Extracts from

"Creating Demand for Podiatric Services"

How to take advantage of changing trends.

By Jon A. Hultman, D.P.M., M.B.A.

originally published in "Podiatry Management"

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..... Managed care organizations consider every specialty to be over-supplied, but over-supply is relative to demand. I feel that greater opportunities can be found if we view podiatric medicine's problem as one of "under-demand" rather than over-supply ....

.... Consider the following statistic: the diagnosis "dermatophytosis of nail" increased by 78 percent in 1996. Unlike the growing incidence of diabetes or chronic conditions resulting from the demographics of an aging population, the actual incidence of dermatophytosis did not increase by 78 percent. What "increased" was awareness of the condition due largely to direct marketing by drug companies.  ....

.... "It's no coincidence that drug companies increased their advertising to consumers about these conditions." While the drug companies are making major profits from new drugs, physicians have also become beneficiaries of their marketing efforts. It is important that the profession understand the potential opportunity of "newly discovered" conditions and work to develop a more strategic relationship with pharmaceutical and other companies whose success is closely tied to the foot care industry. ...

..... We all benefit from an increased demand for podiatric services. While we lack marketing dollars, pharmaceutical and other large companies don't and are doing a lot for us. ....

.... There is no doubt that if we recognize and seize such opportunities, we have the potential of moving podiatric physicians off of the "over-supplied" list quickly. ....