Policy Change In South Carolina and Connecticut
The American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery
would like to recognize two organizations that were instrumental in helping
pass laws to make it easier for podiatrists to perform ankle surgery. The South
Carolina Podiatric Medical Association (SCPMA) worked tirelessly for years to
develop bill H3622, which broadens the practice scope for doctors of podiatry.
The South Carolina bill will next go to Governor Henry McMaster for signature –
the final step in the legislative process. The law will go into effect upon his
signature.
Further North along the east coast, Connecticut
is set to enact changes to current scope-of-practice law, which will make it
much easier for podiatrists to perform ankle surgery. This is due in large part
to the advocacy of the Connecticut Podiatric Medical Association (CPMA) and
their work with the Connecticut legislature. Here’s a bit of history. In 2008,
CPMA made significant compromises with the orthopedic community in order to get
an ankle bill passed. The compromises included creating an ankle advisory
committee made up of podiatrists and orthopedic physicians. The job of the
committee was to evaluate surgical permit applications by podiatrists. If the
committee approved the applications, the podiatrists would receive a permit to
perform ankle surgery. This long, intensive process was a barrier for
podiatrists who wished to treat their patients surgically. The recent
legislative victory of the CPMA involved working with the Connecticut
legislature to amend the 2008 law, including removing the ankle permitting
process and doing away with the ankle advisory committee. When Governor Dannel
Malloy signs the bill, it will be effective on October 1, 2018, opening the
door for many qualified podiatrists to perform ankle surgery – and giving more
choices and better access to Connecticut residents in need of foot and ankle
care.
We congratulate both the South Carolina Podiatric
Medical Association and the Connecticut Podiatric Medical Association for these
significant legislative victories.