The Foot Clinic
The Foot Clinic is a privately held, single-location podiatric medical and surgical practice in Chicago's Taylor Street neighborhood, founded in 1977 by Dr. Frank William Zappa. It serves individual patients with general foot care, diabetic wound management, neuropathy treatment, and custom orthotics across four physicians.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Foot Clinic does
The Foot Clinic is a privately owned, single-site podiatric medical and surgical practice operating at 1226 W Taylor Street in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1977 by Dr. Frank William Zappa, DPM. The practice treats diseases and surgery of the foot and ankle, with a clinical focus on chronic conditions, diabetic foot care, wound management, sports and work-related injuries, and neuropathy. Its service portfolio includes general podiatry, a proprietary mycotic nail eradication system combining topical and oral treatment, the Dellon nerve decompression procedure for neuropathy (with documented outcomes of 90% pain reduction and 70% improved sensation improvement), custom orthotics, and regenerative medicine offerings including PRP and stem cell injections. The practice is staffed by four board-certified or board-qualified physicians (Zappa, Traverso, Zomaya, Fontejon) and operates in affiliation with WALKS Wound Centers, Saint Anthony Hospital, and the Saint Joseph Hospital podiatric residency program.
The business model is direct-to-consumer fee-for-service: patients access care by appointment, walk-in, or emergency visit, and revenue is collected primarily through insurance reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid (including IlliniCare, Meridian, Molina, CountyCare, and others), and a broad network of commercial payers including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, CIGNA, Humana, United Healthcare, and Wellcare. Out-of-network patients are accepted on a fee-negotiable basis. The go-to-motion is local and community-rooted — anchored on the practice's 45+ year presence on Taylor Street, bilingual English/Spanish service, hospital leadership roles held by the founder, and a mutual referral relationship with WALKS Wound Centers (two locations, since 2007) for multidisciplinary chronic wound care.
Strategically, The Foot Clinic has scaled by adding physicians and broadening its procedural repertoire rather than through geographic expansion, and it remains a single-location, founder-led practice with no disclosed external capital, no subsidiaries, and limited stated growth ambitions beyond insurance network breadth and clinical scope. Operating hours are limited to approximately 25 hours per week (closed Tuesdays and Thursdays), and there are no app, API, or technology platform offerings disclosed.
The Foot Clinic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Foot Clinic
- Legal name
- The Foot Clinic
- Website
- https://zappafootclinic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Foot Clinic is a privately held, single-location podiatric medical and surgical practice in Chicago's Taylor Street neighborhood, founded in 1977 by Dr. Frank William Zappa. It serves individual patients with general foot care, diabetic wound management, neuropathy treatment, and custom orthotics across four physicians.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Foot Clinic industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Podiatric Medical Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Podiatrists (621391), Freestanding Ambulatory Surgical and Emergency Centers (621493)
- SIC
- Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Foot & Ankle (HLAKALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wound Care & Diabetic Foot Infection (HLAKAGAK), Podiatry & Foot/Ankle Surgery Centers (HLAFAIAL), Foot Care & Orthotics OTC (Corn/Callus Care, Insoles, Athlete’s Foot Treatments) (CRADAMAL)
Keywords
Where The Foot Clinic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Foot Clinic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Medical Services - Fee for Service: The clinic generates revenue through fee-for-service medical consultations, treatments, and surgical procedures for foot and ankle conditions. Revenue is collected through insurance reimbursement (in-network and out-of-network) and direct patient payment for services not covered by insurance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Insurance-based medical services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Foot Clinic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Foot Clinic is a private podiatric medical and surgical practice providing foot and ankle care to patients in Chicago, IL. Services range from routine monthly care and fracture reduction to complex surgical procedures, including diabetic foot care, wound care, neuropathy treatment via the Dellon nerve decompression procedure, custom orthotics, and regenerative medicine (PRP and stem cell injections). The practice also operates the WALKS (Wound and Limb Kare Salvage) Wound Centers sub-product for specialized outpatient wound management.
Product overview
The Foot Clinic is a general podiatric medical practice offering a unified set of services built on compassionate foot and ankle care. The core offering encompasses general podiatry services (routine care, fracture reduction, surgical procedures), which connects to specialized sub-products including WALKS Wound Centers (chronic wound care), the proprietary Mycotic Nail Eradication System, Custom Orthotics (medical-grade and custom), and Regenerative Medicine Treatments (PRP and Stem Cell Injections). The practice also offers the Dellon Procedure for neuropathy treatment as a specialized service. All services are delivered at the Chicago, IL location by a team of four podiatric physicians.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% pain reduction through Dellon neuropathy procedure
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Foot Clinic
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Foot Clinic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Foot Clinic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- WALKS Wound CenterscoreWALKS (Wound and Limb Kare Salvage) Wound Centers has been healing wounds on Chicago's West-side since 2007. The Foot Clinic and WALKS collaborate to provide comprehensive wound care, with WALKS handling complex wound cases and The Foot Clinic providing podiatric services. WALKS is staffed with compassionate, experienced physicians trained in wound management, providing multidisciplinary team-based care including vascular surgery, plastic surgery, infectious disease, and nutrition services.
- Saint Anthony HospitalcoreDr. Zappa serves as Section Chief of Podiatry and President of the Medical Staff at Saint Anthony Hospital. The practice is affiliated with this hospital for surgical procedures and medical staff privileges.
- Saint Joseph HospitalcoreDr. Zappa is the former program director for the Saint Joseph Hospital/Chicago Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency-RRA Residency Program. Dr. Traverso and Dr. Zomaya completed their residencies at Saint Joseph Hospital. The practice maintains teaching faculty involvement with podiatry residents at Presence Saint Joseph Hospital.
- MedicarecoreDr. Zappa is a participating provider with Medicare, accepting Medicare patients for foot and ankle care services.
- MedicaidmajorDr. Zappa is a participating provider with Medicaid and various Medicaid managed care plans including IlliniCare Health, Meridian Health Plan, Molina Healthcare, and others.
- Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield, CIGNA, Humana, United Healthcare, WellcaremajorThe practice is an in-network provider with major commercial insurance plans including Aetna (PPO, HMO, POS), BlueCross BlueShield (including Oak Street Health Medicare Advantage, Community Family Health Plan), CIGNA Health Springs, Humana (Commercial PPO, HMO, POS, EPO, Medicare plans), United Healthcare (Medicare Advantage, PPO), and Wellcare.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Foot Clinic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HCA Healthcare: Large for-profit hospital operator whose facilities employ podiatrists and foot/ankle specialists. Comparable as an incumbent employer of podiatric services, particularly in markets overlapping with The Foot Clinic's Chicago catchment.
- Cleveland Clinic: Major academic health system with a foot and ankle surgery program providing medical and surgical podiatric services. Comparable for tertiary foot/ankle care capability though it operates at vastly greater scale and as part of a full-service hospital system.
- Hospital for Special Surgery: Leading orthopaedic specialty hospital with a dedicated foot and ankle service offering medical, surgical, and rehabilitation services. Comparable for surgical foot/ankle capability but operates as a nationally recognized specialty hospital rather than a community practice.
- Rothman Orthopaedic Institute: Large multi-specialty orthopaedic group with dedicated foot and ankle service line including surgical care. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping podiatric/foot-ankle surgical capabilities, though as part of a much larger orthopaedic portfolio.
Direct peers
- US Foot & Ankle Specialists: PE-backed network of podiatry practices across multiple U.S. states offering medical and surgical foot/ankle care. Comparable as a direct competitor in podiatric medical and surgical services, though at greater scale and with corporate infrastructure The Foot Clinic lacks.
- Weil Foot & Ankle Institute: Large multi-physician podiatry group practice in the Chicago/Midwest region offering comprehensive foot and ankle care including surgery, wound care, orthotics, and diabetic foot management — directly comparable in scope, geography, and specialty services to The Foot Clinic.
- Foot & Ankle Centers: Multi-location podiatric medical and surgical group practice offering general foot care, surgery, wound care, and orthotics — comparable in clinical scope and patient mix to The Foot Clinic.
Others
- American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA): National professional association representing podiatrists; not a direct competitor but the relevant industry body, credentialing authority, and patient-referral channel for independent podiatry practices including The Foot Clinic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Foot Clinic social profiles
Digital presenceThe Foot Clinic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Foot Clinic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Foot Clinic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Foot Clinic M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Foot Clinic
What does The Foot Clinic do?
The Foot Clinic is a private podiatric medical and surgical practice providing foot and ankle care to patients in Chicago, IL. Services range from routine monthly care and fracture reduction to complex surgical procedures, including diabetic foot care, wound care, neuropathy treatment via the Dellon nerve decompression procedure, custom orthotics, and regenerative medicine (PRP and stem cell injections). The practice also operates the WALKS (Wound and Limb Kare Salvage) Wound Centers sub-product for specialized outpatient wound management.
Is The Foot Clinic a public or private company?
The Foot Clinic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Foot Clinic founded?
The Foot Clinic was founded in 1977. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Foot Clinic based?
The Foot Clinic is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Foot Clinic make money?
One revenue line is on record: medical Services - Fee for Service.
Who are The Foot Clinic's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HCA Healthcare, Cleveland Clinic, Hospital for Special Surgery and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. Direct peers are US Foot & Ankle Specialists, Weil Foot & Ankle Institute and Foot & Ankle Centers. American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is listed as an others.
Does The Foot Clinic have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Foot Clinic.
What industry is The Foot Clinic in?
The Foot Clinic's product category is Podiatric Medical Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKALAG, Foot & Ankle, with a secondary code of HLAKAGAK, Wound Care & Diabetic Foot Infection. Its NAICS code is 621391 and its SIC code is 8011.