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Table of Contents
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| Letter from the Editor |
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As I am writing this, Hurricaine Ian is making its way across the Florida peninsula. I am sure I speak for all of us at the FRS when we express our thoughts and hopes to those most affected by this devastating storm. I would encourage anyone with the ability to support recovery efforts by whatever means you have at your disposal. Links to organizations I have supported myself in the past can be found here: Click Here or Click Here
As we look past the storm, many of us are planning our 2022-2023 calendars. Please be on the lookout for upcoming events listed below:
October to May – ACR Parameters/Standards and ACR Annual Meeting – In-person
The ACR Annual Meeting will be held May 6 to May 10, 2023, at the Hilton Washington in Washington, DC. Like the 2022 meeting, this is currently planned as an in-person meeting. The comment period for Practice Parameters and Technical Standards has begun, and the ACR is actively cycling through the documents on their portal in order to receive member comments. Please Click Here to access the documents and make your comments. Please contribute to these parameters and standards! The more that members draw attention to proofreading errors, issues on content, and omissions, the more that the parameters and standards can be ready for full review by the Council at the Annual Meeting. Many members feel blindsided or rushed at the time of the Annual Meeting with unexpected inclusions or exclusions within these documents, so this is a very good opportunity to review the documents (or have your local subject-matter expert review the document) so that comments can be made now or reserved for discussion at the Annual Meeting.
October – ACR Quality & Safety and Informatics Summit – In-person or virtual
The ACR Quality & Safety Conference and the ACR Informatics Summit are both being held as hybrid in-person or virtual events this year, from October 20 to October 22, 2022 and October 22 to October 23, 2022, respectively. The in-person components of both meetings will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C. Registration links here:
2022 ACR Quality and Safety Conference
ACR 2022 Imaging Informatics Summit | In-Person and Virtual
The Quality and Safety Conference focuses on the broad range of endeavors that can improve patient care, from informatics solutions to communication improvements to error analysis and mitigation to workflow and ergonomic initiatives. The Q&S Keynote Lecture is “Radiology at the helm of high value care transformation” by Pamela Johnson, MD, FACR. The Informatics Summit is a conference intended for all ACR members, not just the computer-science majors in the crowd. The course is therefore practical in nature — how can radiologists best deploy and integrate informatics solutions into their daily practice and generate concrete gains for their practices and their patients. Keynote lectures are “Disrupting traditional healthcare models with distributed networks”, by Daniel Durand, MD and “Embracing an AI-enabled future for diagnostic medicine by Geraldine McGinty, MD, MBA, FACR.
November – RSNA – In-person
Like last year, the RSNA annual meeting will be held in person in 2022. RSNA dates are November 27 to December 1, 2022, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.
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Andrew Bowman, MD, PhD
Secretary, FRS |
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| Meet Your 2022 – 2023 FRS Executive Committee |
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President
Chintan Desai, MD, FACR |
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President Elect
Laura Vallow, MD
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Treasurer
Juan Batlle, MD |
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Secretary,
Andrew Bowman, MD, PhD |
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Past President
Rajendra Kedar, MD, FACR
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Radiation Oncology, Chair
Jennifer Peterson, M.D. |
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| FRS President’s Message |
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Many of us are dealing with devastation from Hurricane Ian especially in Southwest Florida, rebuilding these communities will take a very long time. The radiology community was not spared. Our heartfelt prayers go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Ian.
With more CMS cuts coming in 2023, ACR continues to fight back, read more below ACR Comments on the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
11 women making moves in healthcare leadership roles.
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Chintan Desai, MD, FACR
President, Florida Radiological Society |
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| FRBMA President’s Message |
Contrast Supervision: A New Hope for Radiologist Staffing Woes?
For many of us, the provision of an onsite radiologist for the supervision of intravenous contrast material administration has been a struggle. The requirements, from both CMS regulations and ACR accreditation programs, have historically required direct supervision by a radiologist or a supervising provider who is proficient in the performance and interpretation of the procedure. Direct supervision means the radiologist must be present in the office suite and immediately available to furnish assistance and direction throughout the performance of the procedure. The radiologist is not required to be present in the room when the procedure is performed.
Two important developments are occurring that could ease the burden this requirement often places most notably on outpatient practices.
During the current PHE (Public Health Emergency), measures were put in place to allow for “virtual” performance of direct supervision for intravenous contrast material administration. The PHE is set to expire December 31, 2022 unless it is extended beyond this date. The current proposed 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) considers making the “temporary exception to allow immediate availability for direct supervision through virtual presence” permanent. Should this occur, the logistics surrounding the provision of supervision are technically solved; however, the need for qualified individuals who can respond to an adverse event would still need to be addressed and documented. CMS is asking for comments on whether this virtual flexibility should be made permanent “for only a subset of services” in the 2023 proposed rule.
The second development occurred on August 29, 2022, when the ACR announced they were making significant changes to the accreditation requirements as they relate to the administration of intravenous contrast media for MRI and CT studies. The program requirements will now allow non-radiologist physicians and certain non-physician practitioners to directly supervise the administration of IV contrast agents while under the general supervision of a radiologist. General supervision (Level 1) is defined as being furnished under the physician’s overall direction and control, but the physician’s presence is not required during the performance of the procedure.
With this new change by the ACR, the following providers are approved to provide the direct supervision component of IV contrast administration:
- Non-radiologist physicians
- Advanced practitioners (nurse practitioners, physicians assistants)
- Registered nurses with appropriate documented training and a “symptom and sign” driven treatment algorithm.
The ACR did clarify this change does not apply to IDTFs. IDTFs require supervising physicians to attest that they are “proficient in the performance and interpretation” of the tests they are supervising, which means radiologists are still required to perform the supervision in these facilities. They also advise that state regulations must still be adhered to as they relate to supervision.
As a reminder to everyone, the FRBMA Winter Retreat has been scheduled for January 27th, 2023 at the Renaissance Hotel at SeaWorld, Orlando. Visit www.flrad.org/about-frbma/ for more information and we look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting.
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Lisa Adams, CEO, MBA
President, FRBMA |
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| Legislative Update |
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Dear all,
On Wednesday September 28th, a Cat 5 Hurricane, Ian made landfall on the coast of Florida and caused unthinkable devastation in many places. I hope this Ebrief finds you safe and with your power and drinking water restored.
The effects of this terrible storm will continue to be felt during the upcoming session. I anticipate it will cause disruption and delays in our voting process along it’s hard-hit path.
If you want to help your fellow Floridian’s, you can make donations to: the Florida Disaster Fund.
Donations can be made through Volunteer Florida
Stay safe! |
Alison Dudley, FRS Lobbyist
AlisonDudley@dudleyandassociates.com |
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| 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.
Phone: (813) 806-1070
Fax: (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.
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| 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. Thank you for your donation: Dr. Mergo
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 or contact Alison Dudley at for more information. |
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Telephone (813) 806-1070 • Fax (813) 806-1071
5620 W. Sligh Avenue • Tampa, Florida 33634
  
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| 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. |
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