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FMA
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EMR Florida |
FMA Alliance
September
24,
2007
"A hundred times everyday I remind myself that my inner and
outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and
that I must exert myself in order to give the same measure as I have
received and am still receiving." - Albert Einstein
Good Morning,
Last Monday, I met with FMA staff in Tallahassee. Mr. Tim Stapleton,
Interim Director of Public Affairs and Mr. Jeff Scott, Director of
Governmental Affairs, gave me an update on our progress reforming
PIP. The legislature has rescheduled their special session for
October 3-12, 2007 and we are optimistic that it will include this
issue. Mrs. Kimberly Scott, Interim Operations Officer, and Dr. Jim
Dolan, FMA Vice President, have, at my request, been working on an
analysis of the FMA's staff organizational structure and they are
exploring ways to better realign the Association's resources to make
us more effective at meeting the needs of our membership.
On Tuesday evening, I addressed the Marion County Medical Society's
dinner meeting. I reviewed where the FMA has come from and where we
are going. The concerns over access to care, including the
availability of physicians, are being felt in this community as
well. We are approaching a tipping point and all understand the need
to address reimbursement issues directly. There were a number of
questions about "universal" health insurance. The interest in the
2008 election is clearly rising.
I was in Tallahassee again last Thursday morning meeting with Mrs.
Scott and Mr. Stapleton. We met with the attorney who has been
retained by the Administrative Audit Committee to perform our "legal
audit" and we are in the process of making sure that the Florida
Medical Association is in compliance with all current laws, rules,
and regulations. We reviewed our employment needs, especially in the
Board of Medicine/regulatory arena and will be addressing this in
the near future.
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our installation ceremony last month, Alliance President, Mrs.
Elaine Hale, presented me with a memento for the unity of
purpose between the FMA and FMA Alliance. I've placed this in
the President's office in Tallahassee. It is a reminder that our
profession's ability to meet the challenges ahead will occur
only with our concerted effort to partner with the Alliance
throughout our state. We've long acknowledged the Alliance's
effectiveness in dealing with our elected representatives and we
need to encourage more of this. |
"Together,the FMA and FMAA work for our profession and our
patients." |
 Finally,
we continue to appreciate the life of a steadfast advocate--Dr.
Alvin E. Smith, the 119th President of the Florida Medical
Association, who died at his home last week. FMA Past President, Dr.
Cecil Wilson, spoke at his memorial service on Saturday and a number
of other FMA Past Presidents were in attendance. I am attending his
service this afternoon at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell
where Dr. Smith will be buried with military honors. Dr. Smith was
instrumental in the birth and development of the Florida Department
of Health and this legacy, which continues to benefit our patients
and our profession, is a lasting reminder of his love for both. Upon
his labors, we still depend.
Thank you for your calls and comments. They are helping me remain
focused on the challenges ahead.
Until next week...
Sincerely,
Karl M. Altenburger, M.D.
President, Florida Medical Association
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