I’m an 80-year-old retired podiatrist. My intention is to start a discussion of subjects that are of interest to my fellow practitioners who have decided to move on to the next chapter of life.

The first challenge is to keep the mind active. After I retired from a large university practice, l received an email. The content explained that there is a historic mansion on the campus with a need for new docents. If I had an interest in history, art, and architecture, I might be interested in applying for the volunteer position. After taking the course for six weeks, I passed their test and began a multi-year experience of giving guided tours. This challenges the mind, as tours grow and change over the years. It is fun to frequently interact with visitors from local and distant places. 

After a few years, I learned of a second museum in need of docents. The tour script here was more self taught. Again, I find it enjoyable to give tours and interact with new people almost daily. Guided tours take an hour and involve a fair mount of walking and talking, so it provides a side benefit of physical exercise.

I would invite discussion from fellow retirees about what they do to keep their minds and bodies active.

—Bruce Lebowitz, DPM (retired)

Established podiatry practice in North Carolina is seeking a full-time, board-certified or board-eligible podiatrist for a hospital-based role with a strong emphasis on foot and ankle trauma, wound care, and surgery. Fellowship training is preferred. Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and an established referral base. Submit your CV to [email protected].

For more information about submitting a classified ad, click the button below, or email [email protected].

We have been receiving Medicare denials based on card numbers that come back with an "Invalid number or patient" error message. This is happening even though some of our patients have been with us for more than 40 years. Most of them have received their NEW Medicare cards; we have already invited those who have not that they should resolve that matter directly with Medicare. But many patients who see only a few docs during the year are not aware of these changes. We've heard from some of them that when they contact Medicare, they are told their cards are "valid", but then they still do not work or result in a denial. I have spoken to Medicare reps, who keep telling me to "keep billing the number you have".

Has anyone else experienced this, and do you have recommendations for how to resolve it?

—Jim Fisher, DPM

Medical practices are particularly attractive targets to ransomware hackers because of the type and volume of information they must store and protect. It never hurts to review the dos and don’ts of these incidents and be as prepared as possible.

Source: Accountable HQ

Increasingly, patients are relying on AI chatbots and AI generated summaries from Google and other search engines to answer questions and guide decisions directly within search results, often without ever clicking through to a website.

You cannot fix weaknesses you have not looked for. Vulnerability scanning is the automated sweep that flags misconfigurations and unpatched software across your systems; penetration testing goes further, hiring someone to probe your defenses the way a real attacker would. The proposed HIPAA update points toward both on a set schedule, scanning every six months and a penetration test at least once a year.

For a small practice this does not have to mean an expensive engagement; managed security providers offer scaled versions, and the exercise almost always surfaces something you did not know was exposed, an open port, a forgotten server, a weak configuration. The point is to find the gaps before someone else does, then close them and document that you did.

Source: Keith A. Reynolds, Physicians Practice

This cyber-event is geared toward podiatric surgical and wound care practices and will be led by key opinion leaders from leading teaching institutions around the U.S., as well as past presidents of APMA and ACFAS. September 26-27, 2026. For more info, click the button below.

This week, our profession celebrated the annual national “I Love My Feet” Day on August 17. To mark the occasion, Tara McElroy, DPM in Winston-Salem, North Carolina’s Novant Health Mothershed Foot and Ankle, explained some common foot problems and the one thing you should always request before getting a professional pedicure.

Source: Fox8

PM Pulse wants to hear from you! Submit your questions, concerns, and opinions to [email protected] to share and receive feedback from your colleagues and peers about all aspects of the podiatry sector. All submissions must meet our standards for professionalism and decorum, and submissions may be edited for length and clarity. Still have questions? Send us an email.

A selection of new products and services for DPMs.

We want to get your thoughts on our exciting new direction, and we’d love to hear your ideas about the topics, programs, content, and people you’d like to see more of on this page and in Podiatry Management Magazine.