APMA News - January/February 2018 - 12

Dennis R. Frisch, DPM

continued from page 11

APMA News:
What led you to become involved with APMA?
Dr. Frisch:
I was raised in a family that valued being involved. When
I began practicing in Boca Raton, within a year the Palm
Beach County [division of the Florida Podiatric Medical Association (FPMA)] folks had me finding speakers for their
monthly meetings. That led to becoming an officer in Palm
Beach County, with a five-year progression to the presidency of that organization, then FPMA, which is another fiveyear progression. By that time, I thought about moving up
to APMA, but my kids were in early high school, and I
made a promise to them and myself that I'd be at all their

Annual Meeting. They fit my personality and what I like to
do. On the Annual Meeting Committee, I helped to choose
programs to meet the different generations' needs and deliver a product that plays an important role in APMA's annual budget.
I like Communications because it's creative, and I like
creative things, but I also like it because the Communications Committee in-person meeting is a semi-structured
meeting where people are encouraged to free-think and
bounce ideas off each other. Those who know me know I'm
not one who routinely sits quietly, so that's the way I like
to think.
APMA News:
As we enter 2018, what do you think we still need to achieve?

I feel that I've been able to continually give back to the profession.
It's part of my DNA to serve, so I think even when my term on
the board is up, I'll find another way to serve the profession.
athletic and school events. So I stayed on the executive
board for FPMA and backed off my podiatry commitment a
bit. When they were off to college, I ran for the APMA Board
of Trustees-and lost to [APMA President] Ira Kraus, DPM,
by nine votes! I came back and ran again the next year and
was successful.
APMA News:
What has your long service on the board taught you, and
how has it prepared you for the presidency?
Dr. Frisch:
When you join the board, you have to learn to think
nationally instead of locally and focus on what does the
greatest good for the most podiatrists. That transition
takes a while. It also takes a while to learn how the different APMA departments integrate and what the different
committees do.
I feel that I've been able to continually give back to the
profession. It's part of my DNA to serve, so I think even
when my term on the board is up, I'll find another way to
serve the profession.
APMA News:
What committees have you been most actively involved in?
What did those experiences teach you?
Dr. Frisch:
There are certain committees people are better designed
for than others. My two favorites are Communications and
12 APMA News January/February 2018

Dr. Frisch:
We still need to achieve full parity, and we have worked
very hard and are closer than we have ever been to parity
within the VA. [Editor's Note: At press time, the VA Provider
Equity Act was awaiting consideration as part of an omnibus
VA bill.] Ultimately, if that legislation passes, it should be a
stepping stone to parity within the federal government and
then private insurances.
I hope that people understand that the wheels of government and business grind much more slowly than we
want them to. If we could wave a wand or pass a resolution in March and get it done by June, we'd all be happier.
Unfortunately we're not in control of the pace at which
things happen. Staff works very hard, but if we ask CMS
for a meeting and are not given a meeting for six months,
APMA can't control that. I get as frustrated as anyone else
with the time it takes, but it isn't for lack of effort or lack
of desire.
APMA News:
Tell us about your priorities for your presidency.
Dr. Frisch:
What I want to accomplish is continued collaboration
internally and externally. I want to see us become a more
united, collegial profession, in which everybody is working toward the end benefit of podiatry.
I don't believe in construction by destruction. I don't
believe someone gets better at the expense of someone

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - January/February 2018