senate - Dade County Medical Association

February 2005
The Official Publication of the Dade County Medical Association
On November 2, 2004
Floridians overwhelming
approved an amendment
to the Florida constitution,
changing the proportion
fairly that a plaintiff gets awarded on a medical malpractice in
the courts, despite a $27 million campaign against it by
the trial bar. As a citizen I do not know much about the legal
system, however I feel I have a good perception of the
constitution and its meanings. The constitution is a master law
that other laws have to abide by and legislatures have to
respect this master law.
Amendment 3 stated in eight lines clearly and concisely the
proportion that the award needs to be divided into, and I have
to say that the trial bar understood exactly the meaning of the
amendment; that is why they invested $27 million to fight it.
Now that the amendment has passed, to try to circumvent
it trial attorneys are asking prospective clients to sign a
constitutional waiver. Waiving their rights to a fair award is
preposterous. The speculation is of course to run it through the
judicial system and see if this concept holds. If we follow this
reasoning, then we could also negate any other right of a
citizen by asking them to sign a waiver, and in my view if the
courts uphold that one constitutional right might be waived,
then any other constitutional right is at risk of being waived.
This is completely absurd logic. As I’ve said, I’m not versed on
the law, but I believe that contractual law does not supersede
the constitution and one cannot relinquish one’s constitutional
rights.
This waiver approach is only being tried by a small section
of professionals in the law, and I’m pleading to the vast
majority of attorneys to direct this group to comply with the law.
The constitution is for everyone.
I want to make our fellow physicians aware that in
California there exists legislation in this regard which has been
in place for 25 years, known as M.I.C.R.A (Medical Injury
Compensation Reform Act); here in Florida, we’ve passed it as
a constitutional amendment that we demand be respected.
Amendment 3 is self-executing. This means that the
amendment became law as soon as the voters approved it on
November 2, 2004. We at the Dade County Medical
Association will continue to advocate for our patients’ rights,
and tampering with the constitution will not be tolerated.
During the campaign in favor of Amendment 3 I got
involved in multiple debates with trial attorneys about the issues
involved. While the summary of our amendment on the ballot
was accurate and concise since our amendment had only 8
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
lines, I found that the summary of Amendments 7 and 8 were
in my judgment non-descriptive of the amendments.
Amendments 7 and 8 are 42 and 24 lines long, respectively. I
strongly feel that the electorate should actually read the entire
amendment and make their own conclusions and not be forced
to vote on a subjective summary. I was surprised to learn that
most people are not aware of this fact.
Amendments 7 and 8 are not self-executing; therefore their
effectiveness needs to be regulated by legislation. At present
we are working intensely on legislation to address
Amendments 7 and 8. While these amendments were touted
as relief of medical malpractice and protection to the public,
they are actually the contrary. We are already seeing the
blackmail of physicians defending themselves in court, forcing
them to settle to avoid the risk of losing their licenses, which
was the real purpose of these amendments: denying the
physicians the right to defend themselves in court. I had raised
this point during the debate with the trial attorneys, and at that
time they denied that this was the purpose of the amendment.
Regarding Amendment 7, hospitals have been served with
letters requesting all peer review minutes from different
attorneys. As you know, Florida Law specifically prohibits that
these minutes be released in the discovery process. As you can
see, this amendment is another attempt to increase litigation in
the medical malpractice crisis.
Amendments 7 and 8 only deepen the debacle of malpractice in our state, and it behooves us to educate our legislators
of the dangers that these amendments pose to the health of the
people of Florida.
We are already seeing specialists of needed, high-risk
procedures declining to come to Florida due to the passage of
these amendments. Certainly these amendments do not have
anything to do with protecting the public, but expose the
people of Florida to a crumbling state of affairs in the delivery
of health care.
Let’s make our legislators, patients and authorities aware
that the purpose of Amendments 7 and 8 are to hold the
community hostage to the small group of people that are not
concerned with the well being of our society, but only of their
own economic wealth. I am again confident that we will
prevail, and although it sounds quixotical to be only armed
with the truth, I still believe it is the most powerful argument.
Again I’d like to encourage our members to invite
nonmembers to be part of organized medicine, and encourage
every physician to participate in this process of reform
personally or help by joining the Dade County Medical
Association. Your dues will provide the DCMA with the much
needed financial funds to continue to fight on behalf of
physicians and patients. Thank you, and we will make sure to
keep everyone updated.
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The Doctor of the Day
Program was started in the
1960's by a former House
member, Representative
Walter Sackett, M.D. from
Miami. He encouraged the FMA to bring a physician to
Tallahassee each day of the Regular Legislative Session. The
program provides a vital professional service to the members of
the Florida Legislature and all legislative employees. The
physicians of Florida have proudly provided this public service
each year since the inception of the program by Dr. Sackett.
The 2005 Legislative Session begins Tuesday,
March 8, 2005 and adjourns Friday, May 6, 2005.
Physicians will be responsible for their own hotel
reservations and costs for Doctor of the Day. However, we
are happy to provide you with contact information for the
local hotels in the area. Please be sure to book your hotel
reservation as soon as possible as hotels tend to book
quickly as session approaches. Also, please keep in mind
when making reservations that downtown parking is
extremely scarce and can be very difficult to find. It is for this
reason that the Doubletree Hotel is an ideal location as they
have a parking garage for guests.
On the specific day you are scheduled to serve as Doctor of the
Day, please come by the FMA Headquarters (123 S. Adams
Street) at 8:00 a.m. so our staff may brief you on the legislative
activities for the day. The legislative briefings begin at 8:00
a.m. each morning at the FMA. Immediately following the
briefing, you will be escorted by FMA staff to the Legislative
Clinic at the Capitol. Please note that the FMA has returned to
their original building at 123 S. Adams Street, on the corner
of College Avenue and Adams Street.
If you have chosen to serve as Doctor of the Day on a Monday
or Friday, please understand that those may be slow days in
terms of activity. During the first few weeks of session, Mondays
and Fridays are often used as travel days for the members of the
legislature and therefore, it is possible that there will not be any
scheduled committee meetings or full session. However, it is still
very important to have a physician present in the capitol on
these days as the capitol will still have plenty of staff there who
may be in need of medical assistance.
4
The Clinic is located in Room 313, on the third floor of the
Capitol. You should plan to be available until 4:00 p.m. or 4:30
p.m. each day, except Fridays, when you may be relieved
of your duties after the noon hour. The House and Senate
normally convene daily; however, legislative schedules are
always subject to change and Session may be cancelled at any
time.
You will be introduced by either the Speaker of the House of
Representatives or the President of the Senate, depending on
which Chamber you serve; therefore, it is very important that
you are on the floor of either the House or Senate 15 minutes
prior to Session beginning. You will be escorted to the House
or Senate Chamber by staff from the Legislative Clinic. The
clinic will provide you with a badge that says "Doctor of the
Day", this badge serves as your "pass" to enter the chambers.
If the House and Senate are not in Session, you will be free to
attend committee meetings and/or visit legislators' offices.
Within the House or Senate Chambers you may wish to sit with
your local delegation. In addition to the professional services
you will be providing, your trip to Tallahassee is an excellent
opportunity to develop a comprehensive understanding of the
legislative process. It is important to note that the Doctor of the
Day must observe the rules of the House and Senate, which
include a prohibition against lobbying or in any way
attempting to influence members' opinions while guests of
either Chamber.
You will be issued a pager by the Legislative Clinic in order for
the clinic staff to stay in constant contact with you. You may be
paged to see a patient with a non-emergency or a patient with
a true emergency. In the event an emergency does arise, clinic
staff will make every effort to come and get you from the
Chamber floor. If the emergency involves hospital or emergency
room treatment, members of the Capital Medical Society will
also be available to assist you. Please bring your prescription
pad with you. Please remember to return the pager and badge
to the clinic before you leave.
Phone numbers to have on hand:
FMA Headquarters
(850) 224-6496 or (800) 762-0233
Capitol Clinic
(850) 488-3782
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare
(850) 431-1155
Tallahassee Community Hospital
(850) 656-5000
Capital Medical Society
(850) 877-9018
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
DOCTOR OF THE DAY PROGRAM
Registration Form – 2005 Legislative Session
Name
(Please indicate MD or DO)
Mailing Address
City, State, Zip
County Medical Society
Telephone Number
Fax Number
E-Mail Address
Medical Specialty
I prefer to serve in the
*I will be sponsored by:
■
HOUSE
■
SENATE
*State Senator
*State Representative
Date Preferences:
(Day, Date, Year)
First Choice
Second Choice
Third Choice
*You MUST contact your legislator to request sponsorship prior to serving!!!
Please return to the FMA,
Attn: Michelle Jacquis, P.O. Box 10269, Tallahassee, FL 32302
or by fax to (805) 222-8827
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
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6
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
Tablet PC’s:
Patient Information At Bedside
MEDICAL
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
Emerging medical technologies including
electronic medical records are changing the
practice of medicine. They will not replace,
but enhance the role of the physician by
allowing immediate access to vital patient
information, thereby providing invaluable
clinical decision support at the point of
service.
An increasing number of physicians are
embracing these emerging technology
anticipating improved patient outcomes
and cost-saving efficiencies for practice
management.
The usefulness of such emerging technologies can be maximized by utilizing portable
devices at the point of service.
Physicians already widely use Palm Pilot’s
and Pocket PC’s, but the small screen sizes
and lack of processing power place a limit
on how much information can be displayed
at one time.
A Tablet PC provides wireless access to
data whenever and wherever it's needed
and it has a screen size that approximates a
piece of paper. It is a truly portable computing device and as powerful as any modern
PC, but does not require a keyboard for data
entry. There are two main types of Tablet
PCs: a super-slim version—referred to as a
"slate"—that doesn't have a keyboard and
"convertible" model that includes a keyboard and the stylus.
The data entry modality is specially
perfect for medicine because its mimics the
patient chart physicians have been jotting
their notes in for years.
A Tablet PC gets its name because it
resembles an electronic tablet, something
that can be held in one hand, like a
clipboard, as you write on its screen with
your other hand using a pen-like device
called a stylus. This form of data entry is
based on so-called “digital ink” technology.
Most Tablet PCs are powered by Microsoft
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating
system (a superset of Windows XP
Professional), which can either translate your
handwritten notes to text instantly, or save
By Bernd Wollschlaeger, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.
your handwritten notes as "digital ink" files.
Tablet PCs also can include voice recognition
software so you can dictate to the machine
and see your words appear as text, or
digitally record your voice for wireless
transfer to a transcription service.
The cost of Tablet PCs range anywhere
from $980-$2500, which generally includes
the tablet with built-in wireless capability, the
pen, the tablet operating system and in some
cases additional hardware accessories.
Optional hardware include a docking
station, which can turn the Tablet PC into a
full functioning desktop computer.
Because all Tablet PCs include support for
wireless communication, you can seamlessly
connect with your desktop machine, private
practice servers, or with a medical center's
electronic medical records (EMR) system.
The ability to input information with your
stylus, keyboard, mouse, or through voice
recognition helps you work in ways that best
fit your environment and personal
preferences while capturing detailed patient
information.
Once you have implemented an electronic
medical record system and have access to a
wireless network you can seamlessly access
the patient's complete medical record and
numerous medical references on the device,
as well as search the Internet for research
and other information.
In my opinion the widespread utilization
of Tablet PCs as part of an integrated
electronic healthcare delivery system can
accomplish the following:
1. Enhancing patient care by allowing
immediate access to vital patient information
at the point of service.
2. Maximizing office efficiency by reducing
the time needed to search for paper-based
medical information.
3. Improving medical documentation by
recording patient encounters in real time at
the point of service.
market offering such devices and I recommend to focus on the performance and not
necessarily the price of such systems.
If you don’t mind the weight I recommend
a convertible TabletPC with a docking station. Regarding processor speed most Tablet
PCs provide clock speeds approaching or
surpassing One GHz (gigahertz), which is
more than adequate to handle most any
application you'll be using in clinical
practice.
You want to get as much battery life as
you can. Think through your day and
determine the maximum battery life you will
need. It will be listed as a specification, so it
is easy to check. Fortunately, battery life is
being expanded significantly by a new
generation of processors built specifically to
run mobile devices while conserving draw
on the battery. Chip manufacturers including
Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and
Transmeta have chip-based technology that
significantly enhances battery life.Hard
drives tend to range from 20 to 80
gigabytes, providing plenty of room for the
operating system, medical practice
applications, medical dictionaries, and other
references. It's good to purchase toward the
higher end on hard drives, simply because
they usually don't cost that much more, and
it is better to have too much storage space
than not enough.
Please feel free contacting me at
info@virtualmed.com for any questions or
further information.
The author is a board-certified family
physician in private practice, member of the
FMA Electronic Medicine Committee and the
Florida Academy of Family Physician’s
Quality Practice Committee.
Since October 1995 he edits a monthly
Medical Information Technology column in
the “Miami Medicine”.
If you are currently shopping for a laptop
or even desktop computer consider a Tablet
PC. There are several companies on the
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
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FLORIDA
Senate District #33
Frederica S. Wilson (D)
18425 NW 2nd Avenue, Ste. 310
Miami, Fl 33169
Wilson.frederica.web@flsenate.gov
(305) 654-7150 local
850) 487-5116 TLH
(888) 284-8589 fax
Senate District #35
Gwen Margolis (D)
1005 Kane Concourse, Ste. 205
Bay Harbor Island, Fl 33154
Margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov
(305) 993-3632 local
(850) 487-5121 TLH
(305) 993-3635 fax
Senate District #36
Alex Diaz de la Portilla (R)
1555 S.W. 8th Street
Miami, Fl 33135-5218
Portilla.alex.web@flsenate.gov
(305) 643-7200 local
(850) 487-5109 TLH
(305) 643-7202 fax
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FLORIDA HOUSE
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House District #102
Ralph Arza (R)
14645 NW 77th Avenue, Ste. 104
Hialeah, Fl 33014-2569
Arza.ralph@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 827-2720 local
(850) 488-1683 TLH
(305) 827-2725 fax
House District #103
Wilbert Holloway (D)
1525 NW 167th Street, Ste. 103
Miami Gardens, Fl 33169-5732
Holloway.tee@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 628-7077 local
(850) 488-0766 TLH
(305) 628-7079 fax
House District #104
Yolly Roberson (D)
645 NE 127th Street
North Miami, Fl 33161-4824
Roberson.yolly@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 919-1867 local
(850) 488-7088 TLH
(305) 919-1869 fax
House District #106
Dan Gelber (D)
1920 Meridian Avenue, 3rd Floor
Miami Beach, Fl 33139-1818
Gelber.dan@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 531-7831 local
(850) 488-0690 TLH
(305) 535-5487 fax
House District #107
Gustavo Barreiro (R)
1454 SW 1st Street, Ste. 100
Miami, Fl 33135-2203
Gelber.dan@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 643-7324 local
(850) 488-9930 TLH
(305) 643-7324 fax
House District #108
Phillip J. Brutus (D)
1125 NE 125th Street, Ste. 103
North Miami, Fl 33161-5014
Brutus.phillip@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 956-2538 local
(850) 488-4233 TLH
(305) 956-2540 fax
House District #109
Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall (D)
6600 NW 27th Avenue, Ste. 112 BAC Bldg
Miami, Fl 33147-7200
Mindingall.dorothy@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 694-2958 local
(850) 488-0625 TLH
(305) 694-2960 fax
House District #110
Rene Garcia (R)
3766 West 12th Avenue
Hialeah, Fl 33012-4126
Garcia.rene@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 827-2767 local
(850) 487-2197 TLH
(305) 827-2769 fax
House District #111
Marco Rubio (R)
6427 SW 8th Street
Miami, Fl 33144-4813
Rubio.marco@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 442-6939 local
(850) 488-4092 TLH
(305) 442-6941 fax
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
SENATE
Senate District #38
Alex J. Villalobos (R)
2350 Coral Way, Ste. 202-A
Miami, Fl 33145-3500
Villalobos.alex.web@flsenate.gov
(305) 222-4160 local
(850) 487-5130 TLH
(305) 222-4162 fax
Senate District #39
Larcenia J. Bullard (D)
8603 S. Dixie Highway, Ste. 304
Miami, Fl 33143
Bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov
(305) 668-7346 local
(850) 487-5127 TLH
(305) 668-7346 fax
Senate District #40
Rodolfo Garcia (R)
7475 West 4th Avenue, Ste. C
Hialeah, Fl 33014-4327
Garcia.rudy.web@flsenate.gov
(305) 364-3191 local
(850) 487-5106 TLH
(888) 284-8594 fax
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OF REPRESENTATIVES
House District #112
David Rivera (R)
2450 SW 137th Avenue, Ste. 205
Miami, Fl 33175-6312
Rivera.david@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 227-7630 local
(850) 488-7897 TLH
(305) 227-7632 fax
House District #113
Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R)
2300 Coral Way, Ste. 111
Miami, Fl 33145
Cantera.carlos@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 442-6877 local
(850) 488-4202 TLH
(305) 442-6879 fax
House District #114
Anitere Flores (R)
1321 SW 107th Avenue, Ste. 205 C
Miami, Fl 33174-2523
Flores.anitere@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 227-7626 local
(850) 488-2831 TLH
(305) 227-7629 fax
House District #115
Juan-Carlos Planas (R)
8532 SW 8th Street, Ste. 280
Miami, Fl 33144-4054
Planas.jc@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 442-6800 local
(850) 488-3616 TLH
(305) 442-6802 fax
House District #116
Marcelo Llorente (R)
13701 SW 88th Street, Ste. 201
Miami, Fl 33186-1309
Llorente.marcelo@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 273-3200 local
(850) 488-5047 TLH
(305) 273-3202 fax
House District #117
Julio Robaina (R)
6741 SW 24th Street, Ste. 19
Miami, Fl 33155-1766
Robaina.julio@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 442-6868 local
(850) 488-6506 TLH
(305) 442-6870 fax
House District #118
Edward B. Bullard (D)
16201 SW 95th Avenue, Ste. 214
Miami, Fl 33157-3459
Bullard.edward@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 234-2208 local
(850) 488-5430 TLH
(305) 234-2210 fax
House District #119
Juan C. Zapata (R)
13550 SW 88th Street, Ste. 150
Miami, Fl 33186-1541
Zapata.juan@myfloridahouse.com
(305) 273-3288 local
(850) 488-5430 TLH
(305) 273-3290 fax
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
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10
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
Patient Safety Corporation:
A Medical Hobson’s Choice for Florida’s Practitioners?
Marshall F. Gilula, M.D. and Paul R. Barach, M.D., MPH
Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Patient Safety, Jackson Memorial Hospital, University of Miami School of Medicine
Hobson was a seventeenth century (1544-1631) Englishman in
Cambridge who kept a livery stable. Customers either rented the
horse nearest to the stable door or none at all. Hobson was so
infamous that the poet Milton popularized the phrase, “Hobson’s
choice,” around 1660. Henry Ford reified the principle in 1914 by
offering purchasers of the Model T a well-known Hobson’s choice of
“any color so long as it is black.”
Is the 2004 Florida Patient Safety Corporation a medical
Hobson’s choice?
Patient Safety could be just another regimented requirement on the
shoulders of already overloaded physicians. More mandated CME.
Another “big brother” page added to the book of medical definitions.
More mandated supervision shoved down the throats of generations
of physicians who prize their independence and their right to treat
patients—if not for the money—for the satisfaction of a customized
job well done.
It may be that the day of the self-sufficient solo medical practitioner is
over in deference to the current predominance of group practice. Yet
any medical group will tell you that the mainstay of today’s private
practice is still the outstanding individual who manages to continue
treating individual patients and their families while also keeping up
with the plethora of regulations, skyrocketing malpractice insurance
premiums, and globally-based epidemics which have firm footholds
in south Florida.
The individual practitioner has not vanished. He and she continue to
emerge as great healthcare leaders who manage the complexity of
21st Century medicine from within a smoothly-operating multidisciplinary team. It is the teamwork and complex communications
network that differentiate today’s Miami physician from the individual
practitioners of rural Florida or rural anywhere else.
At the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Center for
Patient Safety is in the middle of all this. An October 2003 request
from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
facilitated the formation of the Florida Patient Safety Network. The
network created a state coalition, containing all of the state’s
academic medical centers that worked closely with the FMA, DCMA,
and other healthcare leaders to produce a series of reports to
redesign Florida healthcare and make it safer.
The Health Affordability Act, passed by unprecedented unanimous
support in the House and Senate in April 2004, is a testament to the
collaborative effort that the Florida Patient Safety Network led. These
recommendations formed a model for other states to follow.
The reports and legislation can be reviewed at
http://umdas.med.miami.edu/MPSC/MPSC(E).asp.
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
Recommendations included: (1) Create and endow a Florida Patient
Safety Corporation (PSC); (2) Create a protected Near Miss
Voluntary Incident Reporting System; (3) The PSC should collate,
organize, stratify, and promulgate “best practice” information to
promote quality information and patient safety; (4) The PSC should
design and define the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudes
regarding safety and quality in healthcare, as well as promote
simulation and team training; (5) The PSC should study alternatives
to the current medical liability and accountability practices; (6) The
PSC will formulate and encourage research for enhancing safe
medical practices and ways of assessing the practices. In addition,
the legislation supported requiring hospitals to share standardized
patient outcomes, based on accepted national standards.
Research scientists of all disciplines rarely experience the opportunity
of having their study results translated directly into legislative action.
Two main elements especially relevant to private practitioners are the
reporting of medical near misses and the requirement for effective
multidisciplinary team training that uses simulation to focus on patient
safety. It behooves individual practitioners to understand and
actively participate in developing safer ways of reporting medical
errors and near misses as well as helping to create educational
systems that will teach about patient safety and quality improvement.
Active participation by the enormous House of Medicine will prevent
the Florida Patient Safety Corporation from becoming a medical
Hobson’s choice. Active participation will ensure that no special
interest group will be able to speak for the medical community as a
whole. The FMA and DCMA are key leaders in directing the PSC to
ensure that physicians are leading the way in making care safer for
patients. Active participation means that the Florida Patient Safety
Corporation will have ongoing access to those on the “cutting,
bleeding and sewing” edge of Florida medical care.
Active participation may facilitate bringing out of involuntary
retirement many highly competent physicians who have been unable
to afford the practice of medicine anymore. Physician participation
will stimulate more enthusiastic patient participation. Healthcare
providers supported by patients will help facilitate learning how to
create an atmosphere where it is safe to report outright medical
errors, but also “close calls” or “near misses.” If this can be done
without fear of punitive recrimination, we can learn more about how
medical errors occur. We can learn how to design errors out of the
medical delivery systems, and how to best teach medical students
about patient-centered care.
We will have no medical Hobson’s choice
unless it is of our choosing.
11
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MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
13
DoD photo by
Sgt. 1st Class Johancharles Van Boers, U.S. Army.
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MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
President
Hugo Salinas, MD
Tel.: (305) 305-825-4043
President-Elect
Loretta M. Ciraldo, MD
Tel.: (305) 864-6200
Vice President
Nelson L. Adams, MD
Tel.: (305) 653-4105
Treasurer
Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD
Tel.: (305)940-8717
District One
Baptist Health offers many other CME conferences at no charge. To obtain information about upcoming conferences,
go to www.baptisthealth.net/meded. To request monthly mailings and symposium announcements, call 786-596-2398
or e-mail meded@baptisthealth.net
Stephan Baker, MD
Tel.: (305) 381-8837
Secretary
Immed Past President
CME OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH
BAPTIST HEALTH SOUTH FLORIDA
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention 2005
Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute
Friday, February 18, 2005
Radisson Kendall Hotel and Suites
7 Cat. 1 CME Credits
George F. Battle, MD
Tel.: (305) 255-1362
Contact for this seminar ONLY is:
Lydia Bearham, lydiab@baptisthealth.net
Dennis J. Patin, MD
Tel.: (305) 585-6970
Term expires June 2007
Fourth Annual
Primary Focus Symposium
February 4 & 5, 2005
The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables
10 Cat. 1 CME Credits
June 25 – 27, 2005
Hawk’s Cay Resort
9 Cat. 1 CME Credits
Fourth Annual Pediatric Symposium:
A Multispecialty Approach to
Pediatric Care
Diabetes Today: Endocrine Disease
Meets Cardiovascular Disease
March 12, 2005
Miami Dadeland Marriott Hotel
6 Cat. 1 CME Credits
June 27 – July 3, 2005
Costa Atlantica Cruise to Baltic
20 Cat. 1 CME Credits
Alejandro Badia, MD
Tel.: (305) 661-3000
Term Expires June 2006
Ignacio Rua, MD
Tel.: (305) 324-4840
Term expires June 2005
District Three
Pedro P. Bosch, MD
Tel.: (305) 446-6414
Term expires June 2006
Roberto Reyna, MD
Tel.: (305) 856-6167
Term expires June 2005
District Four
District Five
Contact Information for these CME programs is:
Julie Zimmett, Medical Education, 786-596-2398 or juliez@baptisthealth.net
Enrique Hanabergh, MD
Tel.: (305) 933-2111
Term Expires June 2006
Anita Petteway-Tyler, MD
Tel.: (305) 944-8887
Term Expires June 2007
Classified Ads
Francisco Maderal, MD
Tel.: (305) 822-4107
Term Expires June 2007
RAPIDLY GROWING 100% NEPHROLOGY PRACTICE
Seeking a second Nephrologist. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Opportunity to join a young and aggressive Nephrologist
in an environment rich for expansion.
Exceptional salary, benefits and partnership package available for the right candidate.
Fax CV to 954 986-6646.
Aurelio Mitjans, MD
Tel.: (305) 836-1077
Term Expires June 2006
At Large
Andre Abitbol, MD
Tel.: (305) 596-6566
Term Expires June 2007
WE WANT YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!
William Scott McDonald, M.D.
Tel.: (305) 585-5285
Term Expires June 2005
Advisory Board Members
Jeff Gonzalez, MD
Chris Hancock, MD
Sharik Rathur, MD
Patricio Rossi, MD
Medical Student
Niberto Moreno
Aviva Hopkins
Executive Vice President
Patricia C. Handler
Tel.: (305) 324-8717
Alliance President
Johan Askowitz
Tel.: (305) 595-4478
Legal Counsel
DCMA routinely sends out broadcast emails with information you need.
Call us with your email address, or email it to jennive@miamimed.com.
Also, please notify us if your address, phone number,
fax number, or email address has changed.
Barry J. Materson, MD-UM
Fellow-Residents
AMA Delegates
April 16, 2005
Miami Dadeland Marriott Hotel
10 Cat. 1 CME Credits
Twenty-fourth Annual
Echocardiography Symposium
James Jacque, MD
Tel.: (305) 585-6970
Term Expires June 2005
District Two
Fifth Annual Gastroenterology
Update
List your Classified Ad here! It’s affordable and effective!
Call the DCMA at 305-324-8717 to request an order form today!
ADVERTISE IN MIAMI MEDICINE
The Dade County Medical Association values its sponsors. By advertising your product
or service in Miami Medicine, you reach a large portion of the medical community in
Dade County and open doors for other business opportunities with the organization and
its members. For more information on display ads or other sponsorship opportunities,
please contact phandler@miamimed.com and request a media kit.
Ziskind & Arvin, P.A.
Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD
Miami Medicine is the official publication of the Dade County Medical Association (DCMA).
DCMA Staff
Administrative Assistant
Managing Editor
Jennive Cardoso
Patricia C. Handler
Advertising in Miami Medicine does not imply approval or endorsement by the DCMA. Any ads stating approval by the
DCMA have been declared by the DCMA as worthy of consideration by its members; however, the DCMA shall have no
liability in the event the user is dissatisfied.
Miami Medicine assumes no responsibility for statements made by its contributors. Opinions expressed by authors are
their own, and not necessarily those of Miami Medicine or the DCMA. Miami Medicine reserves the right to edit all
contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted.
Subscription: $53.50 annually; single issue $5.35
MIAMI MEDICINE ✚ February 2005
15
Tallahassee, Florida - Thursday, March 31, 2005
Name (print)
Signature
Office Address
Zip Code
Office Phone
Home Phone
email address
Doctors need to have their voices heard loud and clear by the Florida legislature in terms of the legislation implementing
Constitutional Amendments 7 & 8. We need you to join with your colleagues throughout the State in traveling to
Tallahassee in a sign of solidarity on Thursday, March 31, 2005. The medical associations throughout Florida will again be
chartering airplanes, buses, etc. to mobilize doctors, hospital administrators, nurses, etc. to travel to Tallahassee.
Depending on the number of attendees DCMA will charter an airplane for Miami-Dade County. We anticipate the cost to be
between $250-$325 per person including lunch - again contingent upon the number of attendees and the arrangements we
need to make (parking/buses/charter/lunch, etc.). Put the date on your calendar now, copy this page and complete the
information above and return to the DCMA today. We will keep in touch via email with the final cost and arrangements.
We now know how it feels to be successful - the rewards of success are immeasurable.
The cost of failure is intolerable. We cannot afford to let down our guard now.
Reserve your seat and join your colleagues in Tallahassee on March 31, 2005 - TODAY.
Dade County Medical Association
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