In the quiet halls of the Gillis W. Long Hansen’s Disease Center in Carville, Louisiana, the legendary Dr. Paul Brand once faced a clinical mystery. He was conducting a study with a hypothesis that seemed like a mathematical certainty: total bed rest should heal a foot ulcer faster than any other intervention. By removing the variable of weight-bearing pressure entirely, the skin should have had the perfect environment to repair itself.

By Dr. Dennis Janisse

The current landscape of healthcare regulation is no longer a series of predictable updates. It has evolved into a “tornado” of shifting policies, reimbursement challenges, and administrative complexity. For mobile wound care practitioners, the outlook for 2026 remains promising, provided they pivot from a volume-based mindset to a meticulous, documentation-driven business model. As veterans of regulatory compliance and mobile clinical operations, we outline the essential realities for surviving and succeeding in the coming year.

By Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP, FACCWS, FFPM RCPS (Glasg) and Martha R. Kelso, RN, CWHS, DAPWCA, HBOT

For many podiatrists, the workday doesn’t end when the last patient leaves. It continues through documentation, claim reviews, prior authorizations, patient messages, billing questions, and a growing list of administrative tasks that have become as much a part of practice as diagnosing plantar fasciitis or treating diabetic foot ulcers.

By Hersh Solanki, Chief Business Officer, Athelas

For years, I believed that the art of making a great custom orthotic began with experience. The more feet I evaluated, the more I realized that even the best prescription could only be as good as the information I sent to the laboratory. Like many clinicians, I worked through the evolution of plaster casts, foam boxes, and eventually digital scanning. Digital technology made the process faster, but I still found myself asking the same question: Am I consistently capturing the foot in the position I want the laboratory to build from?

By Dr Robert Conenello, DPM

Wild et al. defined “fall” as “an unintentional change in position resulting in coming to rest at a lower level or on the ground.” Falls and fall-induced injuries among older individuals represent a worldwide problem with substantial clinical and public health implications. More than 14 million U.S. adults aged 65 years or older report falls annually, leading to significant morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditures.

By Robert G. Smith, DPM, MSc, R.Ph.