Position Summary
The Podiatrist provides comprehensive medical and procedural care for conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and related structures of the lower extremity at Health Care Partners of South Carolina. This position evaluates, diagnoses, treats, and helps prevent podiatric conditions, with particular emphasis on diabetic foot care, wound prevention, mobility, and limb preservation. As part of a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), the Podiatrist collaborates with an interdisciplinary team to deliver accessible, patient-centered care to medically underserved and culturally diverse communities.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide comprehensive podiatric care consistent with the Podiatrist s education, training, South Carolina scope of practice, clinical privileges, and applicable standards of care.
- Obtain medical and podiatric histories; perform focused physical examinations; assess circulation, sensation, gait, biomechanics, skin integrity, and musculoskeletal function.
- Diagnose and treat disorders of the foot and ankle, including diabetic foot complications, wounds, infections, deformities, nail and skin conditions, musculoskeletal injuries, and chronic pain.
- Provide preventive diabetic foot examinations, risk stratification, patient education, and follow-up designed to reduce ulceration, infection, hospitalization, and amputation risk.
- Perform office-based podiatric procedures within approved privileges, including debridement, nail care, callus care, wound care, injections, splinting, casting, and other appropriate treatments.
- Order and interpret laboratory studies, imaging, vascular testing, pathology, and other diagnostic procedures within the Podiatrist s scope and privileges.
- Prescribe medications, orthotics, durable medical equipment, therapeutic footwear, offloading devices, and treatment regimens in accordance with law, clinical guidelines, and HCPSC policies.
- Identify urgent limb-threatening conditions and coordinate immediate referral or transfer for emergency, vascular, infectious disease, orthopedic, or surgical care when indicated.
- Refer patients to specialists, hospitals, wound care centers, rehabilitation services, and community resources and coordinate follow-up care.
- Collaborate with physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing, medical assistants, pharmacy, behavioral health, care management, referral staff, and external specialists.
- Incorporate diabetes status, vascular disease, neuropathy, mobility limitations, social drivers of health, health literacy, and barriers to care into treatment planning.
- Complete accurate and timely Electronic Health Record documentation, including diagnoses, procedure notes, orders, medication reconciliation, care plans, and coding support.
- Review diagnostic results, consultation reports, patient messages, refill requests, and other clinical information within established timeframes.
- Participate in quality improvement, peer review, patient safety, population health, and HRSA Uniform Data System initiatives related to diabetes and chronic disease outcomes.
- Meet organizational expectations for patient access, schedule utilization, clinical productivity, documentation timeliness, quality outcomes, and patient experience.
- Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, infection prevention, credentialing, privileging, payer, and organizational requirements.
- Participate in provider meetings, continuing medical education, clinical committees, staff education, and community health activities as assigned.
- Perform other duties within the Podiatrist s scope, credentials, and privileges as assigned.
Education & Experience
- Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree from a college of podiatric medicine accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education required.
- Successful completion of an accredited podiatric residency program required.
- Board certification or board eligibility through an appropriate podiatric specialty board preferred or required based on assigned privileges.
- Current, unrestricted license to practice podiatry in South Carolina required.
- Current federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration and South Carolina Controlled Substances Registration required when prescribing controlled substances.
- Current Basic Life Support certification required; additional certification may be required based on assigned duties.
- Must meet HCPSC credentialing and clinical privileging requirements and be eligible to participate in Medicare, South Carolina Healthy Connections Medicaid, and other applicable payer programs.
- Primary care podiatry, diabetic foot care, wound care, ambulatory care, community health center, FQHC, rural health, or medically underserved population experience preferred.
- Experience with EHR systems, interdisciplinary care, quality measures, population health, and value-based care preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Comprehensive knowledge of podiatric medicine, diabetic foot care, wound prevention and treatment, biomechanics, lower-extremity anatomy, and evidence-based clinical practice.
- Strong podiatric assessment, diagnostic reasoning, procedural, treatment-planning, medication-management, and medical decision-making skills.
- Ability to recognize infection, ischemia, neuropathy, ulceration, Charcot changes, and other limb-threatening conditions requiring urgent intervention.
- Knowledge of healthcare laws, professional standards, HIPAA, informed consent, patient confidentiality, and FQHC quality expectations.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, patient education, and documentation skills.
- Ability to provide culturally responsive, patient-centered care and collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
- Ability to manage a full patient schedule, procedures, competing clinical priorities, EHR tasks, and time-sensitive follow-up in a fast-paced outpatient setting.
- Proficiency with EHR systems, electronic prescribing, clinical decision-support tools, telehealth, and standard office technology.
- Ability to use quality data, registries, and population health information to identify care gaps and improve outcomes.
- Commitment to limb preservation, health equity, access to care, professionalism, ethical conduct, and the mission of Health Care Partners of South Carolina.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, kneel, reach, and move throughout the clinical environment for extended periods.
- Ability to perform podiatric examinations and office-based procedures using standard podiatric and medical equipment.
- Ability to use computers, EHR systems, telehealth technology, and office equipment for extended periods.
- Ability to respond promptly to urgent clinical situations and occasionally lift, assist, or move up to 25 pounds.
- Ability to travel between HCPSC locations when required.
