Current Pedorthics | March-April 2013 | Vol. 45, Issue 2 | Page 47

The Successful
Operation of a
Pedorthic Business
Staying Compliant, Organized and
Maintaining Communications
BY MATTHEW D. ALMEDIA, C. PED
W
hen it comes to running a pedorthic practice it is not as simple as many
think. With the numerous rules and regulations coming down from
Medicare, private insurance and even the state, there is a lot to consider
when operating your practice. Often times practitioners will stress
and worry over the business side of their practice not knowing what to
expect or what the dreaded inspectors and survey teams will be looking for when they
walk through the door.
Well, stress no more my friends, because there are many tools
available to help keep your practice compliant, organized and
everyone communicating so you can indeed have a successful
operation and business.
How to Conduct Successful Compliance
The first place that I recommend the practitioner become
familiar with is their Medicare Region website. There you
can sign up for email bulletins, various webinars, and read
the most current changes that are happening in your region.
This site is vitally important if you take Medicare and I cannot
stress enough the importance of utilizing this site. Remember,
Medicare IS going to change the regulations often, and they
will post the changes for you to read, BUT they are not going to
knock on your door and tell you every time they make or post a
change. It is up to the practitioner to regularly look and inquire
what changes have been made and how they will affect them
and their practice.
The biggest issue that I have found many practices to have is
in the compliance department. Usually this is not because
they do not care or do not have time, but simply because the
practitioner and their staff did not know. Everyday the rules and
regulations change, and unless you stay glued to the computer
or have email alerts sent to your phone (both of which I
Another thing to keep in mind is that Medicare will send out
inspectors on a yearly basis at minimum to check your records
recommend) it is hard to keep track on the ongoing changes.
© Originally Published June 27, 2012•East Penn Foot & Ankle Associates, Allentown PA•www.eastpennfoot.com
Current Pedorthics
March/April 2013
45