APMA News - January/February 2020 - 14

Meet President Rubenstein
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account, and ongoing development of materials for our members to use in grassroots recruiting. We thank our many partners
in this endeavor for their support.
We also continue to move forward with the development of
the APMA Registry. There remains enormous potential to be
gained from this tool, including real-time clinical analytics,
MIPS reporting capabilities, and quality improvement initiatives. We have the potential to use long-term data to support
outcomes research, which in turn can complement our lobbying
efforts and assist industry in design and quality oversight of surgical instruments and procedures.
APMA News:
APMA is always working to deliver value to members. How do
you see the organization accomplishing that goal?
Dr. Rubenstein:
Broadly speaking, our Legislative Advocacy department
monitors rules and legislation that can affect our daily practice
and lobbies Congress on our members' behalf. Our Health Policy and Practice department works with a committee of dedicated members who are experts in our field and matters of
commercial and federal health care. They address a wide range
of important issues including Medicare local coverage determinations and broader policies, such as abuse of the 25 modifier;
DME regulations that are restrictive in nature; and discriminatory policies, such as seeking to segregate our profession with
separate evaluation and management codes. Our volunteers
also collaborate with staff to represent our interests at the AMA
RUC and at the CPT workgroup to ensure the best outcomes for
members and real dollar income for every patient seen.
Our health policy staff, comprised of three in-house attorneys and outside consultants, routinely prepares in-depth
analysis and written response to requests for information from
federal agencies such as CMS and Congress. No individual podiatrist has the time, knowledge, or skill set to address these issues.
Most recently, APMA established APMA Services, Inc., as a
vehicle for members to obtain significant discounts on health
insurance solutions for themselves and their staff. Once this initiative is well-established, we will look for other opportunities
to provide discounted services for members including, potentially, other types of insurance and 401(k) plan management.
APMA News:
What would you ask of APMA members? How can they be a
part of the effort?
Dr. Rubenstein:
Growing and moving our profession forward is a never-ending task that requires the effort of every DPM. This effort begins
in your office with the very basics, including practicing ethically,
treating your patients as you would want to be treated, and
maintaining a clean and safe environment for your employees
and the public.
14 APMA News January/February 2020

Moving beyond these basic steps, I would suggest members
ask themselves what needs to be done and how they want to be
involved. Typically, such questions arise sometime after we enter
practice, get settled in, and have the time and inclination to act.
I happen to be a very organized and analytical person who
enjoys working with others to achieve common goals. Volunteering for an association suits my temperament and interest.
Others may enjoy teaching or community service.
Within the context of our profession, we strongly encourage volunteerism to help develop new marketing strategies,
conceive and execute research, and offer new avenues for communicating with our members so we can stay abreast of their
needs and concerns.
APMA News:
The profession at large has embraced the student recruitment effort. How are you personally involved, and what would you ask every member to do?
Dr. Rubenstein:
The US health-care market has a great need for providers.
This need has spurred the development of new medical schools
and dramatic growth in professions such as physician assisting,
physical therapy, nursing, and others. We all know that podiatric medicine is a gratifying career for those who find it. Our
profession is now embarking on a mission to actively communicate that appeal to a wider and younger audience.
Working with my alma mater and local colleges, I have attended health career days as well as individual speaking opportunities with health career clubs and reached out to prehealth
advisors at these institutions. This process was surprisingly easy,
as most universities have full-time staff to facilitate such interactions. APMA can help you prepare for such an opportunity by
supplying talking points, a PowerPoint presentation, and more.
Our research suggests that speaking at the high school level and
even the elementary level is just as important as speaking to
undergraduates. High school students have open minds and are
less committed to a particular field of study or branch of medicine than older students.
Finally, I would strongly urge you to visit www.StepInto
Podiatry.com and to update your profile on APMA.org to volunteer as a mentor for students in both high school and college. Mentoring may only take one or two days per student,
but will make a profound impact. Our research demonstrates
that personal contact with a podiatrist is the single most
influential reason our students selected this profession.
APMA News:
Tell us about your current professional life.
Dr. Rubenstein:
I practice with Dr. Masternick and Dr. Cho in a single office
on the campus of Reston Hospital just outside of Washington,
DC. We have a diverse patient population including all ages and
ethnic groups. Of course, we also have diverse pathology and
receive referrals from a broad range of medical specialties.

http://www.StepIntoPodiatry.com http://www.APMA.org http://www.StepIntoPodiatry.com

APMA News - January/February 2020

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