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March 17, 2008

Good Morning,

At the midpoint of my term, it is a good time to report to the owners of the Florida Medical Association about the progress your association has made over the course of this year. I've mentioned a number of these activities periodically in my Monday Morning missives, however, I wanted to organize this in one article for your perusal. As you are aware, your Board of Governors made a change in the executive leadership of this organization last year. Since that time, steps have been taken to ensure that the FMA remains a viable advocate for the physicians of Florida for many years to come.

Before I took office, I shared the concern of many members of the FMA Board of Governors over the direction of the FMA, and especially, the precipitous decline in active membership that had been occurring. I made it clear then that the time had come to perform an internal administrative audit. One of my first actions as President of the FMA was the appointment of an Administrative Audit Committee composed of members of the Board. With the Board's approval, the association management consulting firm, Organizational Performance Improvement Systems (OPIS) was retained to assist us in this endeavor. In addition, an attorney rated as a member of the Florida Trend Elite, was retained to perform a legal audit of all association activities (Human Resources, Contracts, etc.) They promptly began their reviews and, after an extensive analysis covering two months, presented their findings to the Board of Governors at our October meeting. It was determined that under the previous administrative structure a number of deficiencies existed. Among other findings, the Committee reported that the FMA:

• Had an alarming membership attrition rate of 14 percent over the past few years and no strategic plan was in place to address this.
• Had become too reliant on dues income to meet operating expenses and had no comprehensive plan in place to reverse this trend.
• Lacked an overall strategic plan to guide the organization.
• Was not in compliance with labor and employment laws.
• Operated under an outdated governance model that ceded too much authority to the EVP/CEO.
• Was not being served appropriately by some high level personnel.

The FMA Board, with the assistance of our consultants, began immediately to systematically address these and other identified problems. First and foremost, we are developing and implementing a policy governance model that moves us towards a culture that embraces transparency, openness and collaboration between members and staff. Equally as important, we are developing a strategic plan for the organization.

While these activities are occurring, our staff has been hard at work increasing membership, developing plans to increase non-dues revenue and evaluating our communication strategies. Under the leadership of our Vice President of Operations, Mrs. Kimberly Scott (12 years at the FMA, the last 6 years as the Chief Financial Officer) and our Vice President of Public Affairs, Mr. Tim Stapleton (15 years of medical association experience, the last 10 at the FMA), we have upgraded the experience and expertise of our staff and hired professionals who are focused on improving member benefits and moving us forward. I am pleased to report our major accomplishments to date.

• Increased reimbursement advocacy.
• The Board of Governors and staff are working together to develop new products and services, including a practice management center.
• A members-only section on the FMA Web site, where members will be able to access podcasts and streaming video, is being developed. Also, our Web site will offer a number of services including online CME, practice management guidance, and asset protection information.
• In response to requests by our members, we have hired a coding specialist to assist our members with billing questions. This expert works within the FMA's Division of Medical Economics.
• Active membership year-to-date has increased significantly and we are working to improve retention.
• We are now in compliance with all labor laws and an outside legal counsel has been retained to guide our actions.
• A Human Resource Director has been hired and she is in the process of updating the job descriptions and performance measures of our staff to bring us in full compliance with applicable laws.
• An extensive review of our member communications has been completed and we are in the process of improving our communication with you by revamping the FMA's Web site and improving all of our communication tools.

The FMA is fortunate to have experienced, loyal and dedicated professionals leading our staff at this time. They are indeed our most valuable asset. This has allowed the Board to move deliberately in determining the best staff structure for our Association. We will continue this approach as we seek to make the Florida Medical Association more responsive to your needs, while maintaining the financial resources necessary to be strong advocates for our profession.

I share and support the vision of the FMA Board of Governors to develop a Florida Medical Association that is the premier medical association in this country. I appreciate your comments and suggestions on the ways we can make this happen and I encourage you to keep those ideas coming. I will never forget, and you should always remember, that this is YOUR organization. YOU are the owners and you deserve nothing less than a great association that is helping you, every day, deliver excellent care to to your patients.