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October 29, 2007

"Men at some time are masters of their fates: The Fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2 - William Shakespeare

Good Morning,

On Tuesday I visited the Executive Board of the Watson Clinic in Lakeland. Dr. Jorge Gonzalez, the Clinic's Medical Director, extended the invitation and performed introductions. A cardiologist, he is also President of the Polk County Medical Society. We discussed the mission and vision of the Florida Medical Association and its current leadership. The pressure being applied to physicians effects all of us--small groups and large clinics alike. One physician inquired about the consistency and sustainability of our planned activities. That is what strategic plans are all about and we are engaged in this process. It is then our responsibility and, indeed, the responsibility of all of our members to make sure we follow the plan. We reviewed the recently-passed PIP (Personal Injury Protection) legislation and its benefits to physicians delivering urgent care to injured patients. Balance billing and the flawed SGR trap were also discussed. There is an increasing realization that we are all in this together. The moment we decide to work together, we will cease to be underlings.

On Thursday evening I drove to Tampa to prepare for the FMA's Council Days and Board of Governor's activities. Over dinner, FMA President-Elect, Dr. Steve West and the FMA's Interim Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Tim Stapleton, reviewed our progress and began preparations for the meeting.

Friday morning began with a bang! Under the direction of the FMA's Council on Medical Economics, Chaired by Dr. David McKalip, the Florida Health System Model Summit convened and an overview with reports from the committees that report to the Council were heard. This was followed by lectures from representatives of the Cato Institute, the Florida Attorney General's Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Consumers for Health Care Choices and the James Madison Institute addressing various aspects to be considered in developing a Health System Model. These talks will be available on the FMA's Web site in the coming week. After a panel discussion, workgroups were formed to address specific issues and make recommendations on how best to involve other stakeholders. Additional details will soon be forthcoming.

I later participated in a meeting of The Professional's Resource Network (PRN) Board. Under the direction of its Chair, and FMA Past President, Dr. Guy Selander, and with the able assistance of PRN and FMA staff, the future of this program is in very good hands. All of our colleagues who have dealt or are dealing with an impaired or disruptive colleague know too well what a valuable resource PRN is to our profession.

Later that afternoon I observed a meeting of the FMA's Council on Legislation, chaired by Dr. Miguel Machado. The 2008 legislative agenda was approved and further details will soon be available. The Committee on Membership met and there were three additional meetings of our FMA Alliance. That evening, we shared a wonderful dinner and enjoyed each others company. This allowed an exchange of ideas that was both educational and useful.

On Saturday, meetings of the Council on Medical Education and Science, the Resident & Fellow Section, the Committee on Finance, the Council on Public Health, the Committee on Health Information Technology, the Specialty Society Section, the Medical Student Section, the Committee on Bylaws, the Council of Florida Medical Society Executives and the Committee on Strategic Planning occurred. The day concluded with a meeting of the FMA Executive Committee. A working dinner of the Board of Governors allowed us to hear the first report from the Administrative Audit Committee. This was very well-received and we owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Stephan Baker, the members of this committee and the support staff.

On Sunday, at 8:30 AM, the meeting of the FMA Board of Governors convened. After the Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, Dr. Deborah German, Dean of the new University of Central Florida College of Medicine, delivered an overview of her progress to date and their plans to acquire the necessary accreditation to open on time in 2009. Medical center construction, including classrooms and a new VA hospital are underway. In addition, a major fundraiser is occurring to fund full 4-year scholarships (tuition + expenses = $40,000 per year per student) for the 40 members of the Charter Class. See their Web site for additional information. She shared with us the substantial economic impact this College of Medicine will have on our state.

In other developments from Sunday's meeting,

• The FMA's membership efforts will focus on developing and enhancing value to our members.
• An alert will be sent to all FMA members and to the Chiefs of Staff of all Florida Hospitals and County and Specialty Society leadership on the continuing threat to the independence of hospital medical staff bylaws emphasizing the need for EVERY medical staff to be represented by their own private attorney in the review of ANY recommended changes to their bylaws.
• Financial Support was approved for the Florida Pediatric Society's Federal lawsuit on the inadequacy of Medicaid reimbursement for care.
• At substantial expense, the FMA will retain a lobbying firm in Washington, DC. Other states do this and some even send a full time staff member there to represent their interests. Now, more than ever, we require professional assistance to advance the Federal interests (e.g., positive changes to the GPCI, replace or modify SGR, etc.) of Florida's physicians.
• Approved a white paper, developed by the FMA's Specialty Society Section, on the need for compensation to physicians for providing coverage of hospital emergency departments.
  
• Discussed the development of a leadership training program and
  
• Approved the FMA's 2008 budget.

Further details on many of these items will soon follow.


Until next week...


Sincerely,
Karl M. Altenburger, M.D.
President, Florida Medical Association