APMA News - January/February 2025 - 15

podiatry. Additionally, I presently serve as the liaison
to the Health Policy and Practice Committee.
The HPPC submitted recommendations to
Medicare regarding the recent changes to its skin
substitute Local Coverage Determination (LCD).
All HPPC skin substitute recommendations were
adopted by Medicare. These efforts ensured that
podiatrists and all wound care professionals have
the ability to continue providing the highest quality
of wound care to our patients.
One of my core beliefs is the importance of
building bridges both within and outside the podiatric
community. I am particularly committed to
assisting states in addressing challenges, including
advocating for full ankle privileges for podiatrists
in Massachusetts and Mississippi. These
two states remain the last holdouts, preventing
podiatrists from practicing to the full extent of
their training and education. Securing ankle privileges
in these states is essential for the continued
growth and recognition of our profession.
In addition to state-level advocacy, I am passionate
about ensuring that the next generation
of podiatric physicians is well-prepared to carry
our profession forward. This includes recruiting
talented students into the 11 podiatric medical
schools across the country, while also ensuring
that we maintain strong residency programs that
support our continued development. As we work
toward this goal, I am committed to advancing
our profession towards achieving R1 physician
status with Medicare, moving beyond the current
R3 physician recognition.
Finally, I remain focused on addressing reimbursement
challenges with insurance companies,
which continues to be a critical issue for our
profession. It is essential that we continue to
advocate for fair and equitable reimbursement
practices to ensure the financial health and sustainability
of podiatric practices.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve APMA
and would be honored to continue working on
behalf of our profession. Your support will allow
me to further our collective efforts to enhance
the recognition and impact of podiatry in the
health-care system.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
David M. Schweibish, DPM
Candidate for Election to the Board of Trustees
We find ourselves at a pivotal
moment in the history of our profession,
where the choices being
made now-regarding the truths
we choose to confront and the
challenges we decide to tackle-will determine our
collective future.
The stakes are high, and the urgency has never
been greater. Health-care providers and patients
alike are increasingly frustrated by the inefficiencies
and inequities within the American health-care
system, making the need for meaningful change
clearer than ever. The negativity and pessimism
that permeate conversations-whether at dinner
tables, in doctors' lounges, across media platforms,
or on association agendas-reflect the dissatisfaction
shared by many. As podiatric physicians, we
of course are no strangers to discontent with the
status quo; we too are struggling under the weight
of a system that is no longer sustainable.
Today, discussions among colleagues frequently
involve talk of burnout, unionizing, opting out of
insurance plans, dropping surgical/hospital privileges,
and/or leaving medicine entirely. Attracting,
retaining, growing, and providing for the members
of our professional associations have become
more difficult than ever. And our very future-students,
residents, fellows, and young physicians-
are encountering the harsh reality that a career in
medicine today is not nearly the same as it was for
our predecessors. Not by a long shot.
No doubt, the picture is not all doom and
gloom. Let us always stop to acknowledge the
hard-won successes that have been earned along
the way. We've overcome decades of " turf " wars,
insurance and hospital discrimination, scope challenges,
and exclusionary corporate bureaucracy.
Podiatric physicians occupy a role of undeniable
value in society, and we enjoy privileges and professional
recognition that were once unthinkable.
Personally, I love the work I do and am thankful for
the opportunities and lifestyle it has afforded me.
But I am disgusted by the fact that we proclaim
victory when successfully lobbying to reduce (but
failing to negate) a reduction of reimbursement
for services we render in an arena that has become
more expensive, more litigious, and more
burdensome than ever before. It is appalling to
me that we have found ourselves in the midst
of an unparalleled recruitment crisis, despite the
immense personal and professional rewards that
a career in podiatric medicine offers. And I am
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