Medicine Curated

Following a financially devastating year for medical practices nationwide, physicians are facing a new threat from looming Medicare payment changes that will have consequences far beyond the federal program itself if Congress doesn’t act soon. In this episode FMA Director of Health Care Policy and Innovation Jarrod Fowler, MHA, joins CEO Timothy J. Stapleton to discuss four pressing payment controversies all physicians should be aware of, how the FMA is addressing them, and what to expect next. “Whatever the effects of these policies nationally, they’ll be greater in Florida," Fowler said.

This episode features Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville plastic surgeon and Florida Board of Medicine member, Sarvam TerKonda, MD, discussing artificial intelligence in healthcare. Other discussion topics include his role on the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Medical Boards, the latest advancements in AI that physicians need to know about, and challenges for state regulators related to the emergence of AI in healthcare.

The 2021 Florida Legislative Session will begin on Tuesday, March 2 — nearly one year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. On this episode, FMA Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Christopher Clark and FMA General Counsel Jeff Scott, Esq., discuss the major bills to watch, how the FMA is advocating for clinicians, and COVID-19’s impact on the legislative process.

Our guest this episode is Congressman Neal Dunn, MD, a former FMA Board member who is beginning his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Dunn, a Panama City urologist representing Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, is also a member of the Congressional Doctors Caucus and was appointed in January to the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. In a discussion with FMA CEO Timothy J. Stapleton, Dr. Dunn talks about the issues he’s working on that will be significant for physicians, the importance of clinicians being engaged in the legislative and political processes, and shaping national healthcare policy.

As Senior Medical Director, Medical Affairs for Florida Blue, FMA member Kelli Tice Wells, MD, serves as clinical lead for the health insurer’s medical operations work in the areas of virtual health, social determinants of health, opioid overuse response, and corporate social responsibility. On this episode of Medicine Curated, Dr. Wells talks about her work in the area of health equity and how her public health background informs what she does today. She also explains what physicians can do in order to reassure their patients who have concerns about receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. “Folks trust their doctors,” Dr. Wells said. “They’re going to a physician with whom they have a relationship to get guidance. It is important that we be in a position to answer those questions for them.”

As the American College of Physicians (ACP) American College liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and a member of the COVID-19 vaccine workgroup, FMA Treasurer Jason Goldman, MD, FACP, is among a select group of medical and public health experts who develop vaccine recommendations for the entire U.S. civilian population. Dr. Goldman sheds light on ACIP’s work in crafting recommendations for the approved COVID-19 vaccines that began rolling out nationally in December. He also addresses the challenge of countering misinformation spread by vocal anti-vaccine activists, building trust with vaccine-hesitant patients, and what it will take to reach “normal” in our post-pandemic world.

FMA Board member Christie Alexander, MD’s influence as an educator goes beyond her work as an Associate Professor at the Florida State University College of Medicine. Dr. Alexander, a family medicine physician and our guest on this week’s Medicine Curated podcast episode, also educates the public about COVID-19 in her role as a medical expert for Tallahassee’s CBS affiliate, WCTV.

Former FMA Board member Hansel Tookes III, MD, MPH, is Founder and Medical Director of the IDEA Exchange, a groundbreaking Miami-Dade needle exchange program that was the first of its kind in Florida. In a wide-ranging conversation with FMA CEO Timothy J. Stapleton, Dr. Tookes, an internal medicine physician who is also Principal Investigator of the University of Miami Harm Reduction Research Group, talks about his passion for public health and how the IDEA Exchange has adjusted to continue meeting patients' needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Family medicine clinician and physician coach Amaryllis Sánchez Wohlever, MD, talks to FMA CEO Timothy J. Stapleton about the many factors affecting doctors’ well-being and her calling to to help physicians reclaim their professional joy. ‘I care about each of them as people, as human beings who feel called to serving others with excellence,’ she said. Dr. Sánchez Wohlever, a graduate of the FMA’s Physician Leadership Academy, is also a speaker and author whose books include ‘Recapturing Joy in Medicine.’

When it comes to supporting her fellow doctors, direct primary care physician Rebekah Bernard, MD has a way with words. Currently serving as Collier County Medical Society President, Dr. Bernard is an FMA member, physician wellness authority, and prolific writer whose work has appeared in KevinMD, Medical Economics, and the FMA's own Florida Medical Magazine. Dr. Bernard discusses the importance of restoring physicians' professional joy and challenging ‘the death of medical expertise’ in healthcare.

As Dean of the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and USF Health Senior Vice President, FMA member Charles Lockwood, MD, has overseen a transformative era for both institutions.

A leader of the Florida College of Emergency Physicians during this pandemic, Sanjay Pattani, MD, FACEP is also Medical Director of AdventHealth’s Mission Control Command Center, and member of the FMA Board of Governors.

We talk vaccination with Dr. Lisa Gwynn, Medical Director of the UHealth Pediatric Mobile Clinic and the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation School Health Initiative and President of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

We highlight some of the advances that the FMA has made over the last few years to make it easier and less expensive to access the CME that physicians need to maintain their Florida license. This includes the online CME catalog which is available to physicians 24/7 and livestream/webinar services that have been implemented.

Can Direct Primary Care increase access to health care, reduce costs, and improve care and outcomes? Dr. Lee Gross has done all of those things and shares his experience.

We talk about how the state legislative process works with Chris Clark, the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the FMA - which is a fancy way of saying he oversees the State Legislative and Political Operations of the Florida Medical Association.

While the FMA has primarily been engaged in public policy issues at the State level for many years, working on behalf of physicians in Tallahassee, in the last few years we have expanded our focus to include advocacy at the Feberal level.

We talk about the regulatory process that impacts all physicians with a license to practice medicine in Florida. Our Guest is Mary Thomas, Assistant General Counsel at the FMA.

Jarrod is the FMA’s Director of Health Care Policy and Innovation. His focus is on Payment Advocacy and he is an expert on Medicare policy.

Jarrod is the FMA’s Director of Health Care Policy and Innovation. His focus is on Payment Advocacy and he is an expert on Medicare policy.