Vol. 55, No. 1 / First Quarter 2012
The Official Publication of the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists / Serving Anesthesiologists and Patients
Applicants Approved
. . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
David Varlotta, D.O., FSA President
FSA Advocates for
the Anesthesiology
Practice
he Florida Legislature is nearing its
last day of session. No other entity
has as much control over our practices
as this body. I have maintained there is
nothing in our practice that is NOT under
the control of the state Legislature. This
year many important bills have been
introduced that could change our practice
for better or for worse. The FSA is
extremely active on the legislative front this
year and is working with the FMA through
our lobbyists to block legislation that
would be bad for the practice of anesthesia.
In addition, we are actively promoting
bills that would be advantageous. To assist
in our efforts, a number of FSA members
traveled to Tallahassee on Feb. 22 to meet
with key legislators to lobby directly.
Here are few of the more prominent issues
we are working on:
1. HB 358 – Sovereign immunity for
emergency services. If this passes,
physicians providing emergency services
will have sovereign immunity. This will
include patients who are admitted to the
ER who end up in the operating room.
The FSA is working to assure this bill is
passed and that anesthesia services remain
included. This bill was also amended to
include needed malpractice reforms.
2. HB 1329 – This bill was introduced
in the House by Rep. Richard Corcoran
(R-New Port Richey) and as Committee
Bill 7186 in the Senate by Senator Rene
Garcia (R-Hialeah). As stated in the FMA
legislative update:
These are huge insurance company
money grabs masquerading as
“consumer protection.” The bills
would unfairly limit the amount of
compensation a physician could receive
for providing emergency room care to
patients enrolled in PPOs. They also
would require physicians to provide a
written estimate of their charges to PPO
patients before performing scheduled
treatment in a hospital. If the actual cost
exceeds the estimate by 200 percent,
the physician would be prohibited from
recovering the balance.
In plain English, this means is that an
insurance company can force a physician
to accept whatever prices it dictates for
services, even when the physician doesn’t
have a contract with the insurer. The bills
would further require all physicians to
continued on page 3
FSAPAC Has Best
Year Ever
. . . . . . . . . . . Page 5
FSA Poster Session
Call for Abstracts
. . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
From the BOM
Chairman
. . . . . . . . . . . Page 9
BOM Website
Changes
. . . . . . . . . . Page 10
Calendar . . . Page 12
FSA Today
is published quarterly
by the Florida Society
of Anesthesiologists
Inc., P.O. Box 13978
Tallahassee, Florida
32317
850/656-8848
Editor: Lawrence S.
Berman, M.D.
All items for publication
should be submitted
to Kari Glisson, FSA
executive director, at the
above address or via
email: [email protected],
or emailed to
Dr. Berman (lberman@
anest.ufl.edu).
Unless otherwise noted,
all articles are the opinions
of the contributors, and
the FSA does not agree,
disagree or endorse any
services or products.
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provide their patients, in writing at
each visit, a schedule of charges for
their 50 most frequently provided
services, and require many health
care facilities to post large pricing
schedules in their reception
areas. The FMA was successful
in blocking the introduction of
PCB 7186. Unfortunately this is a
temporary victory, as the language
remains available as an amendment
through the remainder of the
legislative session. Things were less
favorable on the House side, where
HB 1329 passed the HHS Quality
Subcommittee by a vote of 10 to 5.
So, we are going to keep our guard
up on this issue as the session
progresses.
“This year many important bills
have been introduced that could
change our practice for better or
for worse.”
3. Another problematic
bill is SB 594 introduced
by Sen. Ronda Storms
(R-Brandon). It was passed
by the Senate Health
Regulation Committee. This
bill would authorize the Department
of Health to issue an emergency
order restricting the ability of a
physician to prescribe Schedule
II-IV drugs following an arrest
relating to homicide or illegal use of
controlled substances. There is no
question the Department of Health
through the Board of Medicine
should take swift action against
physicians who violate controlled
substances laws, but the right to
due process guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution should be preserved.
The FSA, only with the support
of its members, can carry out this
important work. Please keep this
in mind as we try to increase our
membership numbers and our PAC
participation. I realize for most of
those who have read this far, I’m
preaching to the choir; however, we
all know colleagues who just don’t
join or participate. Please encourage
others you know to “pony up”so we
can keep advocating for the medical
practice of anesthesia. Our patients
deserve this. If you don’t encourage
others to participate, who will?
Vol. 55 No. 1 / First Quarter 2012
FSA Advocates for the Anesthesiology Practice, from page 1
Applicants Approved
ACTIVE
Eric Mason, M.D.
Sunrise
Aoife Lane, M.D.
Jacksonville
Gian P. Paparcuri, M.D.
Miami
Kiesha A. McCausland, M.D.
Miami
Zsolt Balazs, M.D.
Tampa
Nilesh J. Patel, M.D.
Gulfport
Heather Reed, M.D.
Gainesville
Reena Chaudhari, M.D.
Sunrise
Konstantine D. Sarantopoulos, M.D.,
Ph.D.
Miami
Saurin J. Shah, M.D.
Jacksonville
Angela D. Antonacci-Gimbel,
M.D.
Ponte Vedra Beach
Paul S. Clayton, M.D.
Gainesville
Alfredo Do Pico, M.D.
Dunedin
Alexander Freytag, M.D.
Pensacola
Peggy A. James, M.D.
Jacksonville
Gonzalo Martinez, M.D.
Trinity
Ahmed F. Soliman, M.D.
Davie
Rebekah Wheatley, M.D.
Jacksonville
Hagop M. Tabakian, M.D.
St. Johns
Stephen O. Vose, M.D., M.S.
Gainesville
Betty Worri, M.D.
Jacksonville
Kewei Yu, M.D.
Gainesville
RESIDENT
AFFILIATE
Ryan Ensminger, M.D.
Gainesville
Genghis Portillo, M.D.
Palm Beach Gardens
Page 3
Join Today!
What Is the FSAPAC?
Political Action Committee contributions provide funding for candidates for political office in Florida.
Recipients of PAC funds are selected based on their willingness to listen to our message and share our vision
of providing quality anesthesiology care.
Get Involved!
To keep patient safety and the quality of care issues at the forefront of legislative attention, we must remain
vigilant in our fight by supporting pro-anesthesiology candidates. The ALC is our single most effective tool in
this effort!
How Can You Help?
Donate today! Contributors receive special recognition in Action Updates, FSA Today and at the FSA annual
meeting. Go online to www.fsahq.org to donate now!
Make A Difference!
Anesthesiologists are asked to make contributions to FSAPAC, which are then presented to candidates by
representatives of the FSA on the contributors’ behalf.
Contribution Suggestions:
For additional information
contact the
FSA Headquarters at
800/400-3211.
Active Member - $200
Retired Member - $200
Affiliate Member - $75
I am committed!
Enclosed is my contribution of $ _______ toward the election of candidates that support anesthesiologists in Florida.
Name
Address
Florida Society of
Group
City
Anesthesiologists PAC
Contact
State/ZIP
Phone
Email
P.O. Box 13978
Tallahassee, FL 32317
Phone: 800/400-3211
Fax: 850/656-3038
Email: [email protected]
Method of Payment
Visa
MasterCard
Name on Card
Signature
American Express
NEW!
Credit Cards Accepted!
Credit Card #
CVV (on back)
Check enclosed payable to FSAPAC
Exp. Date
Vol. 55 No. 1 / First Quarter 2012
FSAPAC Has Best Year Ever …
… More Is Needed to Maintain Our Practice
by Kurt Markgraf, M.D., FSAPAC Chairman
his is a brief report on the
Political Action Committee
of the Florida Society of
Anesthesiologists. We hope to
bring you more detailed reporting
later in the year.
First, we had excellent
participation for the calendar year
2011. Our members contributed
$95,350. Upon reviewing the
available information back to
1996, this was our best year ever.
We increased our donations by
approximately 68 percent from
2011. However, I know that we
can, should and need to do better.
Following is a list of the
approximate 2011 contributions
from some of the other physician
specialty PACs:
•
Radiologists - $57,000
•
Ophthalmologists - $46,000
•
Orthopedists - $20,000
•
Dermatologists - $18,000
The PAC associated with the
Florida Association of Nurse
Anesthetists (FANA) also had
a very good year, increasing its
contributions by over 400 percent,
for a total of $95,610. Many of
FANA’s members contributed
$300 or more. Remember, one
of the top national priorities of
nurse anesthetists is Opt Out (i.e.,
independent practice).
Go to www.fsahq.org and click on
the Donate link today. No log on is
required.
Visit the FSA Career Center
HTTP://CAREERS.FSAHQ.ORG
Position Seekers: Search hundreds of national
positions for FREE. We offer anonymous CV posting,
coaching services and custom position alerts.
Recruiters & Employers: Browse resumes for
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NATIONAL POSITIONS FOR ANESTHESIOLOGISTS, RESIDENTS & MORE
Page 5
Florida Society of Anesthesiologists / FSA Today
Society News
Call for Abstracts — 2012 FSA Poster Session
SA members fortunate to
be able to attend the 2010
and 2011 annual meetings were
treated to new poster sessions.
These posters, submitted by FSA
members, anesthesia residents from
the three programs in Florida and
from the Anesthesiology Assistant
Program at Nova Southeastern
University, represented research
or medically challenging cases.
Displayed in the exhibition hall, the
posters were viewed by many of the
meetings’ attendees. A total of 20
posters were presented in 2010 and
more than 40 in 2011. Authors were
present for their sessions to discuss
their posters with the crowd during
one of three separate sessions on
Friday and Saturday.
This year the Poster Sessions will
again be held Friday during the day
and evening and on Saturday during
the day. Members are invited to
submit their abstracts for possible
presentation.
In addition to the Poster Sessions,
the Poster Committee will select
At the 2011 FSA
Annual Conference
in Palm Beach,
Bradley Bieberberg
and Kathryn
Eckhart (NOVA
Southeastern
University AA
students) present
their poster: The
Therapeutic Effects
of Music in the
Hospital Setting.
Page 6
four or five posters for a special
Poster Discussion Session to be held
Friday evening. This will be in a
“Professor Walking Rounds” format.
Each presenter will discuss his or
her work one at a time with the
moderator and interested attendees.
Ten to 12 minutes will be allowed
for each presentation, comments and
questions.
Abstract Guidelines
The deadline for submission
of abstracts is Mar. 16, 2012.
Submitters will be notified of
acceptance by Apr. 2, 2012.
To ensure the initial acceptance of
your abstract, please adhere to the
following formatting guidelines:
1. Abstracts must be single paged.
2. Font must be Times New
Roman, size 12.
3. Margins must be Left = 1.5
inches, all others = 1 inch.
4. Include complete title in bold.
5. Limit the use of special font
effects to bold, underline and
italics.
6. You may provide two or
three references as part of the
abstract.
7. Contact information (email,
phone and fax) for the
presenting author must be
displayed immediately below
the title of the abstract.
8. Please provide two copies
of the abstract, one with
author information as above
and the other with only the
title, followed by the body of
the abstract without author
information.
9. Please indicate if you wish to
be considered for the Poster
Discussion Session on Saturday.
At this session, the moderator of
the session will lead “Walking
Rounds” of the selected
posters. The presenters will
give an overview of their work
and respond to questions and
comments from the audience.
Each presentation will be 10 to
12 minutes.
10. Please indicate if you prefer one
session (Friday, day or evening;
Saturday, day) or if you know
you will be unavailable for a
session. The committee will
try to accommodate as many
requests as possible.
Abstracts should be submitted in
MS Word only. Documents created
in versions “97” through “2007”
will be accepted by email only:
[email protected].
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Save the Date!
FSA 2012 Annual Meeting
June 8-10, 2012
The Breakers Resort & Spa • Palm Beach, Florida
Reserve your hotel room now at The Breakers by calling
888/273-2537. The 2012 base room rate for FSA attendees is
$215/night plus taxes and fees for single/double occupancy.*
The base rate applies to standard superior rooms. Rooms in
other categories may be available at higher rates. Refer to
“Florida Society of Anesthesiologists” room block.
For more information, visit www.fsahq.org.
*The standard superior room type is NOT suitable for families—due to fire code restrictions,
The Breakers is obligated to refer families larger than two adults to a larger room. Cribs and
rollaway beds typically will not fit in standard superior rooms.
Vol. 55 No. 1 / First Quarter 2012
News You Can Use
Dear Colleagues:
s 2012 begins, I would like to send best wishes for a happy, productive
and safe New Year to the medical community on behalf of the members of
the Florida Board of Medicine.
I am honored to be serving as the chairman of the Florida Board of Medicine
for 2012. Our board is comprised of 12 physicians and three consumer
members who are appointed by Florida’s governor and confirmed by the
Florida Senate to regulate the profession of medicine in our state. Like
most of you, my physician colleagues and I are practicing doctors who are
engaged in the full-time practice of medicine. Our consumer members are
dedicated public servants committed to ensuring the highest level of quality
and safety on behalf of Florida’s citizens. Together, we know the challenges
and responsibilities that physicians face on a daily basis. We know too, the
tremendous sense of fulfillment that comes with the special privilege of caring
for our friends, neighbors and fellow Floridians.
“We welcome
your suggestions
and comments for
improving the Florida
Board of Medicine.”
As incoming chair, I would like to sincerely thank the immediate past
chairman, Dr. George Thomas, along with my fellow board members, counsel and board staff for their tireless
work to ensure that the highest quality of medical care is being practiced throughout the state of Florida.
Over 65,000 doctors are licensed in the state of Florida. The overwhelming majority will never be engaged in
a disciplinary proceeding. While our board is charged by Florida’s Legislature as a quasi-judicial body with
disciplinary responsibility, I also see our role as one of helping physicians to do what they have spent their
lifetime training to do—practice medicine. We are privileged to have a team of hardworking professional public
servants led by Joy A. Tootle, our board’s executive director. Our board office stands ready to assist you with any
questions or concerns that you may have related to the rules that govern the practice of medicine in our state.
You can and should expect from them, and from our board, the same degree of professionalism and respect that
you provide to your patients in your own practices. As chairman, I plan to continue to improve our processes and
efficiencies as we carry out our mission to promote, protect and improve the health of all the people in Florida.
We welcome your suggestions and comments for improving the Florida Board of Medicine. You can reach us by
contacting our program operations administrator, Crystal A. Sanford, at [email protected].
On behalf of the entire Florida Board of Medicine, I extend my greatest appreciation to our fellow physicians
and colleagues who continue to work together to provide the citizens of Florida with the highest level of medical
care. I appreciate this opportunity to serve as your chairman of the Florida Board of Medicine.
Again, best wishes to you all for a happy and healthy 2012.
Sincerely,
— Jason J. Rosenberg, M.D., FACS
Chairman, Florida Board of Medicine
Page 9
Florida Society of Anesthesiologists / FSA Today
News You Can Use
News From the Florida Board of Medicine
Introducing Changes to the Board’s Website
by Crystal A. Sanford
n 2011, the Florida Board of
Medicine underwent many
changes. One of those changes was
a complete overhaul of our website
based on comments received from
our licensees as well as the general
public. This article will provide you
with an overview of the website so
you can find information when you
need it.
The web address for the Division of
Medical Quality Assurance (MQA)
is www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa. This site
is the overview site applicable to all
health care providers, and from this
site you can:
•
Renew your license
•
Update your Practitioner Profile
•
Update your address
•
Designated yourself as a
controlled substance prescriber
•
Create a relationship between
yourself and a pain management
clinic
•
Request a duplicate license
•
Request a license verification
•
Access information on
counterfeit-proof prescription
pad and approved vendor list
•
Learn about new changes in law
•
And much more …
In addition, the Board of
Medicine’s licensure applications
will soon be online. This will
allow applicants to complete the
application and submit the fee
with the application online.
The Board of Medicine website
can be accessed from the MQA
site or by typing in the web
address www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/
medical. To access it from the
MQA website, simply click on
“Health Care Professions” and
select “Medicine.”
Everything on this site is related to
physicians. Below is a list of the
categories available and the types
of documents that can be found
under each category:
Apply for License
As mentioned earlier, this is where
an applicant can go to access
online applications. This section
also contains information on
licensure requirements, fees and
other forms.
Board Meeting Information
This section includes meeting
dates and locations, the actual
agenda materials, minutes and
audio of the meetings. You can
also find information on the board
members in this section.
Page 10
This section provides the Board
of Medicine’s address, telephone
number, facsimile and email
address.
Continuing Education
This section provides the continuing
medical education requirements
necessary for renewal of your
license.
Petitions for Declaratory
Statements
This section is a link to a searchable
database of Final Orders on
Petitions for Declaratory Statement.
A Petition for Declaratory Statement
is a legal mechanism for physicians
to request clarification from the
board on a particular law as it
relates to an individual physician’s
circumstances.
Practitioners Recovery Network
(PRN)
This section provides contact and
other information for PRN, Florida’s
approved impairment program.
Profession Updates
This section contains alerts from
the Department of Health, the
Board of Medicine and the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Also available in this section are
the current and older editions of the
Messages From the Chair and the
board’s annual reports.
Registration/Inspection
This section has links to the Office
Surgery Registration and Inspection
Program and the Pain-Management
Vol. 55 No. 1 / First Quarter 2012
Contact Information
“Remember
that renewing
online is
faster, and
you can print
confirmation of
your renewal.”
Registration and Inspection
Program. All information related to
these two programs can be found
here.
Renewal
This section provides renewal dates.
You can also link to MQA Services,
where you can renew your license.
There is also information about
renewing through the mail instead
of online. Remember that renewing
online is faster, and you can print
confirmation of your renewal.
Laws and Rules
This section of the website lists all
pertinent laws and rules, as well as
links to access them. There are a
few specific laws highlighted in this
section as well.
form, address change form,
dispensing practitioner registration
form and many more. All forms can
be completed online, printed and
mailed to the board’s office.
A great option for physicians to
receive information as it occurs is
to join our Interested Parties List
(Mailman). Emails will be sent
directly to you with information we
are posting on our website. When
using this tool, your email address
is not available for public viewing
on your Practitioner Profile. You can
join the Mailman by clicking on its
link on the Medicine web page or by
going to www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/
medical/me_mailman.html.
Forms/Information
As always, if you cannot find the
information you are looking for on
our website, we will be glad to assist
you. You can send us an email at
[email protected], and
we will respond within 24 hours.
This section houses all of our forms
except applications for licensure.
These include the financial
responsibility form, relinquishment
Crystal A. Sanford is a program
operations administrator for the
Board of Medicine and has worked
with the board for over 20 years.
Page 11
FSA Board of Directors
March 10, 2012 • 10 a.m.
FSA Executive Committee
Meeting
Embassy Suites Orlando Airport
Orlando, Fla.
March 10, 2012 • 12 noon
FSA Board Meeting
Embassy Suites Orlando Airport
Orlando, Fla.
Officers
ASA Delegates
President
David Varlotta, D.O.
ASA Director, Florida
David Varlotta, D.O.
President-elect
Charles Chase, D.O.
ASA Alternate Director, Florida
Jeff Jacobs, M.D.
Vice President
Jay Epstein, M.D.
ASA Delegate 1 North
Richard Henry, M.D.
Secretary
Jeff Jacobs, M.D.
ASA Delegate 2 Central
Rebecca Welch, M.D.
Treasurer
Jonathan Slonin, M.D., M.B.A.
ASA Delegate 3 West
Kurt Markgraf, M.D.
Assistant Treasurer
Steve Gayer, M.D.
ASA Delegate 4 East
Sonya Pease, M.D.
Immediate Past President
Sonya Pease, M.D.
ASA Delegate 5 South
Michael Lewis, M.D.
District Directors
ASA Delegate 6 At Large
Eugene Fu, M.D.
April 30-May 2, 2012
ASA Legislative Conference
Washington, D.C.
District Director 1 North
Brence Sell, M.D.
ASA Delegate 7 At Large
David Lubarsky, M.D.
District Director 1 North
Mark Rice, M.D.
ASA Delegate 8 At Large
Jeffrey Jacobs, M.D.
June 7, 2012 • 3 p.m.
FSA Executive Committee
Meeting
The Breakers Resort & Spa
Palm Beach, Fla.
District Director 1 North
Chris Giordano, M.D.
ASA Delegate 9 At Large
Jay Epstein, M.D.
District Director 2 Central
D. Kurt Jones, M.D.
ASA Delegate 10 At Large
Charles Chase, D.O.
District Director 2 Central
Clarkson Driggers, M.D.
June 7, 2012 • 5 p.m.
FSA Board Meeting
The Breakers Resort & Spa
Palm Beach, Fla.
ASA Delegate 11 At Large
Hector Vila, Jr., M.D.
District Director 2 Central
Greg Schroeder, M.D.
ASA Delegate 12 At Large
Rafael Miguel, M.D.
June 8-10, 2012
FSA Annual Meeting
The Breakers Resort & Spa*
Palm Beach, Fla.
*Reserve your hotel room online
at www.fsahq.org.
Florida CME Events
The American Society of
Anesthesiologists sponsors
CME courses throughout
Florida. For a complete listing of
ASA educational opportunities,
visit http://events.asahq.org.
District Director 3 West
George Alvarez, M.D.
District Director 3 West
Devanand Mangar, M.D.
District Director 3 West
Russ Brockwell, M.D.
District Director 4 East
Leopoldo Rodriguez, M.D.
District Director 4 East
Sharon Ashley, M.D.
District Director 4 East
Adam Blomberg, M.D.
District Director 5 South
David Birnbach, M.D.
District Director 5 South
Tom Fuhrman, M.D.
District Director 5 South
Gerald Rosen, M.D.
ASA Delegate 13 At Large
Gary Richman, M.D.
ASA Delegate 14 At Large
J. Knox Kerr, M.D.
ASA Delegate 15 At Large
George Alvarez, M.D.
ASA Delegate 16 At Large
Jonathan Slonin, M.D., M.B.A.
Executive Office
P.O. Box 13978
Tallahassee, FL 32317
850/656-8848, 850/656-3038 fax
www.fsahq.org
Executive Director
Kari Glisson, CAE
[email protected]