How wonderful to hear from the illustrious Dr. Arlene Hoffman as to how she is staying so active after retirement! As one of my favorite professors at CCPM, she was always memorable for saying, "The PhD in me says..., but the DPM in me says...". I learned much from her during my time there.

As a DPM nearing retirement now myself, I appreciate hearing from Dr. Hoffmann and wish her well.

—Lisa DeTournay DPM, CCPM Class of 1987

View original query here and Dr. Hoffman’s response here.

Hello Dr Fisher, your dilemma is a common one. The MBI is not a permanent number. CMS reissues it when a card is lost or stolen, when a beneficiary requests a change, and—most significantly of late—when a beneficiary's data is exposed in a breach at a Medicare contractor or claims-processing vendor.  

The representative your patient speaks with is confirming entitlement, which is intact—so the response is, "your card is valid." The number in the patient's wallet is a retired MBI. And "keep billing the number you have" is only true for dates of service before the new MBI took effect.  

The solution is to stop relying on the card and pull the current number yourself. Every MAC offers a free MBI look-up tool inside its secure provider portal. Enter the patient's first name, last name, date of birth, and Social Security Number, and the tool returns the currently active MBI. It works for any Medicare patient, regardless of where they live or which MAC you're enrolled with.

Best Regards,

—Tonia Silva, CPC, CPMA, CPPM

View original query here.

Each year, bad actors defraud Medicare and taxpayers of millions of dollars by billing for durable medical equipment that enrollees do not need or never receive. Despite efforts to combat this fraud, bad actors continually devise new schemes. The federal agency’s white paper outlines the problem and potential solutions.

Source: HHS

When determining the actual cost of collecting dollar, the real question is, what does it take to collect a dollar from an insurance company? I spent years trying to answer this question—and it’s exactly what led me to build a billing team focused exclusively on podiatry.

Ransomware is a bet that you cannot recover without paying. Good backups take that bet off the table, but only if they actually work when you reach for them. Keep multiple copies, store at least one offline or otherwise out of reach of your network, and encrypt them like any other ePHI. The detail practices skip is testing: a backup you have never restored from is a hope, not a plan.

Run a restore on a schedule to confirm the data is intact and you know how long recovery takes. The proposed rule leans in this direction with recovery-time and recovery-point expectations, essentially how fast you can be back up and how much data you can afford to lose. Write down your recovery steps so they do not live only in one person's head.

Source: Keith A. Reynolds, Physicians Practice

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

The Pacific Advanced Surgical and Wound Care Summit is an interactive CME-accredited medical conference being held at the Pendry Newport Beach in Newport Beach, CA, October 10–11, 2026. This year, the Summit brings together PRESENT e-Learning Systems, the Western University College of Podiatric Medicine, and the Orange County Podiatric Medical Association. For more info, click the button below.

A worker's earlier ankle surgery did not sink her workers' compensation claim, and an Arkansas appeals court affirmed the award. The Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled on August 19, 2026, that a 58-year-old test proctor at North Arkansas College was entitled to employer-paid ankle surgery, even though she had an operation on the same ankle about a year before her workplace fall. 

Source: Human Resources Director

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.

Looking for an associate to join our busy house-call practice, part time to start, possibly leading to full time. Excellent compensation and bonuses. Must have New York license, malpractice insurance, reliable car. Can help with insurances and privileges. Call 516-633-6364, or email [email protected].

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 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.