When I look back at some of the biggest “profit levers” in my practice, they usually weren’t flashy new surgeries — they were decisions around EMR billing, device investments, and how we packaged everyday care.

In this episode, I answer questions from colleagues about EMRs (ModMed vs. Athena), shockwave machines, and a creative way to package ingrown toenail procedures for cash-pay patients. Each of these has the power to either leak revenue or multiply it depending on how you set things up.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why EMR percentages matter more than software features for practice owners

• How to choose the right shockwave device depending on your budget and goals

• A smart way to package ingrown toenail care for cash-pay patients that patients love

SEO keywords: podiatry EMR comparison, ModMed vs Athena podiatry, podiatry shockwave device, ingrown toenail cash pay package, podiatry practice management tips

⸻

🕑 Timestamps

• 00:00 – Intro – Why these small business decisions move the needle

• 01:15 – ModMed vs. Athena – How EMR billing percentages impact profitability

• 05:32 – Watch out for buy-and-bill traps – Qutenza, grafts, and hidden EMR fees

• 08:44 – Shockwave strategy – Radial vs. focused, and which device I’d buy first starting out

• 12:55 – The education factor – Why conferences matter as much as the machine

• 15:22 – Google Ads idea from a colleague – Targeting ingrown toenails with less competition

• 18:05 – Packaging ingrown toenail care – Consult, procedure, follow-up, and products bundled

• 21:40 – Why patients love packages – Clarity, no surprises, professional positioning

• 23:10 – Wrap-up & challenge – Share what’s working in your practice

Some treatments in podiatry look profitable on paper but carry hidden challenges. In this episode, I break down real-world lessons on KeryFlex nail restoration, Qutenza for neuropathy, and Swift therapy for warts—including costs, coding, patient communication, and clinical pearls.

We’ll also dive into my current strategy for Google Business dominance using Swell to multiply reviews across multiple practice and provider listings.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• Is KeryFlex worth the time and learning curve?

• How do I source Qutenza and bill it correctly?

• What’s the best protocol for Swift (blocks, energy settings, and follow-ups)?

• How can Google reviews become a practice-growth engine?

👉 This episode delivers candid answers from the trenches to help you hit the million-dollar mark with clarity and confidence.

Keywords: podiatry practice growth, KeryFlex podiatry, Qutenza podiatry billing, Swift wart therapy podiatry, podiatry Google reviews

• 00:00 Intro, shoutout, scribe update

• 00:50 KeryFlex: indications, pricing (kit + per-nail), FAQs & expectations

• 05:00 Qutenza: sourcing, buy-and-bill vs specialty pharmacy, billing/application flow

• 08:30 Swift protocol: energy settings, visit cadence, when to pair with cantharidin

• 12:00 Google review “dominance” with Swell: office vs provider listings, staggered ask

• 14:30 Rapid clinical pearls + wrap / challenge invite

Could a $4,000/month virtual assistant team from the Philippines outperform a $30,000 U.S. hire? And how do you track ROI when scaling ads and online marketing in podiatry?

In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto shares:

• How he uses a virtual assistant (VA) to run websites, blogs, YouTube, email, SEO, and referral tracking inside ModMed

• Why he’s investing in ads + proactive patient follow-up (phone calls from VAs to book appointments directly)

• Insights from Alex Hormozi’s $100M Leads on patient acquisition cost (CAC) vs lifetime value (LTV)

• Clinical pearls from the day: matrixectomies, ulcers, nail procedures, shockwave, Swift wart therapy, orthotics, and more

• Why it pays to invest in better products and systems (orthotics, cam boots, treatment sheets) to reduce headaches and increase patient satisfaction

👉 If you’re a podiatrist serious about scaling with smart marketing + operational leverage, this episode shows what’s possible.

Keywords: podiatry virtual assistant, podiatry marketing ROI, podiatry SEO, podiatry practice growth, podiatry patient acquisition cost

⸻

📝 Show Notes with Timestamps (~18 min episode)

• [00:00] Intro – Why I’m testing a bigger marketing spend with my VA team

• [02:15] How our VA supports: SEO, urgent care page, blogs, patient emails

• [04:00] New strategy: ads + proactive patient calls to book appointments

• [06:10] Offshore vs U.S. pricing – $4K vs $30K for the same support

• [07:20] Applying Hormozi’s CAC vs LTV framework to podiatry

• [09:00] The “courage factor” in increasing ad spend and filling doctor schedules

• [11:00] Clinical day highlights – lamisil booster, IPK, orthotics, nail samples

• [12:30] Multiple matrixectomies + ulcer management in elderly patients

• [14:30] Why I give treatment sheets (and now planning one for KeryFlex FAQs)

• [15:50] Orthotics talk: Forward Motion vs Northwest, and why Aircast boots win

• [17:10] Wrapping up: Swift case, wart care, and invitation to the 6-month challenge

Should you be billing non-operative fracture management — or just sticking with office visits + X-rays? And what’s the real story when switching EMRs like Athena to ModMed?

In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto shares:

• ​ Why his practice delayed using the non-operative fracture management code (and the pros/cons once they adopted it)
• ​ Practical insights on handling the 90-day global period, patient complaints, and profitability
• ​ Tips for surviving an EMR transition (Athena → ModMed) — including training, templates, and billing features
• ​ Clinical pearls from real patients: pediatric ankle pain, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, ingrown toenails, warts, fractures, and wound care
• ​ Practice growth strategies: how to identify your most valuable patient (MVP), capture hidden revenue with devices, and track lifetime value (LTV) + cost of acquisition (CAC)

👉 For podiatrists serious about scaling to the million-dollar mark in personal production, this episode blends billing, operations, and clinical wisdom.

Keywords: podiatry fracture management, podiatry EMR switch, ModMed podiatry tips, podiatry practice growth, podiatry billing codes

⸻

📝 Show Notes with Timestamps (~18 min episode)

• ​ [00:00] Intro – Questions from colleagues on billing and EMR transitions
• ​ [01:15] Non-operative fracture management: why we delayed using it
• ​ [03:10] Pros + cons of fracture management (profitability vs 90-day global)
• ​ [05:30] How ModMed helps with global tracking vs Athena
• ​ [07:10] EMR switch tips: training, templates, and billing support
• ​ [09:30] Most valuable patient case: 15-year-old swimmer with chronic ankle pain
• ​ [11:40] Shockwave, plantar fascia, bunion + hammertoe pearls
• ​ [13:20] Using DME + cam boots to capture hidden revenue
• ​ [14:40] Wart treatment sheets and why I pre-book multiple visits
• ​ [16:00] Tracking LTV + CAC: new spreadsheet tools for practice growth
• ​ [17:30] Closing thoughts + invitation to the 6-month challenge

When patients start shockwave, they often expect to be pain-free in six weeks — but that’s not reality. In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto shares how he sets patient expectations, handles difficult cases, and uses treatment sheets to keep patients engaged and compliant.

You’ll also hear:

• How to manage insertional tendinopathies with shockwave

• Why clear treatment sheets simplify wart and nail care decisions

• The hidden revenue in devices like cam boots (and why they’re often overlooked)

• How to track lifetime value (LTV) and customer acquisition cost (CAC) to measure marketing ROI

👉 Practical pearls for podiatrists looking to improve both patient care and practice profitability.

• [00:00] Intro – Friday workflow: routine + regular patients

• [01:10] Shockwave case 1: Achilles tightness after 6 sessions

• [02:30] Shockwave case 2: plantar fasciitis flare after biking

• [04:00] Shockwave case 3: insertional Achilles tendonitis & expectations

• [07:10] Why setting expectations matters (shockwave follow-up timing)

• [08:40] Using a “last visit shockwave sheet” for patient clarity

• [09:30] Pyogenic granuloma case and biopsy workflow

• [11:00] Cam boots as overlooked postop revenue

• [12:20] Wart care: why I pre-book follow-ups + treatment sheet approach

• [13:30] Quick pearls: routine care, nail cases, Swift vs laser priorities

• [15:00] Practice growth metric focus: LTV + CAC tracking

• [16:00] Closing + 6-month challenge invite

How can podiatrists make urgent care work in their practice — and is a virtual scribe really worth it? In this episode, Dr. Don Pelto shares practical strategies for filling schedules, streamlining documentation, and growing toward the million-dollar mark in personal production.

⸻

📝 Show Notes with Timestamps

• [00:00] Intro – Why podiatry urgent care and virtual scribes are on podiatrists’ minds

• [02:20] Insurance coverage in urgent care – how we screen plans, cash pay amounts, and lessons learned

• [07:15] Why urgent care patients are often simpler (and how it fills newer doctors’ schedules)

• [11:40] Speed as a unique selling proposition – why “seen within 24–48 hours” matters

• [15:00] Virtual scribe setup – exact tech, cost, and workflow with Teams + Samsung phone

• [20:45] Training a remote scribe on EMR documentation (and introducing them to patients)

• [26:30] Is AI ready to replace scribes? My honest take

• [30:50] Case pearls – plantar fasciitis, shockwave, Qutenza, nail and lesion care

• [42:10] Biopsies made simple – my streamlined 2-minute workflow

• [47:30] Scaling podcast SEO with Fiverr + ChatGPT – repurposing transcripts for visibility

• [51:30] Closing thoughts – invitation to join the 6-month practice growth challenge

Ever wonder if a podiatry-specific urgent care can really work? In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto breaks down how he set up an urgent care system inside his practice — and the marketing strategies that are helping fill schedules, especially for newer doctors.

You’ll hear:

• Why podiatry urgent care works differently than general urgent care clinics

• How to structure online booking so urgent patients don’t disrupt office flow

• The #1 marketing advantage of urgent care: speed of service

• Simple, low-cost ways to promote urgent care with Facebook ads, postcards, and educational PDFs

• How to partner with urgent care centers and PCPs to capture more direct referrals

• Behind-the-scenes patient cases (plantar fasciitis, fungal nails, melanoma biopsy, and more) that highlight real practice revenue opportunities

If you’ve thought about urgent care as a way to grow your podiatry practice, this episode gives you the playbook — from scheduling logistics to direct response marketing tactics.

👉 Join the upcoming 6-month practice growth challenge at PodiatryPracticeMastery.com

Key Topics Covered

• [00:00] Introduction – Shockwave resources, Notion, and Q&A format

• [03:20] Is podiatry urgent care really urgent care? (What makes it different)

• [07:15] How online booking slots simplify urgent visits

• [11:00] Using urgent care to grow a new doctor’s schedule

• [15:45] Marketing strategies: Facebook ads, postcards, and lead magnets

• [22:30] Workshop idea: teaching urgent care centers how to triage foot issues

• [29:40] Patient cases: plantar fasciitis, fungal nails, shockwave therapy

• [42:10] Catching melanoma: why podiatrists should biopsy more often

• [48:00] Scaling podcast SEO with Fiverr + ChatGPT help

• [52:00] Closing thoughts + upcoming 6-month challenge

Resources Mentioned

• Shockwave Resources – videos, protocols, and marketing ideas

• Urgent Care Page Example – live marketing example

• Podiatry Practice Mastery Challenge

The funny thing about practice is how our kids often see it differently than we do. My son recently told my wife he thinks I’m a YouTuber—because all he hears about are the videos and shorts I create. Truth is, I still love the clinic, but the videos bring variety and joy.

Beyond family humor, today’s episode dives into a practical question from a colleague: Which shockwave machine should you buy? I break down radial, focused, and SoftWave devices—not just their costs, but their strengths, limitations, and the finesse required to use them well. It’s not just about the machine; it’s about setting patient expectations and growing confidence with the technology.

Key Takeaways

• ​ Radial shockwave covers 80% of podiatry needs and is budget-friendly for startups.
• ​ Focused shockwave is the “workhorse” for bone, insertional tendinopathies, and nonunions.
• ​ Patient outcomes often depend more on how we set expectations than on which device we use.

SEO Keywords: podiatry shockwave therapy, radial vs focused shockwave, SoftWave podiatry, practice startup equipment, podiatry business pearls

Episode Timestamps

• ​ 00:00 — Why my kids think I’m a YouTuber
• ​ 04:22 — A colleague’s question: which shockwave device to buy?
• ​ 07:50 — Radial devices: cost, uses, and patient expectations
• ​ 12:10 — Focused shockwave: why I call it the “workhorse”
• ​ 17:20 — SoftWave pros and cons for podiatry practice
• ​ 23:05 — Patient case: navicular pain resolved with focused shockwave
• ​ 28:40 — Lessons on setting patient expectations and timing outcomes
• ​ 34:15 — Daily practice pearls: pre-surgical discussions, x-rays, and shoe talks
• ​ 45:20 — Review systems: why I switched from Clara back to Swell

In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, I share how I balance old-school scribes with new-school AI tools like ChatGPT. You’ll hear how I:

• ​ Use ChatGPT to optimize Google Business profiles and ads
• ​ Leverage urgent care as a unique selling proposition
• ​ Build systems around speed — because patients value quick access as much as quality care

If you’ve ever wondered how to practically use AI in your podiatry practice — without losing the human touch — this episode will give you actionable ideas you can apply right away.

This episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery explores the role of a medical scribe in my clinic, the fears AI is creating in the workplace, and why I see scribes as one of the best investments in efficiency and patient care.

You’ll learn:

• Why a scribe is more than just a note-taker.

• How buying back your time can transform your practice and life.

• The hidden risks of replacing people with AI too quickly.

• A behind-the-scenes look at what a 50-patient Friday actually looks like in practice.

👉 Tune in to see how outsourcing and smart delegation can help you grow your practice while giving you more time for what matters most.