DR. HARDY, OWNER OF TORONTO FOOT CLINIC, ACADEMY FOOT AND ORTHOTIC CLINICS SHARES SOME FACTS ON PODIATRY AND STATISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES

Podiatry Facts & Statistics

  • The Podiatric Physician (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine or DPM) is the health care professional trained in the care of your feet. He or she receives conventional medical training, plus special training on the foot, ankle, and lower leg. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico require that they pass rigorous state board examinations before they are licensed, and most require continuing education programs for regular license renewal.
  • Podiatric Physicians are the major providers of foot care services, providing 39 percent of all foot care (orthopedic physicians provide 13 percent of all foot care, all other physicians provide 37 percent of all foot care, and physical therapists and others provide 11 percent of all foot care).
  • There are about 13,320 active Podiatric Physicians in the United States today. There is an average of one Podiatric Physician for every 20,408 people.
  • About 81 percent of all US hospitals have Podiatric Physicians on staff. The larger the hospital, the more likely it is to have Podiatric Physicians on its staff.
  • About 5 percent of the US population sees a Podiatric Physician each year. There were more than 55 million patient visits in 1995 from about 14 million people.
  • In 1998, the average number of yearly patient contacts with a Podiatric Physician was 4,488.
  • Over the past 10 years, an average of 592 new Podiatric Physicians graduated yearly from the 7 podiatric medical colleges.
  • In 1998, 53 percent of all active Podiatric Physicians were certified by one or more recognized podiatric medical boards.
  • On average, the Podiatric Physician in the United States is 42 years old and has been in practice 13 years.
  • Over 14 percent of Podiatric Physicians are female.
  • Podiatric Physicians are four times less likely to use costly inpatient services than other physicians.
  • Podiatric Physicians provide treatment for 82 percent of corn and callus problems, 65 percent of toenail problems, 63 percent of bunion problems, 46 percent of flat feet or fallen arches problems, and 43 percent of toe/joint deformities.
  • There are about 13,320 doctors of podiatric medicine actively in practice in the United States, and they receive more than 60 million visits a year from people with any number of foot ailments. Yet that's probably only a fraction of the number of foot problems. Mostly, say podiatrists, that's because many people have the erroneous notion that their feet are supposed to hurt.
  • Patients with foot problems visit Podiatric Physicians an average of 3.7 times a year, orthopedic physicians 3.4, osteopathic physicians 3.2, all other physicians 3.0, and physical therapists and others 7.1.
  • As people age, they increasingly choose Podiatric Physicians. Medicare data verifies that Podiatric Physicians are the physicians of choice for 83 percent of hammertoe surgery, 67 percent of metatarsal surgery, 77 percent of bunionectomy surgery, and 47 percent of rearfoot surgery. Medical Economics magazine reported that 56 percent of all older patients have seen a Podiatric Physician.
  • About 87 percent of Podiatric Physicians are affiliated with preferred provider organizations, 52 percent with nursing homes, 81 percent with health maintenance organizations, 21 percent with academic institutions, and 12 percent with insurance companies, utilization review firms, or peer review organizations.
  • About 58 percent of Podiatric Physicians are in solo practice. They have an average of 3 employees.
  • About 48 percent of Podiatric Physicians have a license in 1 state, 31 percent in 2, 19 percent in 3, and 2 percent in 4 states.

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