Paperwork for podiatry

Can a podiatrist sign a parking placard form?

I am an internist, not a podiatrist. What I can help with is my knowledge of how to complete the paperwork, so this page sticks to what the forms and the rules say, and I name the source for each example. For a podiatrist, the first question is whether you may certify at all, and the answer depends on the state, because each state decides who may certify its placard application. Many name podiatrists, and some let a podiatrist certify only a condition of the foot or ankle. New York’s MV-664.1 names a podiatrist for a foot disability. California’s REG 195 lets a podiatrist certify a disability related to the foot or ankle. New Jersey’s instructions for the SP-41 name podiatrists.

So before you sign, read the form’s signature section and its instructions. Some states list who may certify in the instructions or the law rather than next to the signature line, as New Jersey does. If those rules leave out podiatrists, or limit you to a condition your patient does not have, the patient will need to ask a clinician who is authorized. Some states also accept only certain states’ licenses.

What the form asks you

Every state and D.C. sets its own rules for what you sign. Usually it is a section of the state’s application, though a few take a statement on your letterhead or a prescription. Most of them list the same short set of qualifying conditions, which go back to a federal model, but the wording and the combinations differ, so I would use the wording on the patient’s own state form. The ones most relevant to podiatry are not being able to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, not being able to walk without a brace, cane, crutch, another person, a wheelchair or another assistive device, and being severely limited in walking by an arthritic, neurological or orthopedic condition. For the woman with the Charcot foot, the question is whether she can walk 200 feet without stopping, or needs a brace, boot or cane to walk, not the diagnosis.

Match the patient’s limits to the state’s conditions, then fill in the boxes and any diagnosis or description the form asks for. Massachusetts requires a clinical diagnosis on every application, and says a symptom such as pain or an ICD code alone will be denied, while New York and Michigan, for example, ask for one in some cases. A disease name alone does not answer the parking question. The placard is for the person, not the driver, so a patient who no longer drives may still qualify as a passenger.

For the duration, I would use the state’s own categories. After a bunionectomy or an ankle fracture, I would first check that the patient meets the state’s criteria for a temporary placard, which may differ from its permanent list, since the operation alone does not qualify anyone. If they do, give an expected recovery date within the state’s limit. “Permanent” does not mean the same thing everywhere. Washington uses an expected duration of at least five years, and Ohio has a standard placard between its temporary and permanent ones. Disabled parking placard applications compares the states, with a page for each of twelve of them.

Other forms you may see

Podiatrists are also health care providers under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations, as long as they are working within their scope of practice under state law, so you may be handed a WH-380-E after foot surgery. Being allowed to sign does not settle whether the patient’s condition meets the FMLA’s criteria, and HR decides whether the leave is protected. FMLA paperwork for doctors covers that form. A patient may also need a work restriction letter, such as a limit on standing or hours.

Where PatientPapers fits

I built PatientPapers to make this paperwork easier to complete. PatientPapers walks you through the forms podiatrists are asked to complete, such as parking placard certifications, FMLA forms and work restriction letters, so you can fill them out more quickly and more confidently. You set up your information once on each computer you use. Then you answer one question at a time, and nothing goes on the form until you confirm it. Before you sign, it flags some problems, such as family history on an FMLA form. On a parking form, it also checks your credential and will not let you sign where that state’s form rules your profession out. Then you review the completed form, and if everything looks correct, you sign it and you’re done.

Your patients’ information is encrypted on your own device with a passcode only you know, and none of it is sent to us or anyone else. Because we never receive it, there is no business associate agreement to sign with us. HIPAA still applies to how your office handles that computer, any copies you export, and the forms you print and sign. If you want to see whether it helps with your own paperwork, try the free trial, and I think you will find it saves you time and makes the forms more intuitive to complete.

Questions the office asks

Can a podiatrist sign a disabled parking placard application?

In many states, sometimes only for a condition of the foot or ankle. New York names a podiatrist for a foot disability, and California for a disability related to the foot or ankle. Read the signature section of your state’s form and its instructions.

Should I choose a temporary or permanent placard after foot surgery?

First check that the patient meets the state’s criteria for a temporary placard, since the operation alone does not. Then use the state’s own duration categories. “Permanent” does not mean the same thing everywhere, and Washington, for example, uses an expected duration of at least five years.

Can my nurse or medical assistant fill in the form for me?

Yes. A provider can add staff such as a nurse or medical assistant, at no extra charge, and each one gets their own passcode. They can fill in the whole form and mark it ready for you, but only the certifying provider can sign it, so I would read what they entered before signing. Everything stays on one computer, so a simple setup is one laptop or tablet kept just for forms that staff and clinicians share. How staff help with forms is the practice’s to arrange and supervise.