Foot care training

edited to remove solicitation. Feel free to Pm the Moderator if you have a question. This poster has no PM to advise of explanation, PM me so we can discuss this or please read the TOS agreement.

Foot care is so important because improper or insufficient care can lead to amputation and loss of independence. WE know this but do the payers appreciate this enough to pay for these services? BUT, if the patient is diabetic (and who ISN'T anymore?)while you are there assessing, teaching, caring, you also measured the foot, ordered some diabetic shoes and inserts and billed Medicare - well NOW you're worth your while with the income to prove it.
I love nursing but I also love to eat and appreciate that roof over my head. I am SO glad I started this diabetic shoe business. The products are medical equipment and NEED to be paired with care and teaching. This is perfect a perfect business for a nurse with entrepreneurial talent. I recommend it.

How are the foot clinics funded? How much is charged per visit? RN's provide the care? How much do the nurses make and what is the amount turned over to the business?

Hi Guardian Angel! What do you mean "Turned over to the clinic." You are still thinking like an employee! YOU are the clinic! I think the footcare pricing will be defined by the demographics and perceived value of the community. But Medicare pays for shoes and inserts for diabetics the same amount no matter which shoes and inserts are provided. Good luck!

Now, how is Medicare able to reimburse? We have been working on our medicare certification for home health care and until that is received we can not bill medicare or medicaid fee-for-service.

Is the filing under DME Supply? Who is a good supplier?

So many questions!

Shoes are DME, but you can elect to, instead of full DME povider status, only request Diabetic Shoes supplier status. It is easier. Depending on which state you are in, the federal Medicare will require criteria such as pedorthic (like my state). Maybe not yours. There are many good suppliers. You can deal directly with multiple manufacturers or deal with distributers. I do both. PM me if you need more info. You go! And good luck.

Before you spend money and start a shoe business please read this research article at:

http://www.appc1.va.gov/resdev/highl...c_footwear.cfm

I highly doubt Medicare will continue to pay for Diabetic Shoes & Inserts for much longer with kind of research!

Oh BTW there several qualified nurses doing foot care & trainining for RNs here in the United States. Just search under "Nurses Foot Care" ...

Thank you Raduda. I really appreciate through researchers! I was concerned during my planning period that the program could be scrapped but relatively few programs are scrapped once initiated - but nothing is for certain but death and taxes. I have many more articles in peer reviewed journals which site an outcome improvement and cost savings using the Diabetes Shoe Program.

The article you cited is with the VA. I have taken care of ex-VA patients. The VA provides one set of medical grade inserts, instead of the three provided by the Medicare program. Each Veteran I saw was wearing the lowest grade of extra-depth shoes made (and NOT in the patient's measured size!). I asked each Veteran how their feet were measured for their VA provided Diabetes Shoes and each one said, "Um...they asked me my size." Non reported professional measuring.

The you cited article was published 18 months ago and in that time, the program has grown exponentially. Lastly, the article you cited (and I do appreciate it) described that all three groups were provided certain inserts, none of which are the inserts provided in the Medicare's Diabetes Shoe Program which has specific descriptions on medical grading. The medical grade, custom heat moldable (plastizote or similar) inserts will conform to the patient's foot and minimize pressure. The cork ones described in the study will not. So, I wouldn't consider it valid. Still, what I think has NEVER mattered! LOL! It is what the legislature passes and the legislators are hired by voters - so VOTE!

Thank you once again for your research and comments. Every single law, program and thought in the legislature has at least 2 sides. The most compelling one prevails.
Thanks,
Az
PS: It is a sad commentary on quality of care to our veterans!

Greetings! and all is well, but very, very busy- (which is a good thing and would be an even better thing if I were 20 years younger!)

I have a foot care client who is a Veteran. He has IDDM and can be considered brittle. When my services were requested by his physician, he was in the healing stage of a ulcerated corn. He had a history of ingrowth of both great toes. The Veteran's would not pay for nor reimburse him for the added depth shoes that I suggested he wear and which were ordered by his doctor.
However, when he developed Charcot's Foot, the expense of added depth shoes and brace were completely covered. This puzzled me. There has been somewhat of a stir in the nursing community over the idea of Orthotic Specialities as a career change. It's a very interesting field...might be worth investigating.

And, once again, for Raduda and others interested: LPN's too, can provide foot care. If you question this please PM me.

To give an example of one of our foot care clinics set up 2 x a month at a local Senior Center: I set a fee for service. People sign up. Care is given and payment is made. 10% of my earnings are donated back to the center at each clinic visit. (This center does not request a rental fee from me...so, I donate an amount to them in appreciation.)

I will try to get back onto this board on a regular basis. With a new nurse on board and a huge increase in referrals, I have had to spend almost every waking minute 'on the job', so to speak.

Miss all of you so much...but, I'm still here...still going strong!

Peace,
Lois Jean

I am looking for foot care advise for myself. I hope I am not out of line here. If I am, please forgive me. I have the ugliest toes known to man. I dont know if it is toenail fungus or crows toes(that is what my sister has) at any rate they are very thick and kind of yellow and they kind grow under. I would love to have pretty toe nail like I did when I was a teen. Any advice? Also I have a nasty habit of picking at the skin around my finger nails now I have broken that habit but now the skin is rough and ragged looking any advice on fixing that problem? Thanks for any advice ya all might have and again sorry for hijacking.