Editor's Perspective »
Exploring The Online Exclusive Content Of Podiatry Today
It has been nearly 20 years since I graduated from college. Back then, I thought of myself as a newspaperman and started my career in the newspaper business. I picked up two newspapers a day back then and grabbed both the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sundays. Then it shifted to just getting the Inquirer on Sundays. Now I cannot remember the last time I bought a newspaper. When you can read all of the news online for free for the most part, why bother buying a newspaper?
Editor's Perspective »
A Memorial Tribute To Gary P. Jolly, DPM (1948-2010)
The true measure of a man is not necessarily what he has accumulated or received over the course of his life, but rather what he has given to others. Gary P. Jolly, DPM, FACFAS, set the bar pretty high. A top educator in the field, Dr. Jolly played an instrumental role in the training of many of the current thought leaders in podiatry. Never afraid to push the proverbial envelope, Dr. Jolly was widely regarded as one of the truly innovative minds of podiatric surgery.
Editor's Perspective »
A New Direction For ‘The Forum’ And Greatest Hits From Dr. McCord
When I first started working on Podiatry Today about eight and a half years ago, I found myself trying to find and recruit a variety of podiatrists to be regular columnists for the magazine. John McCord, DPM, was the first columnist to come on board.
Dr. McCord had an idea for a regular op-ed column that would largely draw upon his experiences in the podiatric profession. This turned into the “Forum,” which is certainly one of the most well read columns in the magazine.
With the “Forum,” you may read a salient commentary on
Editor's Perspective »
Understanding The Changing Face Of Diabetes
New figures from the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) continue to cast a sobering view on treating diabetes in the years to come. Now there are 17 million Americans who have the disease and nearly six million of them are unaware they have the condition, according to CDC estimates. The prevalence of the disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, has increased 33 percent in the last decade. Even more troubling is the fact that the demographics of the diabetes population are growing wider.
The CDC notes that over a million new cases will be diagnosed each year among patien
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Fostering A Culture Of New Ideas
My sister gave me a wonderful Christmas present a couple of years ago. Knowing of my fondness for jazz, she went on eBay and bid for a black and white portrait of the great Miles Davis. The striking photo shows a very young Davis (perhaps in his early 20s at the time of the photo) with trumpet in hand and a music chart in front of him. He appears thoughtful and contemplative in the photo, as if he’s pondering where the next note will take him.
The portrait of the late jazz innovator was used as part of an old Apple Computer ad campaign. The simply stated ad tagline in the top right-hand
Editor's Perspective »
PSSD: Assessing Its Value And Potential
The pursuit of a better testing method for diabetic peripheral neuropathy has spurred the re-emergence of the Pressure Specified Sensory Device (PSSD) and accompanying debate over its potential utility.
Yes, the NCV test and the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament allow you to test for the presence of neuropathy. However, in his article, “Restoring Sensation In Diabetic Patients” (see page 38), Stephen Barrett, DPM, says the monofilament does not “quantify or stage the level of peripheral neuropathy” and neither test enables you to assess “early stages of isolated peripheral nerve compres
Editor's Perspective »
Ready Or Not, Here Comes HIPAA
Is your practice HIPAA compliant? Indeed, the looming deadlines for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) will require careful consideration of the patient privacy protections you have in place at your practice. Will this process be time-consuming, expensive and stretch your staff even further than they’re stretched already? Absolutely.
By April 14, 2003, your practice must be compliant with HIPAA’s Privacy Rule. If someone knowingly violates HIPAA and obtains individually identifiable health information or discloses it to another, he or she may b
Editor's Perspective »
Are Ankle Implants On The Comeback Trail?
Older ankle implants, initially used in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, were failures. They either popped out, wore out or subsided into the bone. One podiatric surgeon recalls removing at least one failed ankle implant a week during his residency. Lately, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in ankle implants, although a palpable amount of trepidation and skepticism remains.
While only a handful of podiatric surgeons in the United States have used the newer implants (the Agility Ankle and the Beuchel-Pappas device), the majority believe they are more biocompatible. They are rep
Editor's Perspective »
Are Docs Getting Too Cozy With Drug Companies?
Sometimes, it’s the subtle comment that gives you pause. Shortly after giving a lecture at a recent conference, a DPM found out that a particular company had sponsored the series of lectures he had participated in and he expressed regret. “If I had known (the company) was sponsoring the lecture, I would have mentioned their product.”
Then there are the more outrageous examples of drug company influence, like the one captured in an éxpose on ABC’s Primetime earlier this year. On the program, a doctor revealed that he had received approximately $10,000 worth of freebies from var
Editor's Perspective »
High Resolution Ultrasound: Hope Or Hype?
It offers more proactive diagnostics. It offers a more precise diagnostic view. It’s more portable. It fosters better patient compliance. These are just some of the claims that have been made about the potential impact of using high resolution ultrasound (or ultrasound biomicroscopy) in both diagnosing, monitoring and, in some cases, facilitating effective treatment for certain conditions you may see in your practice.
Speaking strictly from a layman’s perspective, the possibilities of using this modality for some podiatric applications do sound intriguing. I was particularly struck by the
