In This Edition:

• Message from the President
• 2025 Region One Conference - Call for Speakers is Open!
• Legislative Update
• 24th Annual Joint National Podiatric CAC-PIAC Representatives’ Meeting
• 2025 Webinar Series
• APMA is requesting your assistance regarding two proposed lawsuits
• The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Briefing: Healthcare 
• New Remote Monitoring Codes
• Nursing Home and Assisted Living Centers Seeking Podiatrist
• Boston Marathon Volunteers Needed!
• Practice for Sale
• Thank you Sponsors!
• MFAS PAC Update

A Letter from the President of the Massachusetts Foot and Ankle Society - Anthony Tickner, DPM



Dear Members, Colleagues, and Friends,

As we gather today, I want to take a moment to reflect on the journey we have shared over the past year. Together, we have navigated challenges, celebrated successes, and continued to advance the field of podiatric medicine in Massachusetts. Your dedication and commitment to our patients and our profession are truly inspiring.

As we celebrate the holiday season, I encourage each of you to take a step back and appreciate the impact we have on our communities. The work we do goes beyond treating foot and ankle issues; it enhances the quality of life for countless individuals, allowing them to enjoy the simple pleasures of walking, running, and engaging in activities they love. This time of year is not only a chance to celebrate our professional achievements, but also an opportunity to be grateful for the relationships we’ve built and the lives we’ve touched.

The holiday season is a time for reflection and rejuvenation. I urge you to take care of yourselves during this bustling period. As we gather with family and friends, let’s remember the importance of our well-being. Make time for rest, relaxation, and self-care amidst the festivities. A well-rested mind and body will enable us to continue our important work with renewed energy and passion in the coming year.

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2024 APMA Region One Conference will take place on October 24-25 at The Westin Waltham Boston, Waltham, MA.

Call for Speakers is Open! Click here to submit:

Program highlights include:

• Two-track programming for surgical and non-surgical practitioners
• Complications track on Saturday
• Assistants Program on Friday
• Plenty of networking time
• New, more modern venue

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Season’s greetings from Beacon Hill! With the approach of the 2025-2026 legislative session, there have been a variety of activities related, but not limited to, state legislative elections, an extension of the timeline for a certain health care reporting mandate and planning for the upcoming session. In particular:

State Legislative Elections

Massachusetts voters had approximately 40 legislative races and five ballot questions to decide on November 5, 2024. While there was little doubt that the Massachusetts legislature would remain a supermajority for Democrats in both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate, there were a number of races of interest that drew record spending and focused campaigning. 

The Massachusetts House of Representatives will remain a supermajority of Democrats with little change in party representation. Specifically, 19 new members will be welcomed into the body at the start of next session. On election day, one Democratic Representative, Pat Haddad, former Speaker Pro Tempore, was defeated by her Republican opponent. No other sitting House member lost re-election for their seat, although Representative Susan Gifford (R-Wareham) and Representative Rady Mom (D-Lowell) lost during their primaries. In short, two Democrat challengers claimed victory in open House districts currently held by retiring Republicans, and two other GOP candidates won in districts now or most recently represented by Democrats. The body will continue to lean moderate to slightly progressive left. 

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24th Annual Joint National Podiatric CAC-PIAC Representatives' Meeting

The 24th Annual Joint National Podiatric Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC)-Private Insurance Advisory Committee (PIAC) Representatives’ Meeting, was recently held in-person on November 15 in Alexandria, VA. CAC-PIAC Rep Dr. Frank Campo attended on behalf of MFAS. The meeting featured experts and leaders on both private and public insurance issues, as well as discussion amongst colleagues from around the country to discuss new and ongoing trends and challenges impacting podiatry.

APMA President Larry Santi, DPM, kicked off the meeting with information about membership engagement opportunities, advocacy efforts, victories, coding resources, and member benefits and resources. Following Dr. Santi, Cindy Moon, MPP, MPH, vice president at Hart Health Strategies, an APMA consultant, provided her annual Medicare Physician Fee Schedule update as well as upcoming changes for 2025. She discussed the overall payment impacts, noting that while the finalized conversion factor is 32.3465 (-2.83 percent compared to 2024), the estimated impact on podiatrists for 2025 not including scheduled payment reductions is 0 percent. This status is subject to change before the start of the new year based on potential Congressional action. She also discussed the planned sunsetting of several telehealth flexibilities that were still available in 2024. These include geographic restrictions, waiving of originating site requirements, and the expansion of the types of providers eligible to furnish services via telehealth. Several more flexibilities are going to be extended by CMS, including the removal of telehealth frequency limitations, the allowance of direct supervision via two-way audio/video communications technology, use of virtual presence for teaching physician supervision, and a waiver of requirement to report home address if telehealth services are being provided from their home. 

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Click here to view the 2024 CAC PIAC Meeting Summary PPT 

APMA is requesting your assistance regarding two proposed lawsuits:

1. The first is a potential class action lawsuit regarding Modifiers 25 and 59. Health plans may be inappropriately denying and/or underpaying podiatric practices when appropriately documented separate, distinct services are provided at the same encounter. For example, it appears that some claims containing Modifier 25 have been bundled by certain health plans’ electronic claims processing software, thereby reducing the payment amount. If you have experienced similar issues, please complete the following short survey, which should take less than 15 minutes: Inquiries about Your Practice. Consider including your billing and coding staff in the survey. Additional information about this lawsuit is provided further below.

2. In the second case, the North Carolina Foot and Ankle Society and South Carolina Podiatric Medical Association are seeking podiatrists nationwide who are experiencing issues with recoupment for skin substitute products. Medicare Advantage Organizations such as Humana MA are prohibited from placing coverage restrictions that are more restrictive than CMS coverage guidelines. Providers around the country have been experiencing a significant increase in denials for skin substitute products by Humana’s Medicare Advantage plan as Humana enforces Policy Number HUM-1208-000, a policy more restrictive than published Medicare coverage. Providers are considering filing a federal suit against Humana MA. If you have interest in participating in this suit, please email Stephen Bittinger at Polsinelli, PC, or call 440-823-0664. Participants must agree to join the proceeding by January 10, 2025.

Additional information can be found on the APMA website here. Please review the background information prior to completing the survey, as it will provide helpful additional context. We really appreciate your time in responding!

The survey will takes no more than 15 minutes and will be very beneficial to guide APMA. Your dues dollars contribute to this work, so now is your chance to share any impacts you are feeling in your practice.

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Briefing: Healthcare 

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Briefing: Healthcare has reported that the healthcare/public health sector was one of the top 10 most impacted industries in the second quarter of 2024 and that there has been a 300% surge in ransomware attacks. There is now an entire industry of RaaS – Ransomware as a service.  The same way a doctor can subscribe to have access to an EHR. Bad actors can subscribe to services that will create ransomware for them. Bad actors are also utilizing AI to create ransomware and better target ransomware attacks.

The cost of ransomware has been estimated to be up to $900,000 per day for the US healthcare industry.

You can view the Microsoft Intelligence Report at this link US Healthcare at risk: Strengthening resiliency against ransomware attacks (microsoft.com)

Crowdstrike published a very sobering article on AI and ransomware at the link below

Most Common AI-Powered Cyberattacks | CrowdStrike

Click here to read more -->

New Remote Monitoring Codes

The AMA has approved significant changes to the 2026 CPT book for Remote Monitoring Codes. If you are providing Remote Therapeutic or Remote Physiologic Monitoring, you need to be aware of these code changes.  With these changes the burden associated with Remote Monitoring is reduced and you may want to look at incorporating Remote Monitoring into your practice.

Click here to view NEW codes will be added which cover the first 2 – 15 days of monitoring.

Nursing Home and Assisted Living Centers Seeking Podiatrist

Brightview Senior Living, Arlington MA, an Assisted Living Community that has traditional assisted living as well as memory care, is in need of a Podiatrist. They have about 100 Residents and are in need of a Podiatrist that will go there regularly to see the Residents. Their last Podiatrist left abruptly due to a medical reason.

Contact information:

·      Lisa Sabatino, Wellspring Village Director  

·      Vanessa Melanson, Health Services Director  

·      Celina Morrison, Executive Director  

Brightview Senior Living; Arlington, MA

Phone: 781-646-0837 

Also –

Sunrise of Newton in Newton, MA. We have about 50 residents on site. We are in great need for podiatrist services at our community. We are hoping you can help our residents and potentially start a new ongoing service for them.

We are happy to provide a central location in the community where we can bring the residents to the Dr. to be seen or work with the Dr.’s preferences.

Contact information:

·      Danielle Egitto, RN, Resident Care Director

Sunrise of Newton; Newton, MA

Phone: 617-663-1122  

Boston Marathon Volunteers Needed!

We are looking for volunteers to help at this year's Boston Marathon on April 21st.

To sign up go to: https://baa.my.site.com/s/login/?language=en_US 

You will need to set up an account at the Athletes' Village and then register.

Sign up under group - Podiatry

Password - BM2025

Deadline to sign up is Friday, February 7, 2025.

Any questions, please contact Dr. Jonathan Kaplan at 617-835-9439.

Practice for Sale

Busy Practice in Brockton, Massachusetts. Well established, modern and successful, has been in the area since 1985. Averaging 80 new patients a month & a total of 500+ visits a month. Great location within a mile of Good Samaritan Medical Center and surgery center. Fully equipped with digital X-Ray. Certified EHR. Laser. Lower Extremities Vascular Machine, BioMmedix PADnet . All aspects of Podiatry services, Surgical, Orthopedics, Adults & Children, Diabetics, DME’s. Accepting all insurances. 



Great opportunity for new or established Podiatrist, looking to buy or relocate, maybe wanted additional office or buying in. The owner is willing to stay as long as necessary for smooth transition. If you are interested or need more information, please reach out by email.

Thank You to our Platinum Sponsors

MFAS PAC Update

Thank you to our recent MFAS PAC Donors:

• David Alper
• Alexandra Brown
• Jennifer Buchanan
• Quinn Charbonneau
• Jeff Coen
• Yena Do
• Anna Guo
• Sally Kniffin
• Garrett Melick
• Rahul Mishra
• Jennifer Skolnik
• Michael Theodoulou
• Ki-Hyuk Yoo

The MFAS PAC currently has $9,708.16 on hand. As we look toward a new legislative session, please consider setting up a recurring donation or making a one-time contribution. Donating to the PAC enables the MFAS Legislative Committee to support our legislative champions. Help us hit out goal of $10,000 - be a part of advancing the profession and donate today!

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MFAS | Phone: 978-256-0935 | Email:office@massfootandankle.org