I agree with you

The CFPM won't help chiropodists in Ontario much. The competition is too fierce. Here's an example of what happened to me a few years ago. A patient came in for treatment for what I determined to be a probable case of shinsplints. I explained that the fee would be $450 including the casting and the follow-up visits, a $225 deposit would be required. He agreed, so while I was casting him he asked about his extended health insurance. I said that it might cover the cost of the orthotics but many insurance companies require a MD prescription 1st. So after I casted him, he left and would return after obtaining the necessary script. I didn't see him again at my clinic. Then about 6 months ago, he recognized me at the nearby mall and said hello. Here's the rest of the story... he went to his MD the MD gave him the script and sent him to a physio clinic because they charge $300/pair -just in case his extended insurance didn't cover the orthotics. They didn't as it turned out and he saved $150 by seeing the physiotherapist on the orthotics. But here's the sad part, he could have paid $450 and got the orthotics in 2 weeks, instead he paid $300 and waited for 4 weeks. During that time he went 3 times/week @ $25/Tx for total of $300 for physiotherapy. So that's how the physio clinic undercuts the local competition. With me, he would have paid $450 and got the orthotics in 2 weeks and may or may not have needed physio. Instead, he ended up paying $600!!! He made the politically correct comment to me, "You were dead on with what my problem was and if any of my friends, with have extended health insurance, need orthotics, I'll send them to you." So I'm sure that the collary to his statement and the reality of the situation is that he sends all his other friends without extra insurance to the physio clinic so they end up paying $600 for orthotics and treatments. I did't bother trying to explain that physio wasn't necessary in his case since it was an acute problem caused by his increase in running from 10 miles/week to 30 miles/week and due to the biomechanical problems that he was having and would have been corrected with orthotics.