Adopted: Mon, 2013-10-28
Back to Position Statements
Reviewed 2014-11-13 - no changes
Under N.C.G.S. 90-202.2 to 90-202.14, podiatrists are licensed in North Carolina by the Board of Podiatry Examiners to perform “…the surgical, medical or mechanical treatment of all ailments of the human foot and ankle and their related soft tissue structures to the level of the myotendinous junction.”
Under N.C.G.S. 90-202.2(b), podiatrists may perform “…any surgery on the ankle or on the soft tissue structures related to the ankle, any amputations and any surgical correction of clubfoot…” only in a hospital or multispecialty ambulatory surgical facility and must be granted privileges to do so.
N.C.G.S. 131E-185 grants each hospital governing board in North Carolina the authority to determine the scope and privileges for physicians, dentists, optometrists, and podiatrists operating in their specific hospital.
Under N.C.G.S. 90-202.2(c), the Board is required to maintain a list of podiatrists qualified to perform amputations, ankle surgeries, or club foot corrections as well as specific information on the surgical training completed by each licensee. Since 1996, each podiatrist who has been granted specialty privileges in amputation, ankle surgery, and/or club foot correction has received a letter from the Board specifying those privileges. In addition, since July 1, 2012, the Board has published this information for each credentialed podiatrist under the individual licensee’s information on the Board’s “Search Podiatrist” section of its web site.
Although State law requires that our Board keep a record of its licensees’ training in special procedures and make the results public upon request, a hospital is under no obligation to seek or follow the Board’s determination. All podiatrists who perform amputations, ankle surgery, and/or club foot procedures are required to apply for specialty privileges with the Board, as hospitals and providers may have risk exposure if there is absence of a specialty credentialing request, or if they have failed to consider and/or follow the determination of the Board.