IPMA Newsletter

Lead Article September Newsletter

Meet the Candidates click Here

Dear IPMA Members,

The IPMA Nominating Committee was tasked to provide a slate of candidates for the upcoming 2023-2024 IPMA Board Directors. The Board of Directors approved the Nominating Committee’s slate of candidates, included below. The slate of candidates will also be available on the IPMA website for your review.

We look forward to seeing you at the IPMA Annual Meeting on October 7, 2023.

Kindest regards,

Thomas S. Nordquist, DPM, MHA

Vice President, Illinois Podiatric Medical Association (IPMA) Board of Directors

Chair, Legislative Committee, IPMA

Chair, Bylaws Committee, IPMA

Chair, Nominating Committee, IPMA

Fellowship-trained, Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle Surgery

Board Certified, American Board of Podiatric Medicine

Advanced Foot and Ankle Surgeons, Inc

Sycamore/Yorkville, Illinois

Nominating Committee Members

Chair: Tom Nordquist, DPM

Ada Paolucci, DPM

John Sigle, DPM

Bruce Smit, DPM

Rimi Statkus, DPM

Staff Liaison: Kristy Radcliffe, Executive Director

Lead Article August Newsletter

Dear IPMA membership, 

The 2022-2023 year has been an important one for the Illinois Podiatric Medical Association. Over the past 10 months, we have established a more meaningful relationship with ISMS, significantly increased our membership numbers, and had two bills signed into law.

In January, President-Elect Dr. Hrywnak, Legislative Committee Chair Dr. Tom Nordquist and myself met with the Illinois State Medical Society Council on Education and Health Workforce Council. Dr. Susan Hingle of Springfield chairs this committee. The IPMA is one of the very few organizations ISMS has ever agreed to meet with. We had an informative and productive meeting discussing the education of podiatrists and some of the antiquated issues that do not align with our current training. We received wonderful feedback from our meeting and ISMS will remain an important ally in our path to unrestricted licensure. 

Our meeting with ISMS dovetails nicely into our next topic: two bills signed into law. The Medical Society’s support was instrumental in our efforts in Springfield. House Bill 0240 was signed by Governor Pritzker on January 18 which allows a one-time fee waiver for all podiatrists license renewal fee. If a renewal fee was already paid this year, it will be waived at the next renewal period. Senate Bill 0759 was signed by the governor on June 9 and will be effective as of Jan 1, 2024. This bill allows podiatrists in our state to administer flu, tetanus, and covid vaccinations. This is a landmark event as we continue to push for full licensure. Our goal is to continue to work with Scholl College to assist in shaping the curriculum to augment our lobbying efforts to modernize the Practice Act. 

The APMA Delegates and I attended this year's APMA House of Delegates in March. It was a very productive House with business meetings lasting well into the night. The IPMA's own Dr. Laura Pickard closed out her year as APMA President. Also, Dr. Matthew Garoufalis won this year's APMA Award of Excellence. State societies across the country are experiencing the same struggles including decreased membership and young member engagement. In Illinois, we have recently seen our membership spike and we do not have the same problem with young member participation.

Our Communications Committee has been revamped and is working as hard as ever at member engagement and new member recruitment. While our membership dipped during Covid, the committee and IPMA staff have been making up lost ground and we are very close to gaining another APMA Delegate. 

In other news, the membership did vote to continue our affiliation with the Guild for another three years. We look forward to this as there are various benefits free to our members. Please visit the IPMA website to see all available benefits. 

Thank you for your continued support of the Illinois Podiatric Medical Association.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sanchez, DPM

IPMA President

Lead Article July. Newsletter

The IPMA is pleased to continue to offer complimentary webinars covering many of the state-mandated course requirements to our members. Mark your calendars for the next few months’ Tuesdays with IPMA. You can register for each of the below using the links provided.

Recognizing Child Abuse 

Tuesday, July 11, 2023, from 7:00P -8:00P 

Presented by: Stanley Blondek, DPM, MD

Follow this link to register Here for the IPMA webinar on Recognizing Child Abuse.

 *You must participate in the entire webinar and answer the survey questions to receive the 1 CME. 

 The Use of DNA Sequencing and Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Decision Making

Tuesday, August 15, 2023, from 7:00P -8:00P 

 Presented by:  Sev Hrywnak, DPM 

Follow this link to register Here for the IPMA webinar on   DNA Sequencing and Artificial Intelligence. 

*You must participate in the entire webinar and answer the survey questions to receive the 1 CME.  

Watch your email inbox for announcements of future complimentary webinars. 

 Don’t forget to register for the IPMA Annual Meeting Saturday, October 7, 2023 

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM      Registration   

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM    Session 1      Post-Operative Pain Management,  presented by N. Tipirneni, MD      

10:00 AM- 11:00 AM   Session 2     Update on Pediatric and Adult Vaccines, presented by S. Blondek, DPM, MD       

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM   Session 3     Genetics in Medicine: Telomeres, Aging and Disease, presented by S.Hrywnak, DPM 

12:00 PM- 2:00 PM     Lunch with the Annual Business Meeting, Election of Officers and the Board of Directors     

2:00 PM- 4:00 PM        Session 4*     The Economics of Medicine Going Forward, presented by S. Blondek, DPM, MD , J. Wisniewski, S. Becker, JD,  S. Hrywnak, DPM, A. Stein, JD, S. Crawford, M. O'Shea, E. Clark 

*Session 4 will offer a panel of experts in their field discussing: 

• Population Management
• Medicare Rules
• Lobbying Efforts on behalf of Podiatry
• Precertification
• Practice Beyond 2025
• Competition in Foot and Ankle Care
• Insurance Reimbursement  

4:00 PM - 5:30 PM       Reception, Networking and Exhibits 

Please join us for a drink and connect with your industry partners from 4:00 pm- to 5:30 pm  

Follow this link here to register for the IPMA Annual Meeting. Remember this is your association and your vote will determine the future of the organization.

Lead Article June Newsletter

The IPMA Call for Board of Director Nominations was sent out earlier this week. It is important all IPMA members seriously consider this opportunity. The future of the IPMA and podiatry in Illinois are tied together, your serving on the IPMA board would help not only you, but your friends, colleagues and patients. 

Why you should consider submitting your nomination form to serve on the IPMA Board of Directors:

Are you someone who wants to help make the IPMA better? Are you someone that recognizes problems and produces reasonable solutions? Are you passionate about the future of podiatry in Illinois and value making improvements that benefit members and patient care? Serving on a board allows you to experience, first-hand, the operations of an organization at a high level, you will learn about making decisions on governance, financial/accounting, ethics, and legal issues. It’s an experience that will develop your leadership skills and provide you with exposure that you wouldn’t otherwise gain.

Do you have a desire to serve? If you’re someone who is driven by giving back to others and helping the association to run as effectively as possible, board membership may be a good step for you. First and foremost, you are helping others and that should make you feel good. You are making a difference in people’s lives and impacting others, in a positive way. 

Are you a problem solver? Do you take problems in stride? For as many suggestions as the association gets, they also receive their share of complaints. Are you someone who remains calm and can deal with stressful situations without losing your cool? Sometimes the board must come up with creative solutions to resolve problems while still maintaining compliance.

Do you enjoy considering differing viewpoints? There is often more than one “right” way to do something, so board members must be willing to listen to others’ opinions and ideas. Keeping an eye on the future growth of the association, the stability for the future is key. Volunteer opportunities are a good way to help your community, but they also present you with a chance to explore interests and discover new possibilities. 

You want to become a better leader. Serving on the board can be a wonderful opportunity to develop your leadership skills and learn from others who are experienced board members. You can bring fresh ideas while also learning the ins and outs of running an association and working with diverse people.

You don’t need recognition. Being part of the board is often a thankless job. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes that members may not realize. Are you okay with putting in the work because it’s the right thing to do, not because you’re looking for praise from others? 

As part of the board, you’ll be on the front lines of helping to plan for the future and ensure that the IPMA is working in the best interest of the members and patients. If that sounds like something you’re ready to be a part of, please submit your nomination form

Lead Article May Newsletter

INSURANCE COLUMN MAY 2023 

Jondelle B Jenkins, DPM, and Patrick McEneaney, DPM  

DOES MEDICARE PAY FOR ORTHOTICS??

This question comes up routinely---the simple answer is NO! You can submit a claim with a KX Modifier but with that modifier you are attesting to the fact that the orthotic is part of a brace, if you attended a seminar and heard you should add this modifier, PLEASE BE CAREFUL with the exception of Diabetic insoles with the Diabetic shoes, Medicare does not pay for Orthosis!!!! 

WHY AM I GETTING ALL OF THESE PRIOR AUTHORIZATION REQUESTS FOR MEDICATION?

It has become an additional burden for most office facilities, it seems like everything suddenly needs a prior authorization the AMA and APMA have recognized this as a concerning issue.  The process can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes for each medication. I suggest, you collect them and complete at the end of the day, make sure you indicate in your office notes that you had to fulfill this process and it was part of your E/M for that patient visit. 

WHAT IS THE LATEST ON THE CIGNA-25 MODIFIER ISSUE?

APMA recently joined a large number of medical specialty organizations spearheaded by the AMA signing a letter asking Cigna to immediately rescind its policy requiring submission of office notes with all claims including evaluation and management (E/M) CPT codes 99212, 99213, 99214 and 99215 and modifier 25 when a minor procedure is billed. They cited the negative impact this policy presents with administrative costs and burdens across many medical specialties and will eventually affect patient care. This policy is unjust and extraordinarily onerous for providers.  Compliance guidelines and updates on this issue are available on www.apma.org/25modifier

UPDATE ON THE CMS 11750 RESTRICTIONS

APMA reported that CMS has modified its Surgical Treatment of Nails Policy to now allow medically reasonable and necessary repeat submissions of CPT 11750 for the same toe without having to submit for redetermination. Just make sure your medical records clearly indicate which toe/which border and the necessity for the procedure.

PLEASE FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH ALL OF THE INFORMATIVE WEBINARS AVAILABLE ON www.apma.org/webinars- REIMBURSEMENT CONCERNS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING AND KNOWLEDGE IS KEY!!!!

Please also take advantage of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Webinars/Workshops

Availity Webinars available on BCBSIL-website-orient your front office staff on how to read eligibility documentation and reconcile deductibles and how much you can specifically ask a patient to pay up front-since guideline/requirements constantly change, it is strongly suggested that your personnel sign in at least twice/year.

Submit all insurance questions/concerns by emailing Kristy Radcliffe the IPMA office at [email protected].

Lead Article April Newsletter

The year the APMA House of Delegates (HOD) was held March 17-19 in Washington, DC. Below you will find the highlights of the 2023 HOD followed by a recap of the APMA Summit on Board Certification held on March 20.

House of Delegates

The House of Delegates (HOD) is the legislative and governing body of APMA and is composed of certified delegates and alternates from each component society and APMSA.

Representing Illinois at the House of Delegates:

Chief Delegate: Dr. Jondelle Jenkins

Dr. Ada Paolucci, Delegate, who also served on the Credentialing Committee

Dr. Marlene Reid, Delegate

Dr. Diana Rogers, Delegate

Dr. Frank Rottier, Delegate

Dr. David Yeager, Delegate

Dr. Patrick Sanchez, Alternate

Dr. Sev Hrywnak, Alternate

Ms. Kristy Radcliffe, Executive Director

Also Representing Illinois, the Chair of APMA Bylaws Committee, Dr. John Wray. Dr Matt Garoufalis received this Year’s Award of Excellence. Celebrating the end of her stellar year as President of the APMA was our own Dr Laura Pickard.  On Friday, March 17^th, The Illinois Delegation attended her Formal Presidential Celebration at the Willard Hotel. 

The House officially opened on Saturday March 18, some of the highlights include:

Committee Reports included: Financial Reports and APMA Budget, DEI, Legislative, APMA PAC, Educational, Student Recruitment, Membership, Committee on Physician Parity, Affiliate Review, and JAPMA

Policy Propositions:

1.     Supporting Uniformity for all Medicare Beneficiaries regardless of coverage and minimizing burdens for physicians.

2.     Encouraging Communication and Collaboration among organizations serving the Podiatric Community for Effective Advocacy and Patient Care.

3.     Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

4.     Adequate Healthcare for all Americans        

Budgetary Actions:

1. APMA sponsorship of non-delegate young physician attendance to the House of Delegates
2. Student Recruitment Task Force to seek corporate/vendor funding.

Bylaws:

• Governance Documents and Code of Ethics Modifications/including DEI statements to be inserted in all APMA Governance Documents.

Our new President was installed, Dr. Sylvia Virbulis from North Carolina. Two incumbent trustees to the APMA Board of Trustees were re-elected. Dr Alan Block (non-ascending) and Dr Scott Hughes.  The new member to the Board of Trustees is Dr. Robert Sage from Wisconsin.

Our Own Dr. David Yeager announced that he will be running for the APMA Board at the 2024 House of Delegates. We will give him all our support. 

Please visit www.apma.org search “House of Delegates” for the detailed reports and policy propositions. It was a very productive House, IPMA was well represented.

Report submitted by Jondelle Jenkins, DPM, Chief Delegate

Summit on Board Certification

The APMA hosted a Summit to discuss Board Certification following the House of Delegates in Washington, D.C. on March 20, 2023.  Approximately 120 people participated while another 75 attended virtually.  The Summit was moderated by Dr. Timothy Tillo, Speaker of the House.  Dr. Jim Christina, Executive Director, APMA and Dr. Sylvia Virbulis, President, APMA presented the agenda which included two main topics of discussion:  

1. Are podiatrists having trouble getting hospital privileges or on insurance panels related to board certification. 
2. What are the possible solutions?   The summit kicked off with the presentation of recent APMA survey results asking members if they had any of the above listed issues. 

The results of approximately 963 respondents revealed 22% had an issue, and of that, 25% had resolved. 

The age distribution was:

            25-34 <10%, 

35-44 ~25%, 

            45-54 ~30%,

            55-64 ~25%, 

 65+ ~20%.  

            Over 80% had completed residency prior to 2013. 

The Summit participants, representing various boards, physicians of all ages as well as non-physician interested parties, were divided into groups to discuss the agenda topics.  A summary from each group was presented followed by an "open mic" forum in which everyone was afforded the opportunity to speak. The issues at hand were multi-faceted and affected everyone differently:

• Those that were outside the certification time frame,
• Those that did not pass an exam,
•  Those being limited based on which board certification they possess.

It was clarified that the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) and the Specialty Board Recognition Committee (SBRC) recognizes two certifying boards: surgical certification administered by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) and podiatric medicine certification administered by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM).  Various "single board" models were discussed and presented with the goal of inclusivity of all practicing podiatrists. While there was no clear consensus regarding solutions, one message was clear - the APMA is listening to all voices.  The APMA has provided a complete summary of the summit along with the survey results, click on the following link for a more detailed recap.

https://www.apma.org/boardsummit

Report submitted by IPMA Delegates, Diana Rogers, DPM and David Yeager, DPM

Lead Article for the March Newsletter

Our team, comprised of Matthew O’Shea, Sarah Kuhn and Ben Lazare, has had the honor and privilege of representing the IPMA in Springfield starting in February of last year. The initial goals were to pick up where the other lobbying team left off but build additional legislative ambassadors, coordinate with the Illinois State Medical Society, and have a presence on the political side.

Last legislative session a number of medical licensed professionals received a fee waiver, however, the Podiatrists did not receive a fee waiver. We organized a legislative strategy for the House, Senate, and Executive side that began this past veto session and continued into lame duck session. Our legislative ask was a fee waiver for 2023 or to be given a credit if it was already paid. This was truly a team effort as we had to convince the Legislative Medicaid Working group and Executive side that we should have been included in the original fee waiver. At one point the Executive side was opposed due to the budget concerns and we were able to work through their concerns and legislative concerns to ultimately pass HB 240 in lame duck session. We were the only additional group to be added as a fee waiver. State Representative Fred Crespo and Leader Theresa Mah were very helpful in our efforts.

We have started the 103rd legislative session with democrat supermajorities in the house and Senate. We have a brand new House Republican Minority Leader Tony McCombie (first Republican woman) in House and Senate Republican Minority Leader, John Curran, in Senate. There are 20 new members in the House and 7 in the Senate. With the new year, we have started on our path of continuing to build our relationship with the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS). We asked to present before the ISMS to educate their group on our training and where we could work together. We were invited to participate in a meeting before their Health Care Committee. On January 11, Dr. Sanchez, Dr. Norquist and Dr. Hryanek appeared before the Health Care Committee of the ISMS. We were the second group to ever appear before the ISMS. The feedback I received was that the team did a great job led by Dr. Hrywnak. The goal was not only to add additional responsibilities for Podiatrists but also to find common area where we could work in a collaborative effort with ISMS. We are finalizing a bill that will allow for vaccinations. Our legislative champions are Assistant Majority Leader Theresa Mah and Senator Julie Morrison.

The legislature is set to adjourn Friday, May 19th. Our efforts will be focused on this legislative effort, partnering with ISMS, and continuing to build legislative champions.

Matthew O’Shea
President
Matthew O’Shea Consulting, Inc.

Newsletter Article for January  2023 From IPMA President

Dear IPMA Members,

As the new year arrives, exciting times remain ahead for the Illinois Podiatric Medical Association. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to say thank you for your support and we will continue to serve the membership and promote our great profession. It is an honor to serve as your President for the upcoming year. 

Full licensure remains a top priority for our organization as insurance companies move away from fee for service and reimbursements continue to decline. It is important to note that our goal is not to expand our scope of practice per se; we want to simply be on the same playing field as other providers. As podiatrists, we have a limited license; however, MDs, DOs, NPs, and PAs all have full, or plenary, licensure which could potentially affect insurance inclusion as value-based care becomes more prevalent. Being cut out of insurance plans would obviously be devastating to our profession so it is important to get ahead of this issue. Thus, it continues to be a top line item for our profession at a state and national level. The IPMA will continue to work with Scholl College and the Illinois State Medical Society to pave a path more clearly to full licensure and mitigate this risk.

As most are aware, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation modified license renewal requirements this upcoming cycle in January 2023. Podiatrists are now required to have an additional hour of training in Alzheimer’s and other dementias as well as an hour of training in implicit bias. The IPMA is proud to provide these webinars free of charge to our members. Dr. Janet Simon presented a wonderful and informative lecture to our members last month on bias training. Please be sure to sign up for the Alzheimer’s lecture on Tuesday, January 10 presented by the IPMAs own Dr. Hrywnak to make sure to have all new requirements satisfied for the upcoming renewal. In the same vein, we are very close to receiving our renewal fee waiver with the hard work of our new lobbyist, Matt O’Shea. This language has been included in HB 240, which has passed both chambers, it now awaits the Governor’s signature. Please note that should this pass, and a podiatrist has already paid the renewal fee, the podiatrist will be credited for the next renewal cycle in 2025. We will alert the membership via an email blast as soon as the Governor has signed the bill.

The IPMA's affiliation with the Guild is up for renewal this year as well. There are a great number of benefits to continue the affiliation. For example, the Guild works with members of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Labor office which makes it easier for our organization to meet with BCBS. The sheer number of members of the OPEIU/Guild is helpful for our lobbying efforts. Additionally, there are a number of members who have health insurance offered through the OPEIU. There are numerous other benefits including free roadside assistance, identity protection, death benefits, student debt reduction programs, selective loan programs, AT&T, and other company discounts. This is not all inclusive, but please go to the IPMA website to take a deep dive into all the member benefits. Information will be forthcoming regarding the vote.

Young member involvement is as important as ever for the IPMA. We remain focused on recruiting talented and motivated students to our field. The youth is the future of our profession and organization, and we must nurture our incoming leaders. Earlier this year, myself and other members of the Board of Directors spent a day at Scholl College speaking with podiatry students. We gave a lecture and had the opportunity to have lunch with the students. They were very appreciative of our support. The IPMA will continue its commitment to academic excellence and support scholarships for our hardworking students.

The IPMA still has a lot in store for the next year including more free CE webinars, an in-person meet and greet, and a virtual town hall! Stay tuned for more details.

Happy New Year to you and your family. Thank you for your continued support of the IPMA.

Sincerely,

Patrick Sanchez, DPM

IPMA President

• Sexual Harassment 101 Hosted, on demand by PICA, click the link below, listen to the presentation, and answer the required questions to receive your CE Certificate from PICA.

https://info.picagroup.com/video-sexualharassment-101

• Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Presented by Sev Hrywnak, DPM

Click Here to register 

License Renewal Information

License renewal occurs preceding January 31 of each odd- number year (01/31/2023). For additional information follow the below links

https://idfpr.illinois.gov/default.asp

https://idfpr.illinois.gov/renewals/apply/forms/f1494po.pdf

https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068013600000700R.html

Continuing Education Hour Requirement

1. Every renewal applicant who applies for renewal of a license as a podiatric physician must complete 100 hours of continuing education (CE) relevant to the practice of podiatric medicine.
2. A prerenewal period is the 24. Months preceding January of each odd- numbered year.
3. A renewal applicant is not required to comply with CE requirements for the first renewal.
4. Podiatric physicians licensed in Illinois by residing and practicing in other states must comply with the CE requirement set for in this section.
5. OPIOD Requirement- 3 hours on safe opioid prescribing practices  Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

Podiatric Administrative Code: Podiatric Medical Licensing Board - State of Illinois 

Podiatry CME State Requirements

Find your state in the table below to see how many CME Credits your State requires, when your next renewal date is, and how many you can earn online (revised: August 2022)

 https://www.podiatry.com/State-Online-Podiatry-CME-Laws#info