The Sprint to the Finish

It seems like just yesterday I was writing my very first presidential message to APMA members, and incredibly, here I am writing my last. My presidency comes to a close in March at our House of Delegates meeting, where I will transfer the leadership of this association into the very able hands of incoming President R. Daniel Davis, DPM. Dan, get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

The presidency of APMA really is an incredible experience, despite how quickly it comes to an end. I cannot say how truly honored I am to have been able to serve the profession I love at this level. Thank you for your support over the past year as we worked together for the advancement of podiatry.

The last months of my term have been every bit as busy as the first. In late 2015, I attended the annual joint meeting of APMA’s Carrier Advisory Committee and Private Insurance Advisory Committee (CAC-PIAC). It was a very productive meeting, with more than 75 representatives discussing Medicare and private insurance issues. We heard from the CMS ICD-10 ombudsman, among other great speakers, and shared issues of importance from our home states. For more highlights, watch coverage of the meeting at www.apma.org/cacpiac.

I was an active participant in our diabetes campaign, Reflect on Your Feet, and conducted several media interviews as a spokesperson for the campaign. These interviews were a great opportunity to highlight what we as podiatrists do and to spread our message about diabetes and the lower extremities. My thanks to every member who participated in making this campaign a huge success.

As we ring in 2016, we are actively preparing for the House of Delegates meeting in March in Washington, DC. During that meeting, we’ll hear a report on the outcome of our governance and management review. The results of that review will help us develop proposals to make APMA an even stronger advocate for podiatrists nationwide, and I’m excited for the house to receive this important information.

As you know, in addition to the governance and management review, APMA has been engaged in our regular strategic planning process. I’m happy to report that the board recently approved a new strategic plan for the organization. Visit www.apma. org/strategicplan to review the plan and learn more. This plan will be the foundation of our work on behalf of the profession in the months to come. I encourage every member to take a few minutes to review the plan and understand how our many initiatives fit into it. From now on, you will see many of our news items and materials tagged with the strategic goal they support.

I thank you all for your commitment to APMA and your profession, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with President Davis, Executive Director and CEO James Christina, DPM, his staff, and our board as we continue to advocate for the profession on behalf of its members and patients.

I want to thank my wife Debbie and our family for their support this past year. My office staff will be very happy not to have to make the daily office appointment changes necessary to accommodate my travels and communications. Twelve months, 28 states, three foreign countries, 34 conference calls, 37 radio and television interviews, more than 35,000 e-mails, more than 700 social media posts, and 87 flights later, I can say I enjoyed serving you and the association. Thank you for the opportunity.

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