Number: MS - 013 Effective Date: September 26, 2016 BD Revised:
Author: CaroMont Regional Medical Center Approved: Patrick Russo, MD, Chief-of-Staff Authorized: Todd Davis, MD, EVP, CMO PODIATRY POLICY
PURPOSE: The Podiatry Policy defines the roles and responsibilities Podiatrists have as members of the Allied Health Medical Staff.
DEFINITION OF A PODIATRIST: Podiatrists are medical providers who treat ailments of the human foot and ankle and are licensed by the Board of Podiatry Examiners for the State of North Carolina, meet the criteria for CaroMont Medical Staff membership, and function with a physician member of the medical staff as described in these rules.
RULES GOVERNING CARE: 1. All patients receiving inpatient care by a podiatrist shall be admitted and discharged only by a physician member of the Medical Staff who has accepted responsibility for the patient’s general medical condition; such patients shall receive the same basic medical appraisal as patients admitted to other surgical services. The admitting physician shall be responsible for the care of any medical problems that may arise at the time of admission or during hospitalization when the treatment of such problem requires services outside the scope of the podiatrist’s privileges and shall determine the risk and effect of any proposed podiatric procedure on the total health status of the patient.
2. The podiatrist shall be responsible for managing the podiatric care received by the patient during hospitalization and providing such monitoring and follow-up care during subsequent treatment at the hospital or as an outpatient as may be necessary in connection with the provisions of podiatric services, provided that such monitoring and follow-up care is within the scope of their privileges and license granted to the podiatrist by the State of North Carolina.
3. The podiatrist may engage in patient care activities, tasks, or contacts only with patients initially admitted by a physician member of the medical staff who has assumed the responsibility of the patient and has requested the podiatrist to consult with him or perform services for his patient. Medical Staff Podiatry Policy Page 2 of 2 4. As a Licensed Independent Practitioner (“LIP”) of the Medical Staff, the podiatrist will follow the Medical Staff and CaroMont Health Policies, including providing consultation services for admitted patients.
5. The podiatrist shall not function in the Emergency Department of the Hospital except to provide appropriate outpatient follow-up when requested by the patient or provider.
RULES GOVERNNING SERVICES PROVIDED TO PATIENTS AND MEDICAL STAFF:
The privileged podiatrists shall maintain a consult call schedule for unassigned patients and provide it to the Medical Staff Office.