San Mateo Podiatry Group

Make a PaymentCall Today! 650-342-2420 Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
  • New Visitors
  • Services
  • Contact
News / Cuts in Insurance Coverage are Killing People: AZ Podiatrist

Cuts in Insurance Coverage are Killing People: AZ Podiatrist

on December 1, 2014

During the last recession, Arizona cut [insurance] coverage for tens of thousands of people. This year, the state expanded Medicaid again, although the decision faces a legal challenge.

Arizona’s on-again, off-again approach makes it a useful place to look at the impact of a program that covers more than 1 in 5 Americans.

At the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson, Dr. David Armstrong still sees the impact. Nearly every day, Armstrong and Dr. Joseph L. Mills, who co-direct the Southern Arizona Limb Salvage Alliance, don surgical scrubs and step into an operating room to amputate limbs or cut away diseased bones and flesh of patients with diabetes who put off seeing a doctor.

One afternoon, Armstrong’s team labored to save the black, gangrenous left foot of a 30-year-old diabetic, sawing out infected bones, stitching healthy tissue and grafting skin in a bid to spare him life in a wheelchair.

“If it was just a couple of months earlier, we probably could have stopped some of these problems,” Armstrong said. Armstrong and other researchers documented a 37% increase in hospital admissions for diabetic foot ulcers between 2006 and 2011, according to a study they published in the journal Diabetes Care.

Patients also stayed longer in the hospital with more severe outcomes, they found. Amputations, surgical complications, life-threatening infections, and deaths increased by nearly half.

“These people’s feet were literally killing them,” Armstrong said.

Source: Noam N. Levey, The Los Angeles Times [11/30/14]

Recent News

  • What is minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery?
  • At Risk Foot Care: 8 Top Tips
  • Survey finds prior authorization hurdles have led to serious adverse events
  • Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus – Allograft no better than micro fracture?

Categories

  • all
  • exclusives
  • press releases
  • smpg in the news
  • technology & research
  • trending topics
  • what's new in foot and ankle surgery

Reserve Your Consultation Today!

Learn why more families in the San Francisco Bay Area chose us for their foot and ankle care!

Reserve Online
Meet Your Doctors

Learn More

Why Choose Us?

Learn More

Health Insurance Explained

Learn More

Contact Information

San Mateo Podiatry Group
1750 El Camino Real, Suite 106
Burlingame, CA 94010

Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Same Day Urgent Care Consults Available

Reserve Your Visit Online
Call Today: 650-342-2420

Connect

  • Home
  • News
  • Careers
  • Media Inquiries
  • Contact Us

About

  • Who We Are
  • Meet The Doctors
  • Meet The Team
  • Why Choose Us?
  • Advantage: Podiatry
  • Client Testimonials

Patient Resources

  • New Visitors
  • Your Consultation
  • Patient Portal
  • Telemedicine
  • Out of Town Patients 
  • Health Insurance FAQ
  • Financing Options

Downloads

  • Registration Forms
  • Financial Policies
  • Practice Policies
  • Privacy Notices (HIPAA)
  • Patient Education Library
  • Stretching Instructions
  • After-Surgery Instructions

© Copyright 2021 San Mateo Podiatry Group

Since 1917, A Tradition of Excellence in Foot and Ankle Care.

All Rights Reserved | Terms of Use and Privacy Policy