I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague Dr. Lombardi’s recent comments about the constant publication of unfavorable stories about our profession. This is particularly true about commenting on news stories, which may be incomplete.

Perhaps the recent posting for an academic chair is one of those. Academia has always paid less than private enterprise. The reason is that academia offers many other avenues of income other than salary.

An academic chair often has their own practice on the side, which may be fed by other school faculty. The mere addition of “chair” of a department also makes one a tempting audience for medical malpractice work, IME, peer review, opportunities from insurance companies, etc. All of these are tremendous sources of additional income. Is there also the possibility that the chair of a surgical department can bill separately for performing surgical procedures in the academic setting?

—Paul Kesselman, DPM

To view this entire response, click the button below. To submit a question or response, email [email protected].

Emblation has announced the appointment of four medical affairs advisors, including American DPMs Robert M. Conenello, Melissa J. Lockwood, and Tracey C. Vlahovic. These advisors will facilitate peer-to-peer educational support, providing clinical perspectives and practical insights to help clinicians optimize their use of Emblation’s SwiftPro. Guidance will also be provided on the use of Swiftscope™, the companion app that enables enhanced visualization, treatment documentation and monitoring of patient progress. 

Source: Emblation

The question was asked, why have medical educations become so expensive? (Scroll down.)

The answer is simple. The US government pays for all foreign students to go to college. This is why 50 percent of all state college students are foreigners. Two-thirds of all school-age children in the US are eligible or on SSI disability. The government will pay for them to go to school pretty much forever for free, pay for everything, and give them cash and allowances the whole time. They pay so well that medical schools fill as many seats as they can with disability students before others. They actually offer and promise these people a seat in the school when they graduate from high school! College just becomes a formality. This allows schools to charge as much as they want and the government will cover it. The small percent that actually pay for their education are the ones that pay through the nose so that they can graduate and pay taxes to pay for all these other people to go to school on their dime. 

—Gary S Smith, DPM

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There’s no question that the podiatry profession has achieved parity with other medical specialties in tangible, meaningful ways. DPMs serve as chief medical officers at large organizations. They’re widely respected and valued by patients and other physicians. They’re (mostly) compensated on par with their peers. As the population gets more active while also living longer, the opportunities for DPMs to demonstrate the quality of their care—we’re looking at you, hobbling pickleballers—will increase as well.

Even so, some small but notable gaps persist…

Practice administrators who have already tried reminder calls, texts and other quick fixes for no-shows may be skipping the most important step: figuring out why patients miss appointments in the first place.

That's the view of A.G. Ghanim, M.B.B.Ch., a healthcare senior manager at the University of Michigan who oversees clinical operations across multiple sites. He specializes in workforce optimization, capacity planning and performance improvement, and is founder of ZLinQ Consulting, with a six-step process to define, diagnose, prioritize, design, implement and optimize solutions for patient no-shows. 

Source: Physicians Practice

October 23-24, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.

Members receive a $50-$300 discount on this conference, based on member level, and have access to accredited CECH in the member-only on-demand education portal. For more information about membership, visit www.aspsmembers.org.

For members who are not able to attend in person, on-demand video access will be available in the education portal after the conference. 

Source: ASPS

Personal finance website WalletHub scored the loyalty programs of the nine largest hotel chains in the U.S. on 21 metrics, from what a point is worth when redeemed for a free night to how far ahead an award stay can be booked. The 2026 rankings weigh six categories: rewards value, redemption options, earning policies, geographic coverage, status levels, and other features such as points expiration.

Physicians who attend specialty society meetings and continuing medical education conferences can enter their own annual hotel spending into WalletHub's calculator for a customized ranking.

Source: Medical Economics

A patient who isn’t ready on the morning of surgery becomes a cancellation, a no-show or a case that starts late. By then, there are no easy choices left. The cost shows up in places a cancellation report doesn’t track. Block time is already committed. Staff are already scheduled. The patient waits longer for a procedure. And the same pattern repeats after discharge, when questions that could have been answered in advance arrive as phone calls instead.

Quality care in an ASC starts long before the patient arrives. When patients are prepared, informed, engaged and pre-qualified, ASCs can reduce avoidable cancellations and no-shows, cut delays and field fewer discharge questions. Friday, 10.9.26, 1PM Eastern.

Source: Becker’s Hospital Review

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30-Year Podiatry Practice: Kansas City, Missouri 

Priced below appraisal. Established hospital-campus practice with strong referrals and 25,000 patient records. Fully equipped with digital X-ray and EMR. Staff staying on. Open four days, with demand for five. Retiring physician will assist with transition. A rare turnkey opportunity. Confidential inquiries: [email protected]

Full-Time Chair, Dept. of Podiatric Medicine & Surgery

The Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine is seeking a full-time chair for the Department of Podiatric Medicine & Surgery. The chair will lead faculty, drive academic excellence, and oversee clinical experiences in a collaborative environment. Generous benefits! ($120K–$140K). Contact: [email protected] or apply at https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/employment/

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

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