November Ebrief 2019

Edition: November 2019

Table of Contents

Letter from the Editor

As we all await our future and how we will collaborate with machines, I came across an interesting fact that machines will change healthcare. Diabetic Retinopathy, is usually diagnosed by careful examination by an Ophthalmologists. Instead now machines can do the same thing without the doctor with an IDx-DR system. This the first autonomous AI device to receive FDA approval for reaching a diagnosis without physician input. The IDx-DR system uses the Topcon NW400 robotic retinal camera to take high resolution images which are then interpreted by Artificial Intelligence software.

Knowing that we will one day be able to use deep learning algorithms and AI to make our lives better, some Residency programs have already started offering specialized education to residents in AI. For Example, University of Washington Radiology offers Deep Learning Pathway which is an immersive and rigorous experience that trains residents to apply cutting-edge deep learning techniques to medical imaging research. This unique resident training path is the first of its kind to bridge the gap between medical imaging and AI education.

As we worry and stress with our daily work load and lives, I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to visit https://www.acr.org/Member-Resources/Benefits/Well-Being.

This screening tool allows you to better understand your overall well-being and identify areas of risk compared to your peers across the country. This is 100% anonymous—your information will not be shared with anyone, including the ACR.

I would like to share the link below;

Leading with Humor — According to research, every chuckle brings with it a host of business benefits. Laughter relieves stress and boredom, boosts engagement and well-being, and spurs not only creativity and collaboration but also analytic precision and productivity.

Maybe we can have a running blog of ideas on how to integrate Humor- Anyone??

Reminder for all of us who provide services to Medicare patients:

Starting Jan. 1, 2020 – the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) requires referring providers to consult appropriate use criteria (AUC) prior to ordering advanced diagnostic imaging services (ADIS) — CT, MR, Nuclear Medicine and PET — for Medicare patients.

https://www.acr.org/Clinical-Resources/Clinical-Decision-Support

Chintan Desai, MD
Secretary, Florida Radiological Society
desai@desairadiology.com

Meet Your 2019 – 2020 FRS Executive Committee

President
Patricia Mergo, MD, FACR

President-Elect
Douglas Hornsby, MD

Treasurer
Rajendra Kedar, MD, FACR

FRS President’s Message

Plans for the Annual FRS & FRBMA meeting at the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort on July 17-19, 2020 are shaping up nicely! The meeting will be entitled “2020 Vision: Surviving and Thriving”. I am very pleased to announce that for the first time ever, a job fair will take place at the meeting. The job fair is designed to provide a means for bringing together those who are recruiting for positions and those individuals who are searching for their ideal career employment opportunity. The job fair will take place on Sunday morning from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., following the conclusion of the annual meeting. Thanks to all committee members who have worked very hard to make this happen. The input from the residents and fellows’ section on this has been fantastic! It is clear that we have some outstanding future leaders in our training programs! Thanks all for your input on this important event with a special shout out to committee members in diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology, Miguel Gosalbez, MD, & William Stross, MD, who have worked tirelessly on the program and agenda and to Steven DePrima, MD FACR, for his continued direction, leadership and service in making this come to fruition.

I would also like to provide you with an update on the important health concern of electronic cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (now referred to as EVALI). The CDC reports that over 1300 cases have now been reported across 49 of the 50 states with at least 26 reported deaths. To date, the CDC reports that 76% of the lung injury cases are associated with THC-containing products. The consensus currently is that THC vaping products that are procured “off the street” or from friends or family members are a major source of the outbreak. The exact cause is yet to be isolated. A very recent radiologic scientific article published online in the new Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging journal by Suhny Abbara and Fernando Uliana Kay provides key information on the outbreak to date:
https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/ryct.2019190212. We will continue to keep you updated on this important issue as further information is available.

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I would like to express personal thanks to all of you for your continued support of the FRS. We have such a dynamic organization that is continually making strides to bring the best of health care to our great state of Florida! Thank you for your efforts and may you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Patricia Mergo, MD, FACR
President, Florida Radiological Society
Mergo.Patricia@mayo.edu

Secretary
Chintan Desai, MD

Past President
Steven DePrima, MD, FACR

Legal Counsel
Michael M. Raskin, M.D., J.D., FACR

FRBMA President’s Message

RBMA Holds 2nd Annual Chapter Leader Retreat in Conjunction with LEARN Conference

The Radiology Business Management Association’s (RBMA) Chapter Leader Retreat was held on September 17th, 2019 in Washington, D.C. at the Kimpton George Hotel. The 11 Chapters in attendance included Florida, California, Delta States, Heartland, Illinois, New England, Northeast, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas. The Retreat opened with RBMA leadership facilitating a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) discussion and the group brainstormed ways Chapters can better serve their members. The SWOT analysis was developed from Chapter Leader feedback and the number one Strength identified was the quality of Chapter members, followed closely by networking opportunities, Chapter meetings with high level speakers, and collaborative opportunities available to Chapter members.

The primary Weakness identified was the impact mergers and acquisitions are having on Chapter membership which seems to be reducing the pool of both members and volunteers. Focused education for entry-level and mid-level professionals who are unlikely to attend National meetings and advocacy at the state level were identified as Opportunities. And identified Threats included resulting loss of membership as radiology groups consolidate, maintaining relevance in a rapidly changing environment, and declining meeting attendance.

Strategies for addressing the primary weakness of declining membership were discussed and included a) engaging individuals in radiology organizations beyond key administrators and b) exploring the expansion of membership to potentially include e.g. hospital radiology directors, healthcare attorneys, and Certified Public Accountants (CPSs) who specialize in healthcare. The New England Chapter shared they are seeking to engage emerging leaders by sponsoring an attendee at the 2020 PaRADigm, RBMA’s Annual Meeting which is being held April 5th – 8th in Hollywood, Florida.

Caroline Baugher, a Consulting Director at McKinley Advisors, provided a global update on trends in Association Chapters and Volunteering. She opened her presentation with a discussion about how associations monitor and measure engagement. The group was educated on the concept of “Net Promoter Score” which is a management tool used to gauge the loyalty of an association’s customer relationships. The Net Promoter Score speaks to the concept of word of mouth marketing, for example the likelihood a friend or colleague will join RBMA. It is not surprising Baby Boomers have a higher Net Promoter Score as they are more likely to talk positively about association membership with friends and colleagues.

The Internet has certainly disrupted association membership; however, studies show the number one characteristic that preserves human happiness is making connections with other people. So, the question becomes are legacy association models still relevant and do they resonate with, e.g. Millennials? The concept of membership is certainly not dead as evidenced by the success of Amazon Prime, Costco, and Netflix. But what does a 21st Century Association look like? A critical feature in a 21st Century Association is for the association to be “frictionless,” meaning member engagement with the association is as easy as possible. Examples include ease in use of the association’s website; professional development opportunities that do not require in-person attendance; easy-to-understand membership tiers (or no tiers); timely responses to members’ calls, emails and iChats; and new member messaging that solves current problems.

The Retreat concluded with a discussion about features RBMA is introducing to enhance Chapter membership and participation including a video library as a resource repository, a repository of speakers which includes every RBMA speaker over the last two years (name, session description, year s/he spoke, and session evaluations), quarterly Chapter Leader conference calls, and the launch of a “Community” on ConnectRBMA for Chapter leaders.

For more information on RBMA Chapters and how to get involved, please visit www.rbma.org/chapters.

Barbara Rubel, MBA, FRBMA
President, FRBMA
brubel@msnllc.com

Legislative Update

The legislative committee process is underway. On Wednesday, October 16th, the House Health Market Reform Committee, Chaired by Rep “Dr.” Pigman ( ER doc), took up the issue of balanced billing that by way of his introduction is a “legacy” issue that was addressed in 2016 through HB 221 and passed. Due to term limits, he felt the need to educate the committee as he feels it will be an issue they will need to address in the future. Chairman Pigman is termed out after this session. Chair Pigman is also the one who traditionally pushes the scope expansion issues that would allow extenders to practice beyond their training.

The Office of Insurance regulation presented and stated that since the bill passed they have not had any consumer complaints about balanced billing except as it relates to air ambulances which falls under federal jurisdiction. No one is certain what Chair Pigman intends to do regarding balanced billing. Representative Mike Grant and Representative Heather Fitzenhagen both asked excellent questions relating to not wanting to be the ones setting prices and noting that specialty physicians that are the best at, knee surgery, perhaps are hard to see and more expensive because they are so good at what they do. To date, this committee has not met during its last two blocks of times of meeting availability.

The physician extender issue is starting to coalesce with the Chair of the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners stating after the state medical advisory committee at AHCA that due to Hurricane Michael the panhandle has lost specialty doctors and there is an access to care problem. He plans to pursue legislation to allow nurses to run their own health clinics without supervision of a doctor. I am certain we will see more on this from the House soon. AHCA’s response was this is where Telehealth can alleviate the problem.

There are two weeks of committee meetings in November and to date the leadership agendas have not been revealed. Session starts in January. The physician extender issue is anticipated but no language has been released to date.

Campaign season is underway and now is a great time to make friends and connect with your local leaders. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Alison Dudley, FRS Lobbyist
AlisonDudley@dudleyandassociates.com

Job Board
	Available Positions RAF-Interventional Radiologist – Pensacola RAF-Interventional Neuroradiologist-Sarasota RAF-Cardiothoracic-Imager-Tampa MBB Neuroradiologist-Jacksonville MBB-Breast Imager – Jacksonville Board Certified Radiologist

Job Posting Opportunities

Florida Radiological Society is pleased to introduce the opportunity for interested parties to advertise for potential jobs in our monthly FRS Ebrief bulletin.

Advertisement pricing is as follows:

Ebrief Job Posting pricing:
3 months ($100 monthly)
6 months ($90 monthly)
12 months ($80 monthly)

Please contact Lorraine Roger, our Society Administrator for further information on how to advertise in our monthly publication.

ph (813) 806-1070
fx (813) 806-1071
email lroger@flrad.org

We feel that this will provide a valuable service to both our members and our Florida community of Radiology.

Thank you for your interest!
Patricia Mergo, MD
President, FRS

SUBMIT AN ARTICLE

Become a PAC Member Today

Attention FRBMA Members! Please support the cause. We encourage you to be PAC members and supporters; you do not have to belong to the FRS. Donations can be made online through our PAC website www.FLRADPAC.org.

It is critical that we support both our Florida PAC and RADPAC in order to bolster our voice in Tallahassee and Washington, respectively. Please join FRS lobbyist Alison Dudley in her special appeal for all Florida radiologists to become Florida PAC members. If you would like to help FRS defend radiology against untoward legislation and introduce bills that have a positive impact on our practices, we need your financial support to re-elect our friends in the state House and Senate. The FRS can also show you simplified ways on how to sign up your radiology group. Contact Lorraine Roger at lroger@flrad.org or contact Alison Dudley at alisondudley@dudleyandassociates.com for more information.

Telephone (813) 806-1070 • Fax (813) 806-1071
5620 W. Sligh Avenue • Tampa, Florida 33634

The E-Brief is an exclusive member benefit of Florida Radiological Society, delivering monthly member, chapter and industry news. Please do not reply to this automatic e-mail. For comments or questions about the E-Brief, please contact lroger@flrad.org.

Blog