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CMS discriminates against doctors of podiatric medicine, council says

CMS discriminates against doctors of podiatric medicine, council says

ATLANTA - The AFL-CIO Executive Council issued a statement on Feb. 25 calling on Congress to enact legislation to recognize doctors of podiatric medicine as “physicians” in Title XIX of the Social Security Act governing Medicaid. DPMs are already defined as physicians in Title XVIII of the Social Security Act governing Medicare. The council also called for an amendment of the Social Security Act governing Medicare to recognize the ability of DPMs to independently certify the need for and prescribe appropriate medical equipment. “Failure to recognize DPMs as “physicians” in Title XIX allows a state to eliminate podiatrists from the state Medicaid program as an 'optional' service,” the council states. “This optional elimination prevents podiatrists from treating patients under Medicaid, thereby causing unnecessary interruption of ongoing care provided by podiatrists and resulting in potential harm and injury to patients.”

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