IPMA 2017NEWSLETTER

F E B R U A R Y

Illinois Podiatric Medical AssociationMISSION STATEMENT

The Illinois Podiatric Medical Association is committed to:• Promoting quality podiatric medical practice and ethics;• Enhancing public awareness about foot and ankle health;• Ensuring the future development of the profession of podiatric • medicine; and,• Ensuring the continued growth of the Association and promoting the

welfare of its members

IN THIS ISSUE

12 Membership Matters

19 Classified Ads

4 Letter from the PresidentHelena Reid DPM

14 2017 Legislative UpdateShea, Paige & Rogal Inc.

9 Jondelle Jenkins DPMInsurance Committee Report

17Lynn Homisak

Secrets of Success: The Value of Role Playing

6 Executive Director’s ReportMichael Hriljac DPM, JD

IPMA BOARD & STAFF

Helena Reid DPMPresident

Douglas Pacaccio DPMPresident-Elect

Sarah Dickey DPMVice President

Patrick McEneaney DPMTreasurer

Stephen Palmer DPMSecretary

Carlos Smith DPMImmediate Past President

IPMA OFFICERS

IPMA BOARD MEMBERSJeffrey Alexander DPMJoseph Borreggine DPM

Amanda Brazis DPMKathleen Daly DPM

Veronica Marcello DPMSev Hrywnak DPMKyle Pearson DPM

Patrick Sanchez DPM

IPMA STAFFMichael Hriljac DPM, JD

Executive DirectorGlenn Fiala

Director of Finance & Administration

Karen LakeMembership Coordinator

Mary Jo McMahonAdministrative Assistant

Anne Marie DrufkeDirector of Meetings & Continuing

Education

8 Jeffrey Crowhurst DPMMedicare Advisory Liaison

11 Joseph Borreggine DPMHealthcare Advisory Liaison

APMA DELEGATESJondelle Jenkins DPM (2017)

Brent Parry DPM (2018)Ada Paolucci DPM (2019)Helena Reid DPM (2018)Marlene Reid DPM (2019)

Francis Rottier DPM (2019)Bruce Smith DPM (2019)Carlos Smith DPM (2018)

Dr. Jondelle Jenkins and Senator John Cullerton at his

Birthday Party Fundraiser.

13 Amanda Brazis DPM and Sarah Dickey DPM

PR Committee Report

p

15 Midwest Podiatry Conference

21 In Memoriam: Dr. George B. Geppner

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Happy New Year IPMA members!

Often we focus on what’s wrong with our profession and what we don’t have.Not today – we will focus on what is right with our profession and what we have.

I am proud of our profession and proud to be a podiatrist.

With our level of training as podiatrists we are qualified to treat pathology of the foot and ankle, both surgically and non-surgically. The medical community knows this and any patient that has seen a podiatrist knows this. As the IPMA, it is our job through our Public Relations Committee to let everyone else know this. The podiatric profession has given you your quality of life – the means to make a very good living and means to provide well for your family. Hopefully, it has given us all job satisfaction and pride. Isn’t it a great feeling whether it’s through a surgery or debridement of nails to have a pa-tient tell you “Thank You, my feet feel good.” We have the ability to help patients resolve pain, continue walking, and continue living independently and saving limbs. We save lives.

Those who have come before us have paved the way for us to get to this point. It is our job to carry the pro-fession forward. It is IPMA’s job to adapt to the changes in medicine as it changes. Podiatrists have the ability to be part of an integrative medical group as well as have an unrestricted license.

The IPMA is working hard to make this a reality – to be sure that our members are certified in physical examinations, as this is the first thing that is used to prevent this from happening.

The IPMA and the Chicago Med Ed Group have come together to make this happen. There will be four certifi-cation courses offered this year to our members.

This past weekend, myself, along with 21 other IPMA members took this 1st step. I hope all of you take advan-tage of this opportunity---the next class will be this spring.

The IPMA will continue to promote our profession and continue to move forward. I hope 2017 brings all of you continued success and happiness.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

“True leadership lies in guiding others to success — in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well.” - Bill Owens

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NOW and THEN

THE EDUCATION OF A SURGEON;

I was going through my bookcase and came upon a book “Golden Rules of Surgery”. It is interesting to note what has changed in medical educa-tion and what stays the same or should stay the same.

Choosing a student is a blend of art, science and politics. Not all students want or should be surgeons. The author, a surgeon and an educator, describes the variables.

What traits should be considered?

There are students and residents who are not cut out for the operating room. The author looks first to quali-ties/traits one must have - male or female - which schools cannot supply.

“Fact Seeker - one whose hands as well as brain have been educated. With “educated trained senses - eyes, sense of feeling, of hearing of smelling and of tasting - to arrive at correct conclusions by accurate observation, that is, by using his five senses.” “We have recognized that the hugest function of a surgeon is to make a diagnosis. The ability to treat disease is entirely dependent on the recognition of the pathological condi-tion.” And use senses in reaching a diagnosis.

In addition to having educated trained senses, “the young person taking up the study should be self-reliant, have sympathy with mankind, and have a love for acquiring scientific truths.”

What else is important in a surgeon?

Other important traits in an ideal candidate should be: “practical - and useful in an emergency and resourceful when it comes to using their hands in case of accident or in

a surgical operation requiring manual dexterity and a cool head.”

What of the medical curriculum? “be devoted to anatomy, physiology, embryology and organic chemistry, their time should be spent in the dissecting room and the laboratories.”

The next two years are the practical courses and clinics.

The student should “consult text books” spend “less on didactic lectures which can be a waste of time and more on actual work in laboratories”.

“There are doctors who are bright glib talkers, but are only average surgeons, nevertheless they become professors of surgery.” “The curriculum should “stress hands on learning”. “Methods of learning by rote, such as rehearsals, quizzes and parrot-like recitations do not educate or instruct nor exercise the intellect.”

How does the graduate become a capable surgeon?

Following medical school, the gradu-ate must “become attached to the staff of a hospital or become assistant to a surgeon who has hospital connections so that he may take part in the daily exer-cise of the science and art of surgery.”

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT:GOLDEN RULES OF SURGERY

“The making or education of a surgeon should begin early. Some young men with very limited training sometimes outstrip some of their fellows who have had great scholastic advantage.”

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Michael Hriljac DPM, JDEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The author ends his chapter with a final thought —

“The public has no way of judging between a good doctor and a quack or between a real surgeon and a mere pretender. The cardinal way of judging of a surgeon’s work is to see it done and to the final results of the operations.”

How does one continue to perfect the art of surgery? The author strongly advises the young doctor to join a medical society. He further suggests that —“if there are several, to choose the one that is the least exclusive because it would most likely be the most scientific.”

The author admonishes organiza-tions that have “symposiums where the lecturer does not have a new point of science, but will read compilations from available literature or text books or from so-called original articles in journals.” He hopes this state of affairs will im-prove when “societies will only listen to original communications.”

Other than technology, has there been much change in the basic premise?

Bernays, Augustus Charles A.M., M.D., Golden Rules of Surgery, C.V. Mosby Medical Book Co, 1906

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Jeffrey Crowhurst DPMMEDICARE ADVISORY LIAISON

MEDICARE ADVISORY LIAISON

New X-Ray Modifier: Medicare OnlyBeginning January 1, 2017, a 20 percent reduction of the payment amounts under the PFS for the tech-nical component of imaging services that are X-rays taken using film. CMS proposes that beginning January 1, 2017, modifier-FX would be required for X-rays that are taken using film. Beginning January 1, 2017, for claims in which the FX modifier reduction has been applied, MACs group code CO and the following messages:• Claim Adjustment Reason Code

237 – Legislated/Regulatory Penalty. At least one Remark Code must be provided (may be com-prised of either the NCPDP Reject Reason Code, or Remittance Advice Remark Code that is not an ALERT.)

• Remittance Advice Remarks Code N775 - Payment adjusted based on x-ray radiograph on film.

Bunionectomy Codes: New and Revised Wording for 2017CPT 28290 DeletedCPT 28293 DeletedCPT 28294 Deleted

CPT 28292 Correction, hallux valgus (bunionectomy), with or without sesamoidectomy, when performed; with resection of proximal phalanx base, when performed, any method

CPT 28296 Correction, hallux valgus (bunionectomy), with or without sesamoidectomy, when performed; with distal metatarsal osteotomy, any method

CPT 28295 Correction, hallux valgus (bunionectomy), with or without sesamoidectomy, when performed; with proximal metatarsal osteotomy, any method

CPT 28298 Correction, hallux valgus (bunionectomy), with or without sesamoidectomy, when performed; with proximal phalanx osteotomy, any method

CPT 28297 Correction, hallux valgus (bunionectomy), with or without sesamoidectomy, when performed; with first metatarsal and medial cunei-form joint arthrodesis, any method

CPT 28299 Correction, hallux valgus (bunionectomy), with or without

sesamoidectomy, when performed; with double osteotomy, any method

CPT 28289 Hallux rigidus correction with cheilectomy, debridement and capsular release of the first metatar-sophalangeal joint; without implant

CPT 28291 Hallux rigidus correction with cheilectomy, debridement and capsular release of the first metatar-sophalangeal joint; with implant *CPT codes are property of the American Medical Association

*CPT codes are property of the American Medical Association

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On November 28th, Dr. Jenkins and Hrljac, spoke with providers relations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The following are the list of questions that were submitted for clarification.

1. Credentialing back log - Many members are complaining about the credentialing process for new employed physicians. What should be expected and is there any way to make it faster?

The credentialing process is sup-posed to take 30-120 business days. Delays can happen from incorrect information on CAQH, incorrect state license numbers etc. When-ever the application is not thorough, it will not clear Network Operations. The applicant is informed of the status and a re-application process begins when the information is cor-rected. Please keep in contact with Network Operations if you are having a problem.

phone: (312)653-6555 email: netops_provider_update@BCBSIL.com

2. According to the latest Blue Review, some of the City employees will be switched to BCO on January 1, 2017. Previous BCO plans had restric-tions on networks will this one be different? And how?

INSURANCE REPORT DECEMBER 2016

verification and the patient presented with valid identification, it is highly recommended that you enter an online dispute.

4. We have been told that we can collect payments at the time of service from patients with high deductibles as dis-played on “Availity”. Many patients have called BCBS and were told that we cannot col-lect. What is the official policy? And can we get some type of placards to display this in our offices?

The official policy is that you are allowed at collect co-pays up front. All others monies collected should be confirmed through “Availity”. There was discussion on the ac-curacy of “Availity” but Blue Cross states that it is “real time”. There is a medical estimator on the website which can predict the patient’s por-tion of the bill but there are a lot of codes that are not available through this system. Even though they ap-pear to be in agreement that you can collect on high deductible policies, I do not think they relay this informa-tion properly to their beneficiaries. I highly suggest that you give the patient a copy of the Availity state-ment that was valid on the date of services.

The BCO Network for the city employees will be accessible for all BCBS providers. There will be tiering (coverage and out of pocket differ-ence) according to the individual plans. Therefore, it is always essen-tial to check the coverage on every patient before treatment.

3. Recoupment of funds from providers has become a serious issue. Many patients who receive notices about provider “recoupments” imme-diately think that the provider did something “wrong”. Recoupments, many times can be traced to an improper insur-ance verification. Do you have any suggestions as to how we as providers can limit this process?

Blue Cross Blue Shield can go back 18 months for payment recoupment. Before the payments are recouped from future reimbursements, the providers are notified and should immediately reach out to Provider Network ERM dispute on line as to why BCBS should not go through with the recoupment. BCBS is a third-party administrator, therefore the companies and unions that they are contracted with have inconsis-tencies other coverage determina-tions that may take several months to reconcile. If there are circum-stances where you have proof of

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Jondelle Jenkins DPMINSURANCE COMMITEE CHAIR

5. Most of us are not only providers, but insured by BCBS as small groups. How much on average do you foresee our personal policies increasing?

They had no comment on this topic.

6. There is still a lot of confusion about the tiering of physical therapy and other ser-vices. Could you please explain the different tiers?

Orthonet is the company that ad-ministrates the physical therapy for CTY (City of Chicago) employees. This tiering is for City employees only. If a provider believes he/she has been tiered improperly, please contact Provider Relations. Every provider is re-evaluated once/year.

Tier 1 - Modalities do not need any prior approval.Tier 2 - Prior approval only needed after the 8th session of therapy.Tier 3 - Prior approval/authoriza-tion needed for any physical therapy treatment modality.

7. CMS will be taking deductions for non-digital x-ray equipment on 1/1/17. Will BCBS be following this guideline?

No intentions at this time.

8. There was some movement towards providing facility fees for in-office procedures. Is this still being considered? Is there any information we can provide to help in this consideration?

There is no follow up information at this time.

Other Items

Fee schedules come out once a year in June, however if there are new codes or an amendment to an existing code it would be reflected in a January 1st fee schedule.

Blue Review will be available online only. Please make sure you review each issue.

Illinois Managed Care Medicaid Update 1/17I have spent numerous hours in the past couple of months listening to the frustration of our colleagues who are seeking reimbursements from the state Medicaid plans.

Bottom Line – it is NOT GETTING BETTER.

Doctors are still getting rejections after following all of the protocols of prior authorizations and adhering to all the guidelines.

If there is any consolation, please note that this a SYSTEMIC PROBLEM. All specialties and hospitals are having the same problems. Many hospitals have chosen to eliminate services to some of the most egregious plans and are only dealing with a couple.My advice, if you can, is to eliminate certain plans from your office and only take one or two which you have been successful in recouping reimbursements. Most providers including hospitals are expressing to the patients the reason why they are not taking their particular plan and referring them to the better choices.

What the IPMA is doing? We are planning a meeting with Felicia Norwood (Director, State of Illinois,

Department of Healthcare & Family Services), to express our member’s frustrations in caring for this popula-tion of patients. Many members have expressed that we should initiate a lawsuit. Personally, I think it would be extremely costly and ineffective until the State of Illinois resolves its budget crisis. For this meeting, we need your EOB’s from these Medicaid Plans. Please fax them to the IPMA office, you can blackout your name and the patient’s name but we need to see the exception codes by the zeros! Please fax them to the IPMA office at (312) 427-5813.

What you can do? Write, call, and/or visit your state representatives and tell them that you as a provider are having reimbursement issues with the Medicaid entities. Most of them know it is a problem but it is always nice to hear it from you.

In the meantime, it is always good to get prior authorization before you submit the bill and you have to follow up, on all of your non-pay-ments. There have been several complaints of not being able to get through on the listed numbers and having to call several times.

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HEALTHCARE ADVISORY LIAISON

Dr. Joseph Borreggine and 30 other podiatrists representing all aspects the podiatry profession from residents, educators, administrators, licensing, and private practice from all over the country were recently invited by the National Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners (NBPME) to participate in providing standardization of Ameri-can Podiatric Medical Licensing Exam (APMLE).

The meeting was held at the Na-tional Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) headquarters in Conshock-en, PA on Nov 18-20, 2016.

The Clinical Standardized Patient Exam (CSPE) is given and taken by all third year students prior to graduation from podiatry school to qualify for licensure and moving onto residency.

This exam was first given in a few years ago at the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) testing center, but is now overseen and taken at the National Board of Osteopathic Medi-cal Examiners (NBOME) in Con-shocken, PA.

The Clinical Standardized Patient Examination (CSPE) taken by the third year students is podiatry oriented and specific. During the meeting, the practical exam needed the exper-tise of the attendees to help ensure qualification and standardization of the CSPE by reviewing the communi-cation and physical exam skills of the students who have already taken it.

Dr. Borreggine currently practices in Charleston, Illinois and is the current chair of the Podiatry Licensing Board

through the Illinois Department of Finance and Professional Regulation. He has been in private practice for almost 30 years.

Joseph Borreggine DPMHEALTH CARE ADVISORY LIAISON

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Benefits of Membership

Access to the latest updates to national and state legislative issues Access to the latest updates to insurance issues including Medicare Access to tools to manage and promote your practice Significant discounts to CME programs (the discounts can pay for the cost of membership) Ad campaigns promoting podiatry expertise that can directly lead to patient referrals Assistance with billing, coding, insurance, Medicare and Medicaid issues from committee experts Referrals from the “Find a Doctor” section on the IPMA and APMA websites Guild membership benefits (i.e. identity theft, roadside assistance services, life insurance, etc.)

Your support allows the IPMA and APMA to continue to provide these resources, educational opportunities, legislative initiatives, and public relations efforts that elevate the Podiatric profession! Your Membership Matters!

APMA Recruitment Campaign Powered by you we can strengthen our profession! Help us find new members. APMA is conducting a membership recruitment campaign. During this time APMA is offering 50% off 2017–2018 APMA dues to DPMs that have either never been members or whose membership has lapsed prior to 2016. IPMA will participate by offering 50% off 2017-2018 IPMA dues with the same prerequisites. For more information contact Karen Lake at 630-537-9746.

Invoices are coming soon…..How do you want to pay! Preference letters went out in December. If you wish to change your payment plan/ PAC contribution and have not returned the letter, please do so as soon as possible.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

New Members Since November 2016 First Year Associate Members Senior Members Jennifer E. Bernstein, DPM Thomas Buividas, DPM Ronald A. Sage, DPM Fourth Year Associate Members Phillip F. Morreale, DPM Lisa Levick-Doane, DPM Alan Numbers, DPM Michael J. Leonetti, DPM Active Members Pramod N. Patel, DPM Life Members Fortunee Massuda, DPM

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

I P M A N E W S L E T T E R - F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 | 1 3

PR COMMITTEE REPORTA N O T H E R S U C C E S S F U L A D C A M P A I G N F O R

D I A B E T E S A W A R E N E S S M O N T H ( N O V E M B E R ) & U P C O M I N G F O O T A W A R E N E S S M O N T H I N A P R I L

The IPMA continues to see great results from our media ads! As you may be aware, the IPMA ran ads in November to stress the need for those with diabetes to seek foot care from a podiatrist. Beyond the goal of raising general awareness of the treatments/services podiatrist provide in treating diabetics, the campaign directs potential patients to the IPMA website in order to “Find a Doctor” nearby. Our “Find a Doctor” web-page saw an increase of over 300% in patients looking for a doctor as a result of the ads!

The ads ran the first two weeks of November throughout the State. We repeated our partnership with FOX32 and the Dr. Oz program and continued these efforts through ads on Channel WCIU (ME-TV) in the Chicago market.

In Rockford we were on WQRF & WTVO. In Peoria the ads ran on WMBD and in the Champaign/Springfield market the ads were on WCIA. We were also on two talk shows, President Elect Dr. Pacaccio answered questions on WCIU’s You & Me morning talk show while Dr. John Sigle appeared on WCIA’s CI Living.

Since April is National Foot Awareness month we will air ads highlighting the other services podiatrist perform in the treatment of foot and ankle issues. As we see pa-tients coming to the website in search of a doctor, it is critical your online profile is up-to-date so if you haven’t updated it in a while, please take a few moments to do so.

Sarah Dickey, DPMCO-CHAIR

Amanda Brazis, DPMCO-CHAIR

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2017 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES U B M I T T E D B Y B I L L I E J . P A I G E O N B E H A L F O F S H E A , P A I G E & R O G A L

INAUGURATIONOn January 11, 2017, the 100th General Assembly was sworn in, with 22 new House of Representative members and 10 new Senate members. The Democrats control a majority of seats in each Chamber. In the House of Representatives the Democrats have a 67-51 majority and in the Senate the Democrats hold a Veto-proof 37-22 majority. The General Assembly is scheduled to begin work on Jan. 24th for the Spring legislative session and is scheduled to adjourn on May 31st. During the next 5 months, it goes without saying that the BUDGET will be the highest pri-ority. To date, as you know, the State has not had a full, balanced budget in the last 2 fiscal years.

In reference to the “organization” of the General Assembly, the partisan caucuses re-elected the same leaders as they had in the previous General Assembly; Senator John Cullerton (Dem) was re-elected Senate President; Senator Christine Radogno was re-elected the Republican Leader in the Senate; Representative Mi-chael Madigan (Dem) was re-elected Speaker of the House and

Representative Jim Durkin was re-elected House Republican Leader.

We are still waiting on both Chambers to release their Committee Chair-men and Committee assignments. We anticipate this will be done when they convene the week of Jan. 24th.

BUDGETAs we have previously reported, on Feb.17, 2016 Governor Bruce Rauner gave his 2nd Budget Address, introducing his budget blueprint for this Fiscal Year (FY17). However, the Governor and the Legislature have been unable to agree on a full year budget plan not only for this year (FY17), but still haven’t agreed on a “total” budget plan for the last Fiscal Year (FY16).

On June 30th, the Governor did sign a “stopgap” budget that the Illinois House and Senate approved and would keep state government afloat for six months (through Jan. 1, 2017). The “stopgap” plan ensured that schools opened this past fall and provided help to struggling Chicago Public Schools after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democrats who

control the General Assembly struck a deal amid intense political pressure prior to the November election.

After the 6-month, “stopgap” budget was approved in June, the conven-tional wisdom was that after the November election, the General Assembly and the Governor would agree to a full budget during either the Veto Session or the Lame Duck Session. Unfortunately, now that the Veto and Lame Duck Sessions have concluded, we can report that no “grand bargain” was achieved.

However, there may be a ray of hope, in that the Senate has been working on a “bipartisan” grand budget compromise. As of Jan. 17th, the plan, which has only been negotiated between the Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans, seems to have stalled. The Senate President has been quoted as saying he intends to keep pursuing this bipartisan plan with his Republican counterpart, Senate Re-publican Leader, Senator Radogno.

We will continue to monitor the action in Springfield and keep you updated.

S A V E $ 1 5 B Y R E G I S T E R I N G O N L I N E ! R E G I S T E R N O W A TW W W . M I D W E S T P O D C O N F . O R G

THRU MARCH 9!EARLY BIRD RATES

There’s VALUE in attending the 2017 Midwest Podiatry Conference!

VALUED knowledge and education in our new Comprehensive Board Review Course! We've included content to prepare you for the ABFAS & ABPM Exams. Experts across the country will be presenting nearly 100 lectures over two tracks of programming for DPM's; two tracks for clinical and administrative assistants

and the increasingly popular International Post Graduate Research Symposium!

VALUING your time out of the o�ce, the MPC o�ers 34 CE’s at low rates, with discounts for registering online!

VALUABLE networking amongst colleagues, coworkers and in our exhibit hall featuring over 200 vendors to support your o�ce!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF

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DOCTOR’S CONFERENCE CATEGORIESCHECK ONE CATEGORY AND ONE FEE IN THIS SECTION

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Out of Region APMA members are NOT a part of the above listed associations, but are members of APMA in good standing.

A�liated Associations: Federal Service, American Society of Forensic Podiatry, Academy of Sports Medicine andAmerican Society of Podiatric Sports Medicine

ASSISTANT’S CONFERENCE REGISTRATIONCHECK ONE CATEGORY AND ONE FEE IN THIS SECTION

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$210 $235 $255

$255 $275 $305

SECRETS OF SUCCESS: THE VALUE OF ROLE PLAYING

SOS Healthcare Management Solutions, LLC – www.soshms.com

Whether you are assessing an employee’s skills or developing them, role playing should have a significant place in both your hiring and training protocols. Unfortunately, this excellent exercise in effective communication remains underutilized and undervalued, resulting in ineffective hiring, unsuitable staff that have neither the skills nor the desire to succeed and if that wasn’t enough … frequent turnover which takes a hit on profitability.

Role playing different common scenarios helps reveal many of the soft skills (like communication & interpersonal skills, time management – working under pressure, composure, compassion, self-motivation, decision making, creativity, adaptability and work ethic) that otherwise go undetected with your typical inter-view. It also brings to light some of their problem solving and customer service qualities. Sure as shooting, your applicant will come prepared. He/she are familiar with the types of questions and has spent time

practicing all the right answers. If they’ve been at this for a while, chances are their acting skills are perfected. Don’t be fooled.

Here is a typical example of a rehearsed, verbal response:

Interviewer: “There are times when our schedule sometimes run late. How would you handle an irritated patient who was waiting longer than she expected?”

Applicant: “Well, I would explain to her that there was an emergency that caused us to run a little late. I’d give her the option of waiting a little longer or reschedule her to another time.”

Perfectly canned response. She practiced it and delivered it with scripted confidence. But, what if the patient expressed continued discontent (as they many times do)? Satisfied? If you end the questioning there, you’ve really just only seen what the interviewer wants you to see.

Here’s what role playing will do with the same question, but asking the applicant to act out, not recite her response:

Interviewer: “There are times when our schedule sometimes run late. I’m going to be that irritated patient who was waiting longer than she expected and I’d like you to be my new assistant. Show me how you’d handle this patient’s complaint.”

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And don’t go easy on her. Be overly-sensitive. Demanding. Critical of not only her, but the practice. Say things like, “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to wait more than 30 minutes. How many times does this have to happen before this practice learns to schedule prop-erly?” Ouch.

As the applicant takes on her new role, you observe her body language. Are the words she uses and the tone of her voice satisfying to you? Does she look you in the eye? Sound genuine? Does she remain composed even though the patient (you) give her a hard time or does she crack under pressure? Does she get defensive? Make up some flimsy excuse or worse yet, promise it will never happen again? Are her words congruent with her actions? Is she apologetic and empathetic? Is she able to calm the patient by thinking quickly on her feet to offer a satisfying solution? Finally, how would you feel as a patient having interacted with her, face-to-face?

The same rules can be applied when training. Present various scenarios – in the treatment room, on the phone, responding to clinical questions, etc.

Then, don’t just ask how they would handle each situation, but let them show you. Of course, role playing is only one piece of the hiring and training puzzle; however it’s one that should never be missing.

Ms. Homisak, President of SOS Healthcare & Management Solutions, has a Certificate in Human Resource Studies from Cornell University School of Industry and Labor Relations. She is the 2010 recipient of Podiatry Manage-ment’s Lifetime Achievement Award and recently inducted into the PM Hall of Fame. Lynn is also an Editorial Advisor for Podiatry Management Magazine and recognized nationwide as a speaker, writer and expert in staff and human resource management.

Lynn HomisakSOS HEALTHCARE

MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONSWWW.SOSHMS.COM

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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7CLASSIFIED ADS

Opportunity to share a Michigan Avenue Loop well equipped podiatry

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HIRING A FULL/PART TIME PODIATRIST

To join our office either full or part time. We have a great staff that is

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Mobile Foot Doctors is looking for motivated Podiatrist to work in

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ASSOCIATE POSITION – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SUBURBS

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FOR SALE OR LEASEROCKFORD, IL: Modern, fully

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IN MEMORIAM

The Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine and the Rosalind Franklin University community were deeply saddened to learn that George B. Geppner, DPM ’50, a former president of the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, passed away on January 14, 2017. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Dr. Geppner’s family, friends, classmates and patients.

A native of Boston, MA, Dr. Geppner was a 1950 graduate of the Illinois College of Chiropody and Foot Surgery. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in World War II, in the European Theatre of operations. He practiced podiatry in Peoria, IL from 1950 to 1980. His professional ser-vices included the Presidency of the Illinois Podiatric Medical Association in 1964, and later a member and chairman of the National Council on Podiatric Medical Education in 1975. He returned to his alma mater in 1980 as the vice president of Academic and Clinical Affairs. In 1982, Dr. Geppner was named the 10th president of the institution.

Dr. Geppner is credited for his thoughtful leadership of Scholl College. During his tenure, in an effort to relieve the burden of student debt, Dr. Geppner introduced the President’s Ball during the Midwest Podiatry Conference. Designed as a scholarship fundraiser and awards ceremony, the event has evolved into the annual Scholl College Student Scholarship Benefit. In support of President Emeritus Dr. Philip Brach-man’s vision, Dr. Geppner oversaw the institution’s name change from the Illinois College of Podiatric Medicine (ICPM) to the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine.

Under his leadership in the 1980s, Scholl College launched its “Foot Care for the Homeless,” and the companion shoe donation program, “Let Someone Fill Your Shoes.” Both programs were emulated in many parts of the country.

In 1997 an honorary doctor of humane letters degree was conferred upon Dr. Geppner by Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine and he received the Scholl College Honor Medallion in 2003.

Memorials can be sent to the George B. Geppner, DPM ’50 Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University, 3333 Green Bay Rd., North Chicago, IL 60064; contact Mark Russell at (847) 578-8340 or donate here [http://bit.ly/2kHwgdJ].