Bulletin
Editors: Karen Snow, M.D. | Erica Huffman, Executive Director
www.escambiacms.org
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 46, NO. 5
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The penalty for refusing to engage in politics is being governed by your inferiors The title is a quote from Plato that despite being over 2000 years old is likely more applicable today than it was in ancient Greece. While I find politics generally underhanded and distasteful, health care is being ruled by our inferiors. Physicians themselves are rarely involved in politics which is readily seen by comparing the number of physicians in political office versus the number of lawyers in office. Physicians a group always complain that the attorneys and there cronies always get their way, there is a reason why. We recently returned from the Florida medical Association annual meeting where delegates from our Medical Society work to help decide the future of health care in Florida. We help develop the policies of the Florida Medical Association and also decide what rules and legislation can be made to further advance the interests of physicians and help physicians practice medicine successfully. Unfortunately none of this is free. A resolution is meaningless until it becomes legislation and for it to become legislation it takes 100s of man hours from staff and FMA lobbyists and usually anywhere between $50,000 to 100s of thousands of dollars to make legislation a reality. The money to lobby our state legislature as well as the money to help elect legislators whose interests align with ours comes from the FMA PAC. The FMA PAC is a bipartisan political action committee who helps provide money to lobby to legislature for the passage of pro physician legislation as well as help elect legislators who have our interests in mind. The FMA PAC is funded solely by physician fundraising and physician contributions. In 2015 the FMA PAC raised 2.5 million-dollars. While sounding like a considerable sum money it is a fraction of what the attorneys raised in the state of Florida. So how would your life be different without the FMA and the FMA PAC (1)? Without the intervention of the FMA and the PAC, physicians would be required to be fingerprinted every 2 years. (How fingerprints change after 2 years is beyond me but this was legislation that was defeated.) The CAT fund exemption would expire, allowing a 10%
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CONTENTS premium on medical malpractice insurance if a major storm hit anywhere in Florida. Physicians would be unable to self insure and minimum liability would increase to 500,0001.5 million. If you had 3 complaints against you with the board of medicine you would automatically have to appear in front of the board to defend your license. Assignment of benefits would disappear and insurance company payments would go directly to the patients. Immunity for volunteer work would disappear and likely so would volunteer work. Expert witness certificates would no longer be issued and any physician from any specialty could testify against you. The look back period for insurance companies to request refund money would be 30 months instead of 12 months. If you prescribed any amount of narcotics, even one pill, you would be legally obligated to check the prescription database. The Department of Health would be able to suspend your license for any suspicion of a crime without due process. Finally, ARNP’s would be able to practice independently in all specialties. When I first learned about all the legislation that the FMA and the PAC helped pass and more importantly help prevent, I was astounded. Then I started thinking if we all truly contributed what could be accomplished. Physicians spend pennies on the dollar compared to lawyers trying to advance our political agendas. If every physician in Florida contributed $500 a year, we would raise over 30 million-dollars a year total (2). If every physician contributed $500 a year we would dominate the political landscape for health care in Florida. Politics is the only sport where the spectator always loses. To become the masters of our own destiny we as a group need to become engaged. So I encouraged you to contribute to the FMA PAC, participate with your Medical Society and the FMA. If you have questions and/or would like to contribute please feel free to contact us at the Medical Society, and as always I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting. 1. Life without the FMA 2. A Q&A with FMA PAC president Dr. Christopher Pittman
ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY
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SAVE THE DATE Sunday, September 25, 2016 | Time: 12:30pm Women in Medicine Brunch – Paint with a Twist Co-Sponsors: BBVA Compass Bank, Danna Gracey Insurance, MAG Mutual Insurance October 11, 2016 | Location: V.Paul’s Italian Ristorante | 5:30p Topic: “Deposition Training for Physicians” 1.5AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™ Sponsor: MAG Mutual Insurance November 12, 2016 | Hilton Garden Inn Airport Boulevard | 8:30 am start time General Membership Meeting - FALL CME CONFERENCE | Topics: Domestic Violence 2AMA PRA Category 1Credit(s) ™ and Physician Contract Negotiation Vendors: ADP (Automatic Data Processing), Danna Gracey Insurance, Florida Blue, Gilmore Services, MAG Mutual Insurance, Doctors Armor by Physicians Indemnity
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1 | ECMS