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

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].

If you aren’t getting the online recommendations you desire, it may be due to the ways you describe your own work.

Source: Nathan Woo, Medical Economics

A Charlotte, North Carolina-based medical practice has completed the first foot and ankle procedures using Pulmera’s FDA-cleared CBeam 3D Imaging Platform. The technology was used in four cases: two primary total ankle replacements, a revision total ankle replacement, and a cavus foot reconstruction.

Source: Becker’s Spine Review

Change Healthcare was not most practices' own system; it was a vendor nearly everyone relied on. That is the lesson of business-associate risk: your security is only as strong as the partners who touch your patients' data. A signed business associate agreement is the floor, not the finish line. The proposed rule pushes toward active verification, meaning practices should confirm that vendors actually encrypt data and enforce MFA rather than taking their word for it.

Keep a current list of every vendor with access to ePHI, from your EHR host to your billing service to the cloud tools staff quietly adopted. Ask for proof of their security posture, a recent audit or certification, and make sure your agreements spell out breach-notification timelines. When you retire a vendor, confirm they have returned or destroyed your data.

Source: Keith A. Reynolds, Physicians Practice

Callback to April for an inspiring post from @drNicoleGrafFreels about the promising future of regenerative medicine in the podiatry profession and an invitation to join her efforts.

And not all heroes wear capes. A hiker near Lake Placid, New York, recently slipped and got injured just before another hiker—who happened to be a podiatrist—encountered the injured person on the trail. The unidentified DPM splinted the hiker’s ankle and helped stabilize the issue until a medical helicopter arrived.

Source: Zoey 103.9

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.