Podiatry-License-Exam-Part-III outline - Podiatry License test Part III - 2023 Updated: 2023

Ajay Prasad is the CEO of GMR Web Team, a full-service healthcare digital marketing agency focused on patient acquisition and retention.

With the rising incidence of foot disorders, especially among the elderly population, and the global podiatry services market projected to reach $6.1 billion by 2033, it’s crucial to have stellar marketing strategies for your podiatry practice. This will Boost your online presence and help you meet your patients where most of them look for a doctor first—the internet.

The Patient’s Journey To Choose A Podiatrist

Today, people have access to almost everything from information to assistance on the internet, and they want convenience and price transparency in every sector, including the healthcare landscape. This growing healthcare consumerism has made patients more informed about their healthcare needs, and this is no different when it comes to podiatry services. Hence, you as a podiatrist must build a robust online presence while positioning your practice as an effective care provider and a go-to brand for both your new and existing patients. So, let's take a look at how you can do all of this.

Strategies For Increasing Your Patient Base

Having an effective marketing plan that focuses on the following strategies can help you acquire and retain more patients for your practice:

Set Your Goals

The first step is defining clear, measurable goals that you aim to achieve through your marketing strategies, such as the number of patients you want to acquire, how much you want to boost revenue, how much you want to increase patient satisfaction, etc.

Boost Your Online Presence

Even with the podiatry market set for an upward trajectory, your practice and services are only as good as your online presence in this internet-driven world. So grow your presence to make it easier for your potential patients to choose your services.

Here are some ways to do this:

• Have a professionally designed website that’s user-friendly and adapts seamlessly to any device.

• Make your site SEO-friendly by doing keyword research and getting it ranked for relevant keywords for your specialty and location, like “podiatrists near me” or “podiatry services in Texas.”

• Optimize your website URLs. Ensure they're well-structured, definitive but concise, and readable so that by seeing only the URL, a user will get a good idea of what to expect on the page. A best practice is to use hyphens to separate words within the URL. This is an important part of boosting your online presence since your URLs clearly catch people's attention wherever they're visible online, and it's one of the important parts of on-page SEO.

Educate And Build Awareness

With a sea of information available on the internet, more often than not, patients research their symptoms and treatments online, even before choosing a doctor. By providing ample information and educational content like blog posts and podcasts, you can help your patients and build trust with them. Furthermore, well-researched and informative content will Boost your practice website’s search rankings and attract more prospective patients.

Generate Positive Online Reviews

With 71% of patients using online reviews as the first step when they're searching for a new doctor, it’s crucial to generate consistent positive reviews. Genuine positive reviews from your patients are a mark of your expertise, and the best part? They don’t look promotional, and they give your podiatry practice much-needed third-party validation. Therefore, positive online reviews help your practice build credibility and a trusted reputation online.

Engage Your Patients

You can engage your patients and build a meaningful patient-provider relationship by urging them to make proactive healthcare decisions. This helps establish trust between you, leading to increased patient loyalty.

Here are some ways to do this:

• Promote a healthy lifestyle and preventative health measures like regular checkups and screenings.

• Send them automated appointment reminders.

Gather Patient Feedback

A strong marketing strategy doesn’t end with successful treatment; it goes beyond. Encourage patient feedback through survey forms, emails and text messages to gain insights into how satisfied or dissatisfied your patients are with your podiatry services. This will help you provide a better level of care and as a result, have happier patients.

Remember, a satisfied patient is a loyal one. If a patient is happy with your treatment and the overall in-office experience, they will be more likely to leave positive reviews, contributing to your strong online presence.

Boost Patient Retention

Once you’ve built a strong network of loyal patients, your next focus should be on retaining them. Patient retention can create great value for your practice, as these consumers trust your expertise and tend to be more willing to explore and accept your offerings.

Boost your patient retention by offering things like personalized care plans, follow-up care, appointment reminders and loyalty programs.

Encourage Patient Referrals

Happy and satisfied patients can be strong advocates for your practice. They can help market your practice through word of mouth and boost your chances of acquiring new patients. Therefore, investing in a patient referral program can be one of the most effective marketing strategies.

Here are some ways to implement such a program:

• Place referral program signs around your clinic.

• Ask your satisfied patients for referrals.

• Incentivize patients to provide referrals by offering them healthcare benefits, gift cards, etc.

Measure Your Success And ROI

Measuring the success and ROI of your marketing plan is as crucial as investing in one. Take the following steps to analyze your strategies and see where you might need to adjust to better meet your patients’ requirements:

• Track the source of each patient.

• Analyze your conversion rate.

• Measure your investment total and your revenue total.

• Calculate what it costs to acquire each patient.

With this information in hand, review and adjust your marketing strategies accordingly for better results.

Final Thoughts

Don’t forget that a patient-first marketing strategy lays the foundation of a thriving podiatry practice. So reach out and educate your patients, establish trust, build your credibility by making their healthcare journey seamless, and use patient referral programs to promote brand advocacy. These patient-centric marketing strategies will help you expand your practice's patient base and achieve long-term success.

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The average person spends more than half their day standing. By taking special care of your feet, you can minimize the stress placed on them. A podiatric specialist from Baylor College of Medicine provides simple tips to keep your feet healthy.

"Common problems that people face include hammertoes, blisters, plantar fasciitis and bunions. Some of these are easily solvable, but others may need the involvement of a specialist," said Dr. Ronald Lepow, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor.

Friction and pressure are the most likely culprits for common feet issues, so it is important to choose the correct shoe for daily activities. Your shoes should have a toe box that is wide and deep so that your toes can freely move and should be breathable for sweat and odor control. Identify your foot arch, the area between your heel and the ball of your foot, by placing your foot on flat ground and taking a photo to review. People with low or high arches may benefit from shoes with orthotic inserts.

"X-rays of the foot reveal what kind of foot arch you have along with the structure of the foot," Lepow said. "If you are experiencing pain, knowing these two things will help dictate a care plan."

Bothersome bunions form at the big toe and can cause the toe to turn inward. People can be genetically predisposed to developing bunions or they can be a result of various forms of arthritis. The pain and severity of bunion development can be increased with bad footwear. Lepow advises avoiding constrictive shoes, such as high heels and opting for wide shoes.

If pain persists, surgical intervention may be required. Some people will develop hammertoes, which occur when a tendon in the toe contracts and bends at the first joint, causing the toes to overlap and rub against each other. This can lead to corns, blisters or calluses. Toe spacers or toe straighteners can help alleviate this problem; however, they are not a cure.

Foul foot odor may be a result of sweaty feet or bacterial infections. These infections form when you encounter bacteria on the ground, in soil or even in unsanitary foot salons. Athlete's foot is a common infection and usually presents itself between the toes and causes itchy, stinging skin that may also blister. Nail fungus, or onychomycosis, is another common infection and causes discoloration of the nail. Over-the-counter antifungal treatments are typically available but keeping feet dry with socks made of moisture-wicking material such as Merino wool can prevent fungus from growing. If symptoms are severe, topical or oral antifungal medications may be prescribed for treatment.

Older adults may be at a higher risk of foot issues based on other underlying medical conditions. Osteoarthritis, common in geriatric populations, can cause deformations of the joints, allowing bone spurs to form in the heel or other parts of the foot. Any adult who experiences these may benefit from shoe alterations or inserts. More intense treatments may include cortisone injections, physical therapy or custom-made orthotics.

"If you're experiencing foot pain, visit a specialist so we can examine the pathology of your foot," Lepow said. "This gives us a bigger picture of what issues you face and how we can best help you."

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A special interest's lobbying activity may go up or down over time, depending on how much attention the federal government is giving their issues. Particularly active clients often retain multiple lobbying firms, each with a team of lobbyists, to press their case for them.

$150,000

Total Lobbying Expenditures, 2023

UNDATED (WKRC) - Nike's newest footwear for kids isn't just meant to be stylish, it's also built to nurture a child's first steps.

The "Nike Swoosh 1" is designed to help toddlers learn to walk. It's the first Nike Kids shoe to earn the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance.

In a press release, the company says the shoes are designed to promote "natural gait development," able to bend in all directions to mimic the feeling of walking barefoot.

At the same time, they are made of durable, 80% recycled materials and feature a grippy lightweight TPU outsole for traction to prevent slips and falls.

Other innovative Nike Kids shoes include the Nike Dynamo GO and Nike Air Max 270 GO. The Nike Swoosh 1 releases in sizes 3C through 7C.

Most pre-retirement Americans get health insurance through an employer. If you’re under age 26, you could get health insurance through an employer, a spouse’s plan or a parent’s health plan.

From an Employer

Group health insurance through an employer is how most pre-retirement age Americans get health insurance. Employers often offer health insurance as part of their benefits.

Group coverage is usually more affordable than buying health insurance in other ways since employers typically pay more than half of costs.

Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace

The ACA health insurance marketplace at Healthcare.gov offers health insurance to people who don’t qualify for an employer-sponsored health plan. Some states have chosen to operate their own exchanges at different websites, but you can find the right exchange for your state through Healthcare.gov.

The federal marketplace and state exchanges allow you to compare plans available in your area. You can enter your income and family information. The marketplace website uses your income to give you cost estimates for each plan that considers subsidies and premium tax credits that reduce ACA plan costs.

Directly from a Health Insurance Company

You can buy an individual health insurance plan directly from an insurer without going through the federal marketplace website. These plans could be the same as those offered on the ACA exchange. If you go this route, you won’t benefit from subsidies found with ACA plans.

Health insurance companies could also sell plans not offered on the ACA exchange and that don’t comply with federal rules. You might be able to find a cheaper plan directly through an insurer, but it might not be as comprehensive as the plans you will find on the federal health insurance marketplace.

Medicare

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for senior citizens, some people with disabilities and those with end-stage renal disease.

Medicare has multiple parts including Original Medicare (Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Medicare Part D.

• Part A covers hospitalizations, skilled nursing facilities and hospice care.
• Part B covers doctor services, outpatient care, preventive services and medical supplies.

Members with Parts A and B can also buy a Part D plan, which provides prescription drug benefits.

Medigap plans will cover some of the gaps in Medicare.

Another alternative is Medicare Advantage, which is offered by private health insurance companies. Medicare Advantage members get the benefits found in Parts A and B and usually prescription drug benefits, too. Medicare Advantage plans often offer expanded benefits like dental care, vision care and assistance paying for meals and transportation.

Medicaid

Medicaid is a federal/state low-income health insurance program for people who are eligible. Eligibility varies by state. Medicaid bases costs on a person’s income, but those eligible pay little to nothing for comprehensive health insurance coverage.

The Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) is a similar federal/state program for pregnant women and children. Some states combine Medicaid with CHIP, while others keep them as separate programs.

Short-Term Health Insurance

Short-term health insurance offers limited coverage at low costs in most states. Some states don’t allow short-term health insurance and critics say these plans don’t provide enough coverage.

Short-term health insurance plans are meant as a stop-gap to bridge other health insurance plans. For instance, a short-term plan may be a low-cost solution if you’re between jobs.

Most states let insurance companies offer short-term health plans for a year and members have the chance to renew a policy twice. But some states limit short-term health insurance plans to shorter periods.

One drawback to short-term health insurance is that it doesn’t offer the same level of coverage as standard health insurance. You may have trouble finding a short-term plan that covers maternity care, prescription drugs and mental health.

Catastrophic Health Insurance

Catastrophic health insurance is available only to people under age 30 or those going through severe financial problems, such as homelessness.

Catastrophic health plans, offered through the ACA marketplace, have low premiums and high out-of-pocket costs when you need care. Unlike short-term health plans, which have limited benefits, catastrophic health insurance has the same level of care found in an ACA plan.