EVERYONE'S A WINNER Turning Up the National with Kickin' Prizes

Featured Event: ACPM Presents Updates in Rheumatology & Neurology

Tricks of the Trade - DPMs: Reflect On Your Meeting Mentality

Practice Partner Pearls: UVC Light Shoe Disinfection

The FABI Nugget: The Key to Hiring a Million Dollar Associate

More Practice Partner Pearls: Kickstart Your Diabetic Shoe Program

Speak Up DPMs: Why Aren't You Going to Nashville?

Practice Partner Academy: Register for Upcoming Sessions

Tricks of the Trade - Vendors: Remember All You've Accomplished

Speak Up Vendors: In the Know?

Tricks of the Trade - Meeting Planners: Today's Ultimate Trending Tool

Meeting Calendar: Next 90 Days

EVERYONE'S A WINNER at BOOTH 627 If you're heading to the APMA National Conference in just a few weeks, you've put yourself in a sweet spot to win some seriously awesome prizes. We are doing giveaways each and every day; all you have to do is complete some simple and fun challenges. Each item is hand-picked by us... and we think you're gonna love 'em!

Stay Warm in a Freezing Lecture Hall with Our Roll-Up Fleece Blankets

Take the Temp Down Outside with and Instant Cooling Towel

Jam Out Wherever You Are With a Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

Be Comfy in Your Headphones Even When You're Taking a Snooze

No It's Not a Pizza Cutter... It's a Super Convenient Pocket Fan

Pop Your Tops in True Nashville Style with a Gold Boot Bottle Opener

Take Grilling With You Wherever You Go With This Portable Blackstone Tabletop Griddle

We'll See Y'all Real Soon!

Featured Event ACPM Presents... Updates in Rheumatology & Neurology: Practical Pearls The American College of Podiatric Medicine is excited to announce its upcoming contribution to continuing education in Podiatric Medicine. SATURDAY | JULY 29 9AM - 4PM EST | 6 CECH Earn 6 CECH on July 29th when you register for this online seminar featuring lectures from a wide range of expertise. Meeting Agenda: July 29, 2023 | 9am - 4pm EST

9am Overview of Rheumatologic Conditions for the Podiatric Physician Mike Katsaros, DO, FACR 10am Conservative Management of the Rheumatoid Foot Adrienne Estes, DPM, FACFAS, DABPM 10:30am Surgical Management of the Rheumatoid Foot Adrienne Estes, DPM, FACFAS, DABPM 11am Update on Seronegative Arthropathies Mike Katsaros, DO, FACR 11:30am Anatomical Changes Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis Using Anatomage Virtual Dissection Table Hooman MIr, DPM, MSci, FAPWCA  12:00pm Morning Q&A

1pm Overview of Neurologic Conditions for the Podiatric Physician Suha Hadi, DPM, FACFAS 2pm Treatment Update in Diabetic Neuropathy Kara Mizokami-Stout, MD, MSc 2:30pm Autonomic Neuropathy Christopher Bromley, DPM 3pm Gait and Movement Observations in Neurology Allison Boyle, MD 3:30pm From Head to Toe: What the Podiatrist Needs to Know About Migraine Headaches Leon Moskatel, MD 4:00pm Afternoon Q&A

CLICK TO LEARN MORE AND TO REGISTER

TRICKS OF THE TRADE Quick Tips for DPMs Reflect On Your Meeting Mentality Sarah Breymeier

If you scroll down and check out my Vendor Tip, you'll gain some insight into my sentiment for the podiatry profession and meetings. As I was reflecting on the 12 years I've been working in this profession, one thing became very clear to me. While most of my time in the last decade has been sitting at my desk and staring at a computer screen, it's the time I have spent at meetings that has truly made the biggest impact on my career. Nearly every single individual I work closely with is the direct result of a connection made at a conference. I also started thinking about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Luckily most of my meeting experiences have been positive in regard to the interactions and the "results" in the aftermath (i.e. new partnerships; new friendships, etc.) There are, though, a few bad apples in my meeting experience bunch. In an effort to be accountable, I try to evaluate where my actions or mindset could have been stronger so that a more positive experience would ensue. So my tip here is... take a step back and look at the way you're going into your next meeting. As you prepare for your next educational seminar/conference, think back on all of your past meetings that were just plain awesome. Did you go into the environment looking to battle, or did you go into the environment looking to collaborate? Did you go into the environment looking to point out the flaws or mistakes of your colleagues and peers, or did you go into the environment looking to learn from your colleagues and peers? Ultimately, take a look at your goals and ask yourself if the mentality you're taking into your next meeting aligns with achieving that goal... or if you've fallen off the rails momentarily. It's OK! Putting the train back on the track is always possible; as long as you don't burn the bridge your tracks sit on.

PRACTICE PARTNER PEARLS Increasing the Standard of Care in Fungal Treatment Protocols: Markinson Encourages Use to Limit Recurrence Complementing its popular ShoeZap® 15 Minute UV Shoe Sanitizer, the PediFix Footcare Company announces its acquisition of key assets of Shoe Care Innovations, Inc. – developers of SteriShoe®.

“SteriShoe pioneered the concept of using UVC light to disinfect footwear” says Jon Case, president of PediFix, the 4th generation, family-owned, longtime podiatry supporter. “Since UVC light has been used worldwide for decades to kill germs in water supplies, clean air in hospitals, decontaminate food preparation surfaces and other sanitizing applications, the father-son team there knew that this technology would be the safest, most effective way to sanitize shoes to reduce the chance of fungal recurrence.” “UVC has since been proven in multiple studies to kill fungus and bacteria that cause athlete’s foot, onychomycosis, shoe and foot odor, slow wound healing and more, helping patients defeat skin and nail infections” he adds. In a recent Podiatry Meetings webinar “Breaking the Fungal Recurrence Cycle – The Importance of Disinfecting Footwear”, leading expert Bryan Markinson, DPM explained “Dermatophytes can survive off the human body as spores. They are known to colonize and survive for a long duration in footwear worn by patients with onychomycosis and tinea pedis. Contaminated socks and shoes can and do act as a source of reinfection when worn by patients after achieving cure with antifungal therapy. Failure to address the fungal reservoir in shoes can hamper, delay, or prevent success. Effective management of onychomycosis includes disinfection of fungal reservoirs in shoes and socks, including post treatment prophylaxis. Therefore, ultraviolet shoe sanitizers have been developed to irradiate the innersoles of shoes and reduce the fungal burden. He concludes “footwear is a major reservoir of organisms” and “shoe sanitization makes total sense as part of a multi-pronged approach to preventing, managing and limiting recurrence of dermatophyte infections.”

Click video for complete webinar. Click here for complete article.

FABI NUGGET: Bite-Sized Chunks For Your Practice

Mastering the 6 M’s: The Key to Hiring a Million Dollar Associate for Your Podiatry Practice For those of you out there looking to grow or scale your podiatry practice, hiring an associate can be one of the most rewarding endeavors you ever do both personally and professionally.

There is no greater gift to our profession than providing opportunities for other podiatrists to prosper. But not all associates are created equal - some will lose you money and others will be wildly successful. If you’re in the market for one of the million dollar associates, then you must master the following 6 M’s. Mindset: A positive and growth-oriented mindset can impact patient care, teamwork, professional development, adaptability, and resilience. Do you have such a mindset? If not, you’ll need a mindshift before hiring an associate. When interviewing candidates, it's important to ask questions that can help you assess their mindset and determine if they are a good fit for your medical practice. Motivation: A highly motivated physician is more likely to be engaged, committed, and productive, which can have a positive impact on patient care and practice performance. Understanding your motivation for hiring (to grow/expand, to exit, to reduce overhead, to add a new skill set) and their motivation for accepting the position (location, opportunity, monetary needs) is mandatory. Mentoring: This could be the most monumental of the M’s as in my opinion it’s the most meaningful thing we can do to advance our profession and our own personal value. It can help them to develop their skills, achieve their professional goals, increase their job satisfaction, improve patient care, and contribute to the long-term success of the practice. When mentoring an associate physician, it's important to provide regular feedback, guidance, and support, and to create a positive and supportive learning environment. Marketing: Effective marketing is a must to attract new patients, improve patient retention, build the brand, and increase the visibility and reputation of the practice. Please don’t rely on the associate to market themselves. Have a marketing plan in place. When marketing an associate physician, it's important to highlight their unique qualities and strengths, communicate the value of their expertise, showcase their personality (assuming they have a good one), and create a cohesive and consistent brand message. Modalities: Offering different modalities for your associate to master increases treatment options, improves patient outcomes, generates revenue, and supports professional development, thereby allowing the practice to provide high-quality care and meet the diverse needs of patients. Metrics: Tracking metrics is essential for monitoring the performance and contribution of an associate physician to the practice. By using metrics to measure and manage performance, assure quality, allocate resources, set goals, and benchmark performance, the practice can ensure that the associate physician is delivering high-quality care, meeting the expectations and standards of the practice, and contributing to the success of the business as a whole. Now before you run out to find your new associate money machine, be sure you’ve got an open mindset, the right motivations, and a willingness to mentor. Have your marketing on point, multiple modalities available to maximize opportunities and an understanding of measurable metrics you’ll need to maintain. FABI is here to help you manage through the minefield of associate mediocrity to avoid the many mistakes that manifest from poor hiring practices. Wishing you massive success, Matthew C. Dairman, DPM MS FACFAS FABI Partner

MORE PRACTICE PARTNER PEARLS

Three Easy Ways to Kickstart Your Diabetic Shoe Program We’re all familiar with the impact therapeutic shoes can have on patient health. Comprehensive foot care programs can reduce diabetic foot amputations between 45-85% according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), yet less than 20% of those who qualify for diabetic shoes are receiving them. The leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations in the United States is diabetes. A retrospective study compared over 26,000 patients who received shoes and inserts, and the results showed a 12% reduction in ulcers and an 18% reduction in amputations. Medicare documentation requirements and audits have significantly reduced the number of providers dispensing therapeutic footwear. According to the 2023 Podiatry Management Annual Survey, only 48% of podiatrists are dispensing shoes. Whether your practice is currently supplying diabetic footwear and inserts or looking to bring it back into your practice, here are five tips to help you kickstart your program: Tip 1: Simplify Your Offering Diabetic shoes and inserts are classified as a medical device and like a night splint or a walking boot, patients can choose to get them through you or from another provider. Offering your patients limited choices on shoes eliminates the time and headache of giving them an entire catalogue to thumb through for 30 minutes—consuming valuable time in your exam room. Simplify your mild, moderate, and severe options by using a laminated card or trifold to speed up the selection process and keep your treatment rooms turning over. Tip 2: Determine Who Manages the Patient’s Diabetes To streamline the paperwork process, the physician responsible for managing the patient’s diabetes needs to be identified. Oftentimes, staff members ask the patient who their primary care doctor is, however; in many cases that is not the correct physician managing their diabetes (e.g. Endocrinologist or Nephrologist). Asking the patient who oversees their diabetic supplies can help you identify the managing care provider faster, giving you ample time to verify their credentials before the paperwork is requested. Moreso, if the managing provider is not an MD/DO, and they are in fact a PA/NP, you can verify if they are participating in the Primary Care First Model (PCF) here. Tip 3: Outsource the PCP Follow Up & Centralize Your Shoe Process A significant provider fear is losing a key staff member and having to piece together the billing history and knowledge for a treatment program. SureFit offers a Medicare Document Management program that can take the burden off of your staff to follow up on Certifying Statements and chart notes, while creating a centralized database of your patient records for therapeutic shoes. This makes the process scalable and turnover proof, allowing you and your staff to streamline the therapeutic shoe process. Instead of spending your staffs’ time on the phone verifying chart notes, use SureFit’s MDM service to validate and procure the proper paperwork for you. Contact us today to learn more about how SureFit can streamline your Diabetic Shoe Program.

SPEAK UP, DPMs Monthly Quick Poll - Whyeeeeee???

HAVE YOU DECIDED NOT TO GO TO THE APMA NATIONAL CONFERENCE THIS YEAR? WE'RE CURIOUS TO KNOW WHY! If you're not attending this year, and it's not due to one of the choices below, please email us to tell us why at beheard@podiatrymeetings.com

If you're not going... is it one of the reasons below? I am no longer a member of the APMA. Select I don't need the credits. Select I need credits, but am choosing to get them elsewhere. Select I don't want to go to Nashville. Select The meeting is too expensive this year. Select I have other obligations during those dates. Select

PRACTICE PARTNER ACADEMY Helping You Choose Strategic Partners for Your Practice Register now for our upcoming sessions...

Unlocking Patient Relief: A Podiatrist's Journey with Doctor Hoy's An Interview with Nicholas Campitelli, DPM, FACFAS Sponsored by Doctor Hoy's Natural Pain Relief Available On-Demand Now!

Beat THE GOOD FEET STORE and Amazon to Substantially Increase Your Orthotic Dispensing A Chat with Barbara Aung, DPM Sponsored by Podiatry Content Connection

DO YOU WANT US TO SEND YOU THE JOIN LINK? Please! I could use some extra revenue. Select Hmmmmm.... nah. I don't like making money. Select

TRICKS OF THE TRADE Quick Tips for Exhibitors Remember of All You've Accomplished Sarah Breymeier

Earlier this week, a friend I used to work with at a marketing firm (before my podiatry days) reached out and asked me what I have been up to for the last decade. (Note: I'm not the best at long-distance friendships). I'm sure many of you have been in the same boat as me when it comes to feeling reluctant to tell people what you do for a living. They just don't get it, right? It's hard for others to envision the grind we put in working in the podiatric space; whether we are at home... and especially when we are on the road. So instead of trying to explain, I sent her a portfolio of my most recent work... and I got super emotional. I took some time to look at all of the materials I've created... reflected on all of the companies/organizations that I've been a part of in this incredibly unique profession... and took a 12 year trip down memory lane with some of my favorite people in the world... many of you reading this now. My VERY FIRST PODIATRY MEETING was the National 2011 in Boston when I was a marketing director for an orthotic lab. Raise your hand if you were there! In two weeks, I'll be seeing a lot of you in Nashville for the APMA National Conference; and it's always a week in which I feel the sentiment of both a new beginning with the warm and fuzzies of nostalgia. In the last 12 years, I've laughed with you... I've cried with you... I've probably gotten snippy (that's a euphemism for b*tchy) with some of you... and I've LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU. What's my point here???? This is supposed to be a tip for y'all. Well, my point is... take a moment to sit back and reflect on what you've accomplished while you've been involved in the podiatry space. So many of you have a lifetime of experience over me in this profession, while others feel like my "high school buddies" and we were all recruited to podiatry around the same time; and some of you are precious newbies that I am inclined to take under my wing. Regardless of when you showed up; if you're one of us who keeps grinding... who keeps showing up... who keeps trying to figure out how to make your process better, your DPM relationships better, your meeting experiences better - then you are making an impact that you might not even recognize. Take a moment and think of all the practices/physicians you've consulted with; all the friends and family members you've had to convince of the importance of foot health. I hope you use the time at your next meeting (whether it's in a couple of weeks with us in Nashville or not) and look around the room. Step back, and be proud of yourself for being a part of something that matters.

HERE'S A FUN VIDEO ANN MADE LAST SUMMER FOR PODIATRYEXPO THAT SHOWS A FRACTION OF OUR EXPERIENCES AS PARTNERS AND FRIENDS. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET CREATIVE AND BUILD YOUR TEAM UP WITH SOMETHING SIMILAR. IT'S ASTONISHING WHAT YOU DON'T REMEMBER UNTIL YOU TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE.

SPEAK UP, Vendors Monthly Quick Poll - Meeting Numbers

Last week we received an inquiry regarding the registration numbers for the APMA National Conference. We want to know... do you feel like you are "in the know" for meetings and organizations whose member numbers may be rising or falling?

Let us know with your response below: Yes; I'm very in tune with the DPM trends in organization membership Select Now that you mention it... I don't really have strong insight into those trends Select It doesn't concern me one way or the other. Select

90-DAY MEETING OUTLOOK Click below to see industry events for upcoming months.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE Quick Tips for Meeting Planners Today's Ultimate Trending Tool: Chat GPT Ann Dosen

You’ve heard about it, but have you tried it yet?  Do you ever have a day or a moment where you can’t think of the right word to use in a marketing phrase or description? It’s right on the tip of your tongue, right? It happens to all of us. I usually rely on Thesaurus.com to help me through these brain farts.  Now, we have ChatGPT to help. Just like with anything, there are plenty of wrong ways to use this tool. I have found it to be most helpful in generating title ideas for articles, lectures, or webinars as well as providing inspiration for event or session descriptions. I do not recommend taking what ChatGPT gives you and using it word-for-word. Definitely take the time to modify it to make it your own but it often gives you great ideas to draw from. Here are a few prompts I’ve used: Please give me 8 titles for a webinar event for podiatrists that discusses the following topics: [then paste the topics after the colon] Please give me 5 brief SEO-friendly descriptions similar to this one: [paste your description] Please give me 5 brief descriptions for an online event that has the following script: [paste a transcript from your pre-recorded event] The list goes on but you get the idea. Happy chatting, friends! Want more information? PCMA recently published an article called, “5 Ways to Use AI to Help Spark Event Session Ideas.” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

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