]

In regards to the original post, I agree that it seems to be a waste of a year of cheap malpractice on a group that is not going to hire you afterwards.
Some basic accounting and business management classes are worth their weight in gold if you want to run your own practice. If you are not ready to handle the administrative responsibilities, and there are a lot, then work for somebody else.

 

[ExperiencedDPM]

This sounds more like an issue with the attendings involved with your residency and/or your local colleagues. I learned the most useful lessons from spending time in clinics, learning how to translate the visit into proper diagnostic and cpt codes and learning how billing submission works. I was taught to use medicare LCD guidelines as my basis for billing. It has served me very well. It is pretty much outlines what qualifies for coverage across the spectrum of private and medicaid/medicare plans. If something does not qualify, I charge an out of pocket visit. Plenty of people are willing to pay, especially the ones that come in more frequently. I am one year out from residency, and own a private practice with one associate. I use a multispecialty billing service, and have frequent meetings to go over issues that come up our the world of podiatry billing. We stand out from most other professions due to the heavy use of modifiers. I have been to several "podiatry billing" seminars, and pretty much have only one take away lesson...Don't get creative, and just bill what you do. You can't go wrong with that.

I assure you my concern is not just limited to a handful of attendings at one hospital. Over the years I’ve been a consultant for several insurance companies for claim review. You hit the nail right on the head——don’t get creative. You’ll (not you) get away with it a few times and then you’ll be writing a big refund check.

 

[de Ribas]

The same owner/group have conned (I mean convinced) a bunch of old, PMnews reading, nail dremeling, PADnet using, balance brace prescribing DPMs that one of the best ways to make money in practice is to hire associate DPMs at sub-PA prices. Heck, with a fellowship you can pay someone $60k (without any bonus structure) to do some patient care, some admin work, etc. I'm sure behind the scenes they are pushing this model to their AAPPM brethren as well.

exactly

 

[msion]

I would be afraid to be in that fellowship to have my name documented in their clinic visits that may be later subject to a massive medicare fraud. Maybe that's what they want to teach.