News From ACFAS

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What would an Annual Scientific Conference be without the HUB? Our open-space theater and go-to spot on the exhibit floor for interactive learning is sure to be a highlight at ACFAS 2023! Engage with your peers on a variety of topics you won’t find anywhere else, including:

• Inter-Relationship of Life and Work: Balancing Personal Demands in Different Types of Podiatry Practices
  The Intersection of Social Media and Healthcare
• The Fellowship Experience: Is Advanced Training Right for You?
• CPME 320 Re-Write: Are We There Yet?
• Everything You Need to Know About ABFAS Board Certification

ACFAS 2023 will be held February 9-12 in Los Angeles. Pre-conference programming begins on February 8. Visit acfas.org/asc for more information and to register. The APMA is working with the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) as it launches its 2023 Compensation and Production Survey. We are asking as many members of ACFAS to fill out this survey as possible.

Improving this data will help podiatric surgeons to be paid more appropriately for the services they provide. You do not need to be a member of MGMA to fill out the survey, you just need to create a free profile. You can do so by visiting this web page. The survey is now open and will close on February 10. Please also visit the MGMA survey main page for additional information. Participants in the survey will receive access to the survey data for free.

Here are some resources that will help you and your practice to fill out the survey:
Survey Checklist
Survey Guide
Survey FAQ
Suggested Survey Reports
Video on Best Practices for Completing the Survey Looking for a new job? Save your spot to attend the ACFAS Virtual Career Fair on Thursday, February 23 at 5:00 pm EST.

Browse employer profiles and view open positions all from the comfort of your home. You’ll also be able to meet with employers you’re interested in by text or video.

Register for free! Start 2023 off on the right foot!

Check out the ACFAS Logo Store for the latest gear and merchandise. ACFAS shirts, jackets, pullovers, scrubs and hats are available in a variety of colors and sizes. ACFAS drinkware and pens are great conversation starters and the perfect way to show your College pride!

Get your order in today at acfas.org/logostore.

Foot and Ankle Surgery

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Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 10 patients with Freiberg`s disease of the lesser metatarsals treated with open debridement, microfracture, bone grafting and application of Autologous Matrix induced Chondroplasty (AMIC) membrane. The patients were followed up to five years and the outcome measures were scored using Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOxFQ) and EQVAS best health scores.The mean base line MOxFQ was 72.5 (95 percent CI- 45 ± 100) which improved to 42.5 (95 percent CI- 2.5 ± 82.5) at one year. The mean baseline VAS improved from 26.4 (10.2 ± 42.6) to 30.3 (95 percent CI- 2.1 ± 58.5) at one year. The mean MOxFQ and VAS at the end of 36 months was 31.4 (95 percent CI-6.6 ± 57.2) and 47.3 (4.3 ± 80.3), respectively.


Researchers reviewed 12 pediatric patients with 17 calcaneal fractures from January 2010 to December 2018 to analyze the outcomes of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology to preoperative preparation and intraoperative operating for treatment via percutaneous reduction and cannulated screw fixation. The patients exhibited significant differences in the average Böhler angle before operation compared with afterwards and at last follow-up. The calcaneal height and length postoperatively and at the end of follow-up time also differed significantly compared to before surgery. Computed tomography scan indicated good reduction of the posterior facet based on Goldzak index. The average subjective American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society hindfoot score was 94.1, and no wound complication was observed.


A retrospective study was held to assess the prevalence of hallux valgus (HV) and brachymetatarsia in the ipsilateral foot. The researchers reviewed 97 feet with congenital brachymetatarsia in a cohort of 66 patients who received surgical correction between January 2005 and August 2020 at a single institution. Included were 61 females and five males, average age 27 years. Standardized anteroposterior radiographs confirmed HV deformities in 29 feet for a prevalence of 30 percent in the feet with brachymetatarsia.

Practice Management

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Staffing has emerged as a top issue for physicians heading into 2023. In 2022, lack of staffing was one of the toughest issues identified by Medical Economics’ annual physician report and a Medical Group Management Associatio survey. Most physicians reported shortages across all roles, and according to the latest findings from The Physicians Foundation, 73 percent had significant or moderate shortages of registered nurses. All the strategies recommended for 2022 — increasing pay and perks, having flexible work hours and listening to employees’ suggestions for workplace improvement — could still work in 2023. This article outlines further steps that can be taken.


Physician employment compensation and contracts can be difficult to understand. As an employed physician, your contract should include a detailed description of what is expected from you. This includes the type of medicine being practiced, the number of hours you are expected to work, your availability and on-call hours and outpatient care duties or administrative duties. Although it seems basic, understanding your duties and obligations upfront will help set the tone for a successful employed relationship.

Health Policy and Reimbursement

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The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace has seen 11.5 million people enroll in a health plan this year, marking an 18 eprcent increase from 2021, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services. In total, that increase represents about 1.8 million more people as of December 15, which is the deadline for coverage starting January 1, 2023.


Millions of people are poised to lose Medicaid coverage after the recently enacted omnibus spending bill changed the healthcare program’s enrollment rules. The coverage losses are expected because states that received extra Medicaid funding under a 2020 COVID-19 relief bill had to agree to pause beneficiaries’ eligibility verifications. The continuous enrollment in the state-federal program for the low-income and disabled was set to end when the health emergency is over, likely sometime in 2023. Instead, under a $1.65 trillion federal spending bill approved by the US Congress, states can begin disenrolling people from Medicaid in April even if the public-health emergency designation remains in place. Many of those who will lose coverage are likely to qualify for coverage under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Medicine, Drugs and Devices

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US and EU health regulators have since August approved a total of four new products intended as one-time treatments for rare genetic diseases that carry list prices of at least $2 million a patient. The most recent one, approved in the United States, set a price record: $3.5 million for CSL Ltd.’s Hemgenix, a treatment for the blood disorder hemophilia B. The price tags mark a new high for medicines, which drugmakers were once reluctant to charge more than six figures for but whose prices have been heading upward. The companies say the cost reflects the drugs’ potential to help patients in a single dose, but paying for it could challenge patients and health insurers.


Long-term research that analyzed the relationship between hospitalizations related to fractures and diet in approximately 1,400 older females has determined that vitamin K1 substantially reduces the risk of hospitalization. Breaking bones can have a major impact on one’s life, particularly in older age when hip fractures can lead to everything from disability to reduced independence. A new study from the Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute at Edith Cowan University and the University of Western Australia looked at the relationship between fracture-related hospitalizations and vitamin K1 intake in older Australian women over a 14.5-year period. The researchers found women who ate more than 100 micrograms of vitamin K1 consumption per day were 31 percent less likely to have any fracture versus participants who consumed less than 60 micrograms daily, the current vitamin K adequate intake guideline in Australia for women. K1 has also been shown to improve cardiovascular health.


Over the past 30 years there have been many technological advances in the way insulin is given. Newer formulations of insulin are less risky and more convenient. Continuous glucose monitors can help people and their doctors better track how much insulin they need and when. However, despite all that progress, people in the United States with diabetes who take insulin are just as likely to have dangerously high levels of blood sugar now as they were about 30 years ago, according to research published earlier this month in JAMA Open Network. "There still isn't any improvement, which is not a promising trend," said Michael Fang, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a senior author on the paper.