Medical Advisory Board

Andrew J.M. Boulton, MD, FRCP

  • Leading international expert on diabetes, diabetic neuropathy and diabetic foot disease with more than 400 peer-reviewed publications
  • Founding Chair of the Diabetic Foot Study Group of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes
  • Recipient of the American Diabetes Association’s Harold Rifkin Award for distinguished international service in the field of diabetes

Doran Edwards, MD

  • Leading expert on the coding, coverage, policy assistance, product design and clinical trial design of durable medical equipment (“DME”)
  • Former Medical Director at SADMERC (Statistical Analysis DME Regional Carrier) which is the exclusive DME carrier selected by CMS to provide critical coding and review duties for the entire Medicare DME system
  • Current CMS Medical Director

David Armstrong, DPM, MD, MSc, PhD

  • Leading international expert on diabetes, diabetic neuropathy and diabetic foot disease with more than 375 peer-reviewed publications
  • Co-editor of the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Clinical Care of the Diabetic Foot
  • Recipient of numerous awards by national and international medical organizations, including the ADA’s
  • Roger Pecoraro Award and membership in the Podiatric Medicine Hall of Fame

Desmond Bell, DPM

  • Founder and President of the “Save A Leg, Save A Life” Foundation, a multi-disciplinary non- profit organization dedicated to the reduction in lower extremity amputations and improving wound healing outcomes through education, evidence-based methodology and community outreach
  • Awarded the Frist Humanitarian Award by Specialty Hospital Jacksonville for 2009 and Memorial Hospital Jacksonville in 2018
  • Board Certified Wound Specialist and a Fellow of the American College of Certified Wound Specialists and presently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Wound Management
  • Elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
  • Chief Medical Office (CMO), Arche Healthcare

Robert Frykberg, DPM, MPH

  • Leading international expert on diabetes, diabetic neuropathy and diabetic foot disease with numerous peer-reviewed publications
  • Former Chair of the Foot Care Council of the ADA and a past President of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons

Kendrick Whitney, DPM

  • Leading international expert on biomechanics, orthotic devices and off-loading therapies and has numerous publications in these areas and lower extremity gait-related research
  • Associate Professor, Department of Podiatric Orthopedics at Temple University
  • Founding member of the American Podiatric Wound Care Association

Stephanie Wu, DPM, MSc

  • Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Podiatric Surgery and Applied Biomechanics; Professor, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine; and Director, Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research (CLEAR) for the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

  • Leading expert with more than 150 book chapters and peer-reviewed publications and served as Principal Investigator in more than 40 clinical research trials.

James McGuire, DPM, PT, LPed, FAPWHc

  • Director of the Leonard Abrams Center for Advanced Wound Healing and a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Podiatric Medicine and Podiatric Biomechanics at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.
  • Director of the Leonard Abrams Center for Advanced Wound Healing and a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Podiatric Medicine and Podiatric Biomechanics at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.
  • Fellow and founding member of the American Professional Wound Care Association and the Academy of Physicians in Wound Healing and serves as an advisor to the board of the Council for Medical Education and Testing.
  • Licensed physical therapist, licensed pedorthist and certified in wound care by the Council for Medical Education and Testing; board certified by both the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine.

Arche OPTYX

Do you have a system that helps you automate documentation, improve patient outcomes and increase reimbursements simultaneously? The Arche LEAP Alliance has developed the Arche OPTYX system which supports processes and protocols that will enable you transform into an insights-driven organization that has successfully turned evidence-based medicine into evidence-based practice while seamlessly meeting Medicare documentation requirements.

Our analytics capability leverages disparate data sources that enables you to monitor your progress toward targets and offers you information on your performance compared to the rest of the Arche LEAP Alliance. As a result, you will be able to transform your practice into an insights-driven organization.

Practice Registration

Let’s begin. When you join the Arche LEAP Alliance, we will gather information from your EHR system through an automated process to create a registry of patients with diabetes. Arche OPTYX will identify patients who should have an Arche CDFE (Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Exam), patients who have or have had wounds and amputations and it will also help you manage footwear and insole prescriptions.

Arche LEAP Alliance (ALA) Arche LEAP Captain Training

Training is essential to success, and having a designated Arche LEAP Captain is an essential element of a successful program. The Arche LEAP Captain is the owner of the Arche LEAP Alliance program in your practice. Arche LEAP Captains go through extensive training where they learn about the impact of diabetes on the lower extremities, techniques to educate patients on how to care for their feet and the protocols and processes of the Arche LEAP Alliance program. To ensure LEAP Captains have effectively completed the necessary training, an evaluation of their proficiency as a Therapeutic Footwear Specialist is required at the conclusion of the training program.

Schedule the Arche CDFE

Once identified, patients who need a Arche CDFE should be scheduled for an appointment. All patients with diabetes should have at least one Arche CDFE per year. Additional Arche CDFEs will depend on the patient’s personal risk profile for developing diabetic foot complications and information about any new problems identified during an at-risk or routine appointment.

Arche CDFE

We think of the Arche CDFE as more than just a clinical exam. For us, the CDFE should be a Comprehensive Diabetic Foot Experience! Using our tools and processes turns a clinical examination into an experience that improves your patient’s health literacy by illustrating their personal risk and in response, teaching them them best practices for self-care. This proactive approach leads to the prevention of ulcers and amputations.

Document Transfer

As the Arche CDFE is conducted, the tablet-based Arche OPTYX system will capture all of the relevant documentation from the entire examination beginning with the patient’s signature on a Release of Information Authorization to the final Dispensing Package. The Arche LEAP Alliance Documentation Team will review this documentation to ensure that all of the required elements are completed thoroughly and accurately before sending it to the Certifying Physician.

Documentation Review and Transfer to MD/DO

As documentation is received by the Documentation Team, a review is conducted based on Medicare guidelines to ensure that everything that is required is present, legible and complete. If there are any questions, follow-up ensues until the issue is resolved satisfactorily. The Documentation Team will follow-up with the managing physician’s office up to eight (8) times in an effort to assemble a complete documentation packet that will pass an audit. If the relevant information is not available from the MD/DO after eight tries, the practice will be alerted so that the patient can be notified to provide follow-up with their physician as well.

Documentation Audit

When all of the documentation for a therapeutic footwear and insole prescription has been received from both the practice and the MD/DO, the Documentation Team will review it for completion and accuracy, effectively completing a pre-submission audit following CMS rules and guidelines. If the audit results are satisfactory, the prescription is sent to be filled.

In the event of an audit, all of the documentation that you may be asked to produce, from the CDFE results to the dispensing appointment, will be available in one place so that you can easily print or upload it to the requestor. The prescription packet has been pre-audited using Medicare rules and guidelines, and should pass, resulting in reimbursement. If for some reason it does not, Arche Healthcare and Anodyne will provide in-kind products and services for the amount that was not reimbursed.

Filling the Prescription

Once the prescription is filled, the shoes and insoles are shipped to the practice. The patient is informed of the arrival of the prescription and asked to make an appointment for fitting and dispensing.

Fitting and Dispensing Appointment

All of the required documents for the fitting appointment reside in Arche OPTYX. When the appointment is completed, all of the documentation is reviewed by the Documentation Team for thoroughness and accuracy. When correct and complete, the Disensing Packet will be added to the rest of the documentation, and the prescription procurement packet will be complete.

Home Monitoring Equipment

Arche Healthcare offers you the opportunity to provide your patients with an FDA approved at-home plantar temperature monitoring device that enables them to engage in their own self-care.

Follow-up Calls

Rx Dispensed

The Arche LEAP Captain uses their Therapeutic Footwear Specialist Training to ensure proper footwear and insole fit and introduces home monitoring to the patient.