Ryan Fitzgerald, DPM PRESENT RI Associate Editor Hess Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Unless you have been living under a rock, it is unlikely that you’ve missed the increasingly heated discussion on our nation’s healthcare system, and the various options being discussed to institute healthcare reform.  Regardless of your political views, most would agree that healthcare reform is necessary and inevitable—what remains to be seen is the nature and extent of reform.

There have been numerous recent sound bytes on the issue of reform–perhaps most notable to our profession occurred recently when President Obama misspoke on physician reimbursement regarding amputation costs:

Clearly we know this to be an error, and one that was addressed by Dr. Jensen, the president of the APMA, in a letter to President Obama, the director for the Office of Health Reform, and through a news release to the media:

"While we agree with President Obama that proper care and monitoring of the feet is key to amputation prevention, we felt it is important that the critical services podiatrists provide, and the fees for those services, be accurately conveyed to the public," said APMA President Ronald D. Jensen, DPM. "Nothing is more devastating than performing an amputation, knowing that perhaps it could have been prevented."

Numerous studies have demonstrated that the total cost of amputation to easily range between $30,000 and $50,000, however the surgeon’s fee is only a small fracture of that cost—often less than $800!  While our physician fees represent a minor cost in a larger scheme, it is important that we critically evaluate why the total cost for such procedures is such a staggering amount.  To be successful, any pending reform plan must address a change in mindset—one in which prevention becomes of greater importance.  Appropriately applied preventative measures have the potential to provide significant cost savings and allow us to improve the overall health of our patients.

Consider these statistics from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, if you will.  There are nearly 24 million Americans living with Diabetes today, and a total of 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people ages 20 years or older in 2007.  Study data from 2004 suggests that nearly 71,000 non-traumatic lower-limb amputations were performed in people with diabetes –at between $30,00-$50,000 per limb!  Furthermore, in 2007, the estimated total cost—direct and indirect—of diabetes was $174 billion!  Of this cost, $58 billion was in indirect costs, such as disability, work loss, premature mortality.  Imagine the significant cost savings from indirect costs alone with the implementation of prevention programs!

While health care reform is certainly a complex and delicate issue, it is one that is of supreme importance to us, both as health care providers and as health care consumers.  I encourage you to become involved and to make your voices heard to your local congressional representatives, so that they can truly represent your viewpoint on this most important issue.

We, too, would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this topic.  Please feel free to share via eTalk with the community; we look forward to hearing from YOU!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What are your thoughts on the hot topic of Healthcare Reform? You can join in on any number of live eTalk discussions, at podiatry.com or create one of your own.

Get a steady stream of all the NEW PRESENT Podiatry eLearning by becoming our Facebook Fan. Effective eLearning and a Colleague Network await you.

GRAND SPONSOR
MAJOR SPONSORS