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What is a Regulated Foot Specialist Called in Ontario?
A regulated foot specialist in Ontario can be one of two names. The member may be a Chiropodist or Podiatrist. Since July, 1993 no new podiatrists have been registered to practice in Ontario in order to promote the development of the chiropody profession. The College of Chiropodists of Ontario made a request to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in January 2006 to ask the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) to examine whether a reversion to the podiatry model would better respond to the demand for foot care services in Ontario than the current chiropody model. HPRAC's review got underway in January, 2014 and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2015. Do I need a medical referral? NO you do not need a medical referral. If you or someone you know needs help with their foot concerns or pain – they are more then welcome to attend the Waterloo Foot Clinic. Often we are able to offer same day appointments. Can a Chiropodist/ Podiatrist Prescribe Medication? YES, Chiropodists and Podiatrists are allowed to prescribe a wide range of medications to help you with your foot concerns. The medications include: oral antibiotics, oral anti-inflammatorys, topical anti-fungals, topical corticosteroids, topical antibiotics, topical anti-inflammatory and many more. Chiropodists and Podiatrists are also allowed provide injections. Some of the more common injections are corticosteroid injections and local anesthetic injections. Are Chiropody Services covered by OHIP? Most extended health insurance benefits cover Chiropody services. However, OHIP currently does not cover Chiropody treatments. We recommend that you contact your coverage provider prior to your appointment. If you are unable to, not a problem - one of our staff members can help identify your coverage. Our fee schedule is based on guidelines set by our professional association. We take the following forms of payment: cash, debit, cheque, VISA, and MasterCard – Depending on your insurance provider, we may be able to do direct billing. Will my appointment be painful? We will try our best to use our expertise and evidence based approach to assure your treatment is not painful. It is not uncommon for our patients to come in with pain, and leave stating they feel as though they are “Walking on a Cloud”. By using different modalities of treatment, and different methods we will help to make sure you are always comfortable. What should I bring to my first appointment? Your first appointment will include a thorough medical history and physical exam of your legs and feet. If you are a diabetic, this will include a complete diabetic foot assessment. We ask you to bring a list of your current medications and your most common worn footwear. If you have more then one pair, please bring them in. If you have any other questions you would like us to answer, please don't hesitate to contact us.
12 Comments
10/31/2017 08:04:25 pm
I like that this article mentions how a food specialist can either be a Chiropodist or Podiatrist and how you don't require a medical referral when going to one. Since this is the case, figuring out which one works best for the type of problem you have would probably be important. Once you've chosen the type of specialist, you'd probably want to find one to work with by looking online and talking to people you trust, such as your doctor or a friend. 4/2/2019 02:44:34 am
I like how you talk about not needing an appointment in order to visit a podiatrist since most of the time they can afford to have same-day appointments in order to be able to get your feet checked out and properly diagnose if there's something wrong. At the same time, I find it surprising that podiatrists and chiropodists have a similar branch of work--in that they deal with feet. While I haven't gone to a podiatrist yet, I know that my dad's been suffering from foot pains for quite a while and that he should really go to a foot doctor to get the pain checked out. Thanks for helping me understand that podiatrists are allowed to prescribe medications for foot concerns. I guess I need to see a professional like that to get rid of the pain in my left foot. It has been like that ever since I wore a pair of shoes that were one size bigger than my feet which I thought was just going to be fine. 7/8/2021 10:17:02 pm
I like that you pointed out that podiatrists are allowed to prescribe medications for your foot concerns. I hope that I can find an expert that I can trust near my place. It's to help me get rid of the pain on my left foot which I can't remember the cause of because it just hurt when I woke up this morning. 7/26/2021 09:58:15 am
I'm glad to see that podiatrists can prescribe medication. I was afraid I'd have to go to a traditional doctor's office. So seeing a podiatrist could help my foot out after all. 11/1/2021 07:43:08 pm
It helped when you mentioned that there will be a complete diabetic foot assessment included if you are a diabetic. My cousin mentioned to me last night that she is hoping to find reliable podiatry care for my aunt who has diabetes and asked me if I have any idea what is the best option to do. Thanks to this informative article and I'll be sure to tell her that we can consult a trusted podiatry clinic in town as they can answer all our inquiries and will provide proper treatment for my aunt. 2/7/2023 01:55:58 pm
You made a good point when you discussed that podiatrists can prescribe medications to address your foot concerns. My friend has been complaining about the pain in his foot. I should advise him to consult a podiatrist for proper treatment. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMatthew Doyle DCh, Chiropody Foot Specialist Categories
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Location50 Westmount Rd. N Unit 215, N2L 2R5
Waterloo, Ontario, |