Don Pelto, DPM - Podiatry Practice Mastery

What can you learn from a highly productive podiatrist who prioritizes listening, patient education, and personalized care? In part two of his podiatrist annual self-evaluation series, Dr. Don Pelto reviews his partner's answers and explores how asking better questions, explaining treatment options, and giving patients a clear plan can contribute to patient satisfaction and practice production.

Don also discusses the challenges of running behind schedule, managing difficult patient encounters, improving staff communication, and creating longer appointment blocks for complex cases. Discover how experienced podiatrists can use self-evaluations to identify opportunities for improvement, mentor younger doctors, and transition toward a more sustainable clinical schedule without losing sight of practice profitability.

Keywords: podiatrist self-evaluation, podiatry patient communication, associate podiatrist mentoring, podiatry practice productivity, podiatry practice management

What do you do when a patient has severe foot pain, but the examination doesn't reveal a clear explanation? In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto shares the case of a 25-year-old woman who had already seen several doctors, tried different shoes and orthotics, and continued to experience significant foot pain. Drawing on ideas from The Body Keeps the Score and Dr. Sarno's work, Don explores the relationship between pain, the nervous system, stress, and past emotional experiences.

Discover why persistent foot pain sometimes requires looking beyond traditional biomechanical explanations, how to approach sensitive conversations with patients, and why collaboration with primary care and mental health professionals may be valuable. This episode encourages podiatrists to consider a broader approach to unexplained pain while recognizing that pain is real even when its underlying cause isn't immediately apparent.

Keywords: chronic foot pain, mind-body connection and pain, unexplained foot pain, trauma-informed podiatry, nervous system and chronic pain

How do you evaluate an associate podiatrist's performance and identify opportunities for improvement without making the review process uncomfortable or overly focused on production? In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto walks through the annual podiatrist self-evaluation form he created with ChatGPT and shares his own answers. He examines clinical confidence, treatment planning, scheduling, productivity, patient retention, practice growth, and team communication.

Discover how a structured self-evaluation can help you identify strengths, recognize areas where coaching could make a difference, and establish meaningful goals for the next 90 days. Don also shares practical examples from his own practice, including improving orthotic recommendations, delegating treatments, refining patient scheduling, and using outside coaching to develop clinical confidence. Whether you're reviewing an associate or evaluating your own performance, this episode offers a framework for more productive conversations and continuous improvement.

Keywords: podiatrist self-evaluation, associate podiatrist performance review, podiatry practice productivity, podiatrist professional development, podiatry practice management

Could an AI medical scribe help you capture revenue you're currently missing in your podiatry practice? In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto shares how using an AI scribe during routine nail care appointments has helped him document additional evaluation and management services that he previously overlooked during busy clinic sessions.

Through five real patient examples involving hematomas, exostosis, neuropathy, and fall risk, Don explains how AI-assisted documentation helps him capture the clinical work he's already performing. Discover how an AI scribe can improve documentation efficiency, support appropriate medical billing, and help you evaluate whether switching from a traditional scribe makes financial sense for your practice.

Keywords: AI medical scribe for podiatrists, podiatry billing and coding, E/M billing during nail care, AI scribe ROI, podiatry practice profitability

What should you do when an associate podiatrist wants to reduce their workweek but keep the same salary? And how can a small podiatry practice support doctors taking family or medical leave without creating an unsustainable financial burden?

In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto discusses real situations involving associate compensation, reduced work schedules, and family leave. He shares how his Massachusetts practice uses percentage-based compensation and how paid family and medical leave benefits can help eligible doctors manage time away from work. Learn why compensation structure matters, how to approach these conversations thoughtfully, and why understanding your state's leave requirements is essential for protecting both your doctors and your practice.

Keywords: podiatrist associate compensation, paid family and medical leave Massachusetts, podiatry practice management, production-based physician compensation, associate podiatrist salary

AI is becoming a practical virtual assistant for podiatrists who want to save time, improve staff performance, and grow their practices. In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don Pelto shares five real-world ways he's using AI in his practice, from creating staff training materials and patient education tools to building website information bots, repurposing content, and developing interactive practice profitability calculators.

Discover how AI tools like ChatGPT can help you turn existing resources into useful business assets without spending hours creating everything from scratch. You'll also hear how Don is updating patient education books for PDF and Kindle formats and exploring future applications for AI-assisted clinical training. Walk away with practical ideas you can start exploring in your own podiatry practice.

Keywords: AI for podiatrists, ChatGPT for podiatry practices, podiatry practice management, AI patient education tools, podiatry practice growth

Creating videos for your podiatry practice doesn't have to require expensive equipment, complicated editing, or hours of your time. In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Dr. Don shares his simple video creation tech stack, including how he uses his smartphone, Google Drive, virtual assistants, and automation tools to make recording, editing, and publishing videos easier.

You'll learn how to create natural patient education videos, choose topics that attract the types of patients you want to see more of, and streamline your workflow using tools like Submagic, Repurpose.io, and AI. Whether you're creating YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or educational videos for your practice, the goal is to make video marketing simple enough that you'll actually do it consistently.

Keywords: podiatry video marketing, podiatry practice growth, video marketing for podiatrists, podiatry social media strategy, patient education videos

What can you learn by breaking down an actual day in a high-production podiatry practice? In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Don walks through 19 patients from a Monday in his practice, including fractures, shockwave treatments, AFOs, plantar fasciitis, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, ingrown nails, orthotics, ultrasound, and other common podiatry visits.

Along the way, Don shares the thinking behind his treatment decisions, what makes certain visits more valuable, how urgent care referrals and online scheduling bring patients into the practice, and why consistency matters in a multi-doctor office. He also discusses choosing vendors based on quality rather than price and walks through his approach to posterior tibial tendon dysfunction.

Keywords: podiatry practice management, podiatry patient workflow, podiatry practice production, posterior tibial tendon dysfunction, profitable podiatry practice

Two podiatrists can see a similar number of patients and generate very different amounts of cash-pay revenue. In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Don breaks down the actual monthly ancillary production of four doctors in the same practice and looks at what each doctor does differently.

The numbers reveal that a few services—especially orthotics and shockwave—generate most of the cash-pay revenue. Don discusses why protocols, treatment conversations, timing, and consistently offering what you believe is the best option for the patient can make such a large difference. He also shares where his own numbers need improvement and what he’s learning from a colleague who consistently does more orthotics.

Keywords: podiatry cash pay services, podiatry ancillary revenue, orthotics practice growth, shockwave therapy revenue, podiatry practice profitability

Once you’ve made the insurance side of your podiatry practice more profitable, how do you successfully add cash-pay services without buying expensive equipment that ends up sitting unused? In this episode of Podiatry Practice Mastery, Don explains his approach to incorporating cash-pay treatments and products, including shockwave, Swift, laser, orthotics, and other services.

Don discusses why you should focus on services you’re confident and proud to offer, how introductory pricing can help you gain experience, why treatment packages and protocols matter, and the importance of having a plan when a treatment doesn’t produce the expected result. He also explains how calculating your actual cost per patient visit can change the way you think about pricing and low-value services.

Keywords: cash pay services for podiatrists, podiatry practice profitability, shockwave therapy business, podiatry cash services, hybrid medical practice