APMA News - September/October 2017 - 6

APMA
News (ISSN 87502585) is published bimonthly by the American

Podiatric Medical Association, 9312 Old
Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 208141621 (301-581-9200). Periodicals postage
paid at Bethesda, MD, and at additional mailing
offices. APMA News is distributed as an APMA
membership benefit. Statements of opinion
expressed in this magazine are not necessarily
endorsed by APMA. Acceptance and publication
of advertisements, news stories, or product
information does not imply endorsement or
approval of the company, product, or service by
APMA. Printed in USA. Fax 301-530-2752.
Annual Subscription Rates
A $35.00 subscription to APMA News is
included in the annual membership dues of
APMA. Subscriptions are unavailable to nonmembers who are eligible for membership.
Subscriptions for all others in the United States
are $75.00 prepaid; foreign subscriptions are
$100.00 prepaid. Single copies are $10.00
prepaid. Remittances should be made payable
to APMA. Additional member subscriptions
are $40.00. For additional information, call
301-581-9200.
Submissions
Direct articles, letters, news releases, and
subscription orders to APMA News, 9312
Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD
20814-1621 or pstresky@apma.org. The
editorial staff reserves the right to reject or edit,
in part or whole, any items submitted for
publication. APMA News accepts no
responsibility for return or safety of unsolicited
material. APMA News is not responsible for
errors or omissions in copy submitted for display,
classified ads, or listings in Dates to Remember.
Change of Address
APMA members write to Membership, APMA,
9312 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD
20814-1621. Include your member number.
Non-member subscribers send address changes
in care of Subscriptions, APMA. Postmaster:
Send address changes to APMA News, 9312 Old
Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-1621.
Advertising Policy
All insertion orders are to be received in writing
to be considered for publication. Display
advertisements and Dates to Remember
notifications announcing professional or scientific
meetings, seminars, conferences, etc., will be
considered from APMA affiliated organizations,
component societies, regions, colleges of
podiatric medicine, approved residency programs,
other recognized non-podiatric institutions, and
non-affiliate podiatric groups. Affiliates,
component societies and regions, colleges of
podiatric medicine, and approved residency
programs receive a preferred rate for display
advertisements and Dates to Remember.
Commercial advertisers should contact the
APMA News advertising representative,
The YGS Group, 3650 West Market Street,
York, PA 17404. Call 800-501-9571 and
ask for Evan Bates. Email evan.bates@
theygsgroup.com.
Direct camera-ready advertising copy, insertion
orders, and payment to APMA Advertising, The
YGS Group, 3650 West Market Street, York, PA
17404. Make checks payable to The YGS Group.
Prepayment is requested on affiliate and
non-affiliate group ads. Affiliate, non-affiliate, and
commercial rates available upon request. See
rates and deadlines for Dates to Remember and
classified ads under the respective headings in
this issue. A 5-percent surcharge will be added if
an invoice must be sent.
Editor Peggy Tresky
Assistant Editor Aimee R. Condayan
Contributing Editor Will Scott
Copy Editor Elizabeth Dorcey
Art Director/Production Manager Edith A. Caro
Editor Emeritus David J. Zych
© 2017, APMA

6 APMA News September/October 2017

President's Message

The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly
As APMA president, I hear it all. When our members love what we're doing,
they tell me. And when they don't, I hear that, too.
First, let's accentuate the positive. Our 2017 Annual Scientific Meeting was
a stellar success. Attendance was outstanding. Attendees loved the Gaylord
Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. We will be at another Gaylord property in 2018 in Washington, DC-the Gaylord National Harbor. Mark your
calendar for July 12-15, 2018, for the world's premier foot and ankle meeting.
Registration opens in January. Get more meeting coverage on page 16.
I'm hearing great things from members who are passionate advocates for this
profession. We're making exciting strides toward meeting our legislative goals.
The VA Provider Equity Act received unanimous consent in the House of Representatives. The next step is the Senate. In August, APMA staff and I met with
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans'
Affairs. (Sincere thanks to David Helfman, DPM, for his help in arranging that
meeting.) We have struggled to gain his support because we faced opposition to
the legislation from the orthopedic surgeons' lobby. By building relationships,
we have eliminated orthopedists' objections. Sen. Isakson supports the legislation and is grateful for our commitment to collaborating with orthopedists.
In addition to legislative accolades, I've heard positive input about our regulatory advocacy efforts. We held two face-to-face meetings with CMS recently.
We advocated against a proposed rule that would require previously exempted
qualified practitioners (including podiatrists) to obtain additional certification
and licenses to furnish prosthetics and custom orthotics. We also examined
issues with National Correct Coding Initiative Edits for at-risk foot care claims
(CPT 11055 and 11720) and the -59 modifier. More to come on both topics.
Our new registry is experiencing a surge of interest among members. Hundreds have completed the access request form at www.apma.org/registry. The
registry will be a tremendous benefit to members reporting to quality payment
programs, as well as to the profession as a tool to demonstrate podiatry's value
to the health-care system. Read more on page 50.
Now to the negative: Members remain concerned about the dwindling
number of applicants to podiatric medical schools. Contact your alma mater
for opportunities to share information about podiatry, and become a mentor
through the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM)
DPM Mentors Network. If you were an AACPM mentor in the past, you must sign
up with the new network to continue serving. Visit www.dpmnetwork.org/member
ship/become-a-mentor.
APMA conducted a social media campaign in July, #OperateLikeAGirl, devoted to career awareness. Some members loved it ... some did not. Some
members were concerned about using the term "girl," but our target audience,
young women from middle school to undergraduate, responded with great
enthusiasm. In fact, it was our most successful campaign ever on Twitter, and we
received many requests for information from prospective students. Even if you
did not love the campaign, I hope you appreciate its results. We addressed a critical issue with the same evidence-based planning that goes into all of our campaigns. Read more on page 10.
I look forward to hearing from each of you!
Ira H. Kraus, DPM, President
@APMAPresident; APMAPresident@apma.org

http://www.apma.org/registry http://www.dpmnetwork.org/membership/become-a-mentor http://www.dpmnetwork.org/membership/become-a-mentor

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - September/October 2017