Annual Meeting
Saturday, July 15, 2006
The Breakers, Palm Beach
MINUTES
Presiding: Fred A. Furgang, M.D., President
Present in Order of Sign-In: Frank Zondlo MD,
Andrea Trescot MD, Raul A Monzon MD, Vinod K Malik MD, Bill Paul MD, Nancy
Layton MD, Morris Shlamowitz MD, Charles Grudem MD, Virind Gupta MD, Brad
Ruben MD, Tony Dorto MD, Robert Dehgan MD, Richard Hays MD, Hal Tobias MD,
Edward Frankoski DO, Emilio Alarcon MD, David A Lindley DO, Enzo Abad DO,
Adam Berliner DO, Hernan Pabon MD, C Apostol MD, Robert Burns MD, Dorothea D
Glass MD, Andrew Sherman MD, Ronald Tolchin DO, Brian Dowdell MD, Francisco
M Torres MD, Cesar Llanera Jr MD, Ana D Lipson MD, Susanti Chowdhury MD,
Felix Linetsky MD, Peter Taraschi DO, Fred Furgang MD, Juanita Brown DO,
Anjan Ghosh MD, James Worden MD, Marshall Bedder MD, Kelvin Gorrell MD,
Youssef Wassef MD, Virgilio C Barangan MD, V.K. Mansourian MD, Gene Mahoney
MD.
1. Minutes of the 2005 meeting were approved.
2. Treasury Report – Dr Furgang reported: The
Florida Academy of Pain Medicine is in decent financial shape. Detailed
information about our Profit & Loss Statement and/or copies of our 2005
Income Tax Return is available upon request. We will end 2005 with
approximately $35,000.
3. Membership Report – Peter Taraschi, DO,
VP/Membership Chair reported: We currently have 135 members (123 this time
last year). The following applications were found to be in order, all
clear/active medical license statuses. Please welcome these new members:
Jennifer Burns MD – St Petersburg, Juliet D Burry MD – Daytona Beach, Kamel
Elzawahry MD – Panama City, Kevin R Free MD – Cape Coral, Michael E Frey MD
– Ft Myers, Mustafa Hammad MD – Panama City, Adel Kallini MD – Pompano, Ana
D Lipson MD – Winter Haven, Karin Maddox MD – Panama City, William L Paul MD
– Gainesville, Nader Said MD – Tarpon Springs, Firas Saleh MD – Panama City,
Douglas L Stringer MD – Panama City, Merle P Stringer MD – Panama City
4. Legislative/Regulatory Issues: Andrea
Trescot, MD, Legislative Chair
- FAPM’s Position on Board
Certification in Pain Medicine
Currently, the ABA exam is
the only nationally recognized pain medicine board certification/
ABPMedicine board certification is recognized in CA, FL, TX. Dr Rafael
Miguel (via email), stated that “the only pain medicine board certification
recognized and allowed to be advertised in FL are ABMS Pain Medicine
Certifications (Anesthesiology, Neurology, or PM&R) and the ABPMedicine
Certifications. All others open themselves up to BOM complaints and
disciplinary action, if investigated….”
AAPManagement uses the same exam for allied
health professionals and physicians.
One of FAPM’s members
complained that a carrier here in Florida will not accept his ABPMedicine
Board Certification. Per the FMA, that carrier does not have to. FAPM, as
one of Florida’s pain organizations, will write a letter stating their
position that the ABPMedicine Board Exam should be recognized, that
Florida’s Department of Health, Agency for Healthcare Administration, and
Board of Medicine all accept the ABPMedicine Board Certification. This
letter can then be shared with members who are having such difficulty, and
it should be placed on our website under position papers.
- FAPM’s Position on
Scope of Practice of Nurse Anesthetists: After this discussion
at our 2005 meeting, Sanford Silverman MD wrote a draft position
paper for our website– the Executive Committee will work to finalize
this draft and post it on our website.
- Medicare CAC – a
seat for pain medicine (72 modifier) in addition to seat for
interventional pain medicine (09) – Drs Lora Brown and Scott
Kramarich are the CAC representatives for 09. You are strongly
encouraged to request a comparative billing review (CBR) from
Medicare through their website. You will be compared to people in
your modifier (72 – pain medicine, 09 – interventional pain
medicine) group. It takes 2 wks to get the report. Outliers will
be audited. You may need to change your modifier to avoid being an
outlier. The application is also on ASIPP’s website:
http://asipp.org/documents/cms855i.pdf. There is also the
potential for better reimbursement by having the modifier that best
represents your practice. The American Board of Interventional Pain
Physicians, ABIPP, is working to develop recognition as a distinct
specialty by the ABMS which should eventually help with Medicare
billing.
- NASPER – is the
first bill ever passed sponsored by a medical organization (ASIPP).
Each state must develop their own legislation to implement the
federal legislation (electronic prescription monitoring). Florida’s
HB 913 did not pass during the 2006 legislative session, but will
come up again in next year’s session, and this needs to be
supported.
A true story was told about a
young physician who had his medical license suspended because of his
prescription writing practices. This young physician was not a bad doctor,
but inadequately informed about how to protect himself and his patients.
ASIPP has developed a Clinical Competency in Prescribing Narcotics course
which should help prevent this type of thing happening. The AMA has funding
for doctors in legal trouble, but FAPM is too small to give this type of
assistance to its members.
Another method to help
physicians in this matter would be to further educate the Florida Board of
Medicine (the body which can suspend your license) about pain medicine.
A motion was made and carried
to create a Task Force to liaison with the BOM. Dr Lora Brown will head up
that Task Force. Drs Chuck Grudem, Jim Worden, Marshall Bedder, and Peter
Taraschi have volunteered to serve on the Task Force. A goal of this group
will be to get a FAPM member to sit as a representative on the BOM.
Another method suggested by a
member was to “google” prospective patients to see if they have criminal
records, etc.
5. Florida Pain
Initiative/Coalition – Dr Furgang: The Coaliton was Bob Yezierski’s
idea. There are now 14 organizations participating, including FAPM, nurses,
hospitals, PTs, and others. The overall goal is to improve access to pain
medicine and to revive the Florida Pain Commission. The Coalition will be
taking a proposal to the FMA Legislative Council in September to seek the
FMA’s support. Dr Trescot will be representing FAPM in the FMA House of
Delegates in September. At the FAPM Executive Committee meeting yesterday,
a motion was made and carried to have Dr Furgang stay involved with the Pain
Coalition on behalf of FAPM.
- The FMA’s “CME Journal on
Pain management and the Role of Physicians in Controlling the Abuse of
Pharmaceutical Narcotics and Other Pain Medications.” FAPM has two
members selected as members of the Contributing Editorial Board – Drs
Furgang and Trescot. Drs Edward Frankoski and Dennis Patin are also
contributors to the Journal.
- Comments from Outgoing
President – Dr Furgang thanked the membership for the opportunity to
serve. He encouraged all to participate with the House of Medicine,
either through the FMA or FOMA. And when your society or academy asks
you to email your legislators, please do so. He also advised everyone
to visit their local legislators.
- Elected for Executive Board,
2006 – 2007: President – Dr Tolchin, Pres/Elect – Dr Chowdhury, VP
– Dr Taraschi, Sec – Dr Linetsky, Treas – Dr Botwin, Members at Large:
Dr Monzon and Dr Francisco Torres
9. Comments from Incoming President:
Dr Tolchin thanked his fellow officers for their support over the past
year. He asked the question, “Who is FAPM?” FAPM is made up of various
specialties that treat pain interventionally and non-interventionally. He
reminded us that there is no one way to treat pain, that our minds need to
remain open. It is complex and patients benefit from a multidisciplinary
approach. One of pain medicine’s challenges is to be recognized as a
distinct specialty. FAPM needs to be an author of that historical change.
10. Announcements: JOB OP: Anesthesia Pain
Care Consultants, South Florida’s largest anesthesiology practice
specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of pain is seeking physicians to
join our growing practice.
We are in search
of board certified anesthesiologists who have completed a pain fellowship.
The position consists
of interventional pain management to include fluoroscopic-guided epidural
steroid injections, facet injections, medial branch nerve blocks, and
radiofrequency ablations. Intrathecal infusion pump and spinal cord
stimulator implantation experience is optional.
We offer a
competitive salary, an attractive benefits package and generous performance
bonuses. Broward County offers an unsurpassed lifestyle including
recreation, shopping, the arts and plenty of sunshine!
Contact Marynell
Lubinski, Practice Administrator at (954) 586-0661 or at marynell@fdn.com.
- FAPM’s
2007 Annual Conference: July 27 – 29, Gaylord Palms, Orlando.
Respectfully submitted,
Lorry S Davis, M.Ed.,
Executive Director
Annual Business
Meeting
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove
MINUTES
Ashraf F. Hanna, M.D.,
Presiding
Thank you to UD Testing Inc for sponsoring this meeting.
Present: Drs Joseph Alshon, Constantine Bouchlas, Lee Ann Brown,
Lora Brown, Jose Campoamor, Lance Cassell, Ramon Castellanos, Harold Cordner,
Robert Dehgan, Edward Dieguez Jr, Anthony Dorto, Anne Dunham, Orlando
Florete, Stephen Friedman, Fred Furgang, Anjan Ghosh, Dorothea Glass, Larry Gorfine,
Erick Grana, Israel Grinberg, Robert Gruber, Ashraf Hanna, William Jacobs,
Gary Jay, Paul Kotturan, Scott Kramarich, Jorge Leal, Craig Lichtblau, Felix
Linetsky, Douglas MacLear, Debora Martineau, Tony Mesa, Rafael Miguel, Asya
Mikulinsky, Joseph Mouhanna, Dirk Parvus, Sherri Pinsley, Sanford Pollak,
Raymon Priewe, Bradley Ruben, Richard Saitta, Michael Schou, Morris
Shlamowitz, Sanford Silverman, Ed Sleight, Anna Sottile, Peter Taraschi,
Jonathan Tarrash, Francisco Torres, Andrea Trescot, Christopher Vendryes,
Mark Walter, Paul Wand, Youssef Wassef, Jay Wright, Laura Yard, Yili Zhou
1. Self introductions were made all around.
2. Minutes of the 2003 Annual Meeting were approved.
3. The following Membership Report was given by Peter Taraschi DO,
VP and Membership Chair: We currently have 171 members (up approximately 15%
from this time last year).
Different strategies are used to attract new members:
After our annual meeting last year, we sent out letters to those attendees
who were not yet in FAPM. We will do the same this year.
The membership application is on our website, and 4 of our new members came
to us this way.
When the FAPM office is contact with an interested physician, an application
is immediately sent to them.
Member apps go into the conference registration form, as well as both issues
of PainInfo, FAPM’s newsletter. The registrations and PainInfo were mailed
to FAPM members, FL Society of Physical Medicine and Rehab members, and FL
Society of Interventional Pain Physicians members.
The Pain Clinic magazine, FAPM’s official journal published every other
month, always has a half page ad about FAPM in it, and inquiries come in
this way.
The following new members were recognized: John E Barsa MD – Tampa, Lee Ann
Brown DO – Clearwater, Lance S Cassell MD – Sarasota, Ramon Castellanos MD –
Coral Gables, Robert Dehgan MD – St Augustine, Anjan K Ghosh MD – Pembroke
Pines, Monica Grinberg MD – Hialeah, Israel Grinberg MD – Pembroke Pines,
William S Jacobs MD – Gainesville,
Stephen “Scott” Kramarich MD – Jacksonville, Dirk Parvus
FAPM Minutes, June, 2004, page 2
MD – Vero Beach, Bradley H Ruben DO – Hernando, Steven Siegel MD – Oakland
Park, Anna Sottile MD – Tamarac, Deborah H Tracy MD – Spring Hill, Mark V
Walter MD – Sarasota, Thomas J Weed MD – Ft Lauderdale, Michael A Weitzner
MD – Tampa
The following member transitions were reported:
Carlos Placer MD has relocated to Puerto Rico
Mordecai Potash MD has relocated to New Orleans, to Tulane University
Ralph Ortiz DO has relocated to New York
Cheryl Tapp DO cannot be located
Ronald Dennie MD is deceased
4. The Treasury Report was given by Felix Linetsky MD, Secretary, in the
absence of Kenneth Botwin MD, Treasurer:
Specific
information on the Treasury Report can be obtained by members from Lorry S.
Davis, Executive Director, PO Box 330298, Atlantic Beach FL 32233-0298, Ph 904 270
8886, Fax 904 246 9233,
Lorry4@earthlink.net
5. Florida Pain
Medicine Accreditation and Standards Inc – Gary Jay MD, Past President,
introduced the membership to FPMA&S Inc (booklets were given to attendees,
the entire contents of which can be found on FAPM’s website at
http://fapmmed.net/accreditation.htm). He mentioned the Executive
Committee’s change of $2500 for nonmembers, $1500 for members, and the
change to accrediting only clinics that were wholly owned by physicians
(MDs, DOs, as defined by Florida statutes).
Legislative Issues
National Agenda – Andrea Trescot MD, Past President
Dr Trescot discussed the class action suit that the American Society of
Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) has with Aetna.
Dr Trescot encouraged everyone to go to
www.nasper.org to learn more about The
National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act, or NASPER,
which is a bill proposed by ASIPP to provide and improve patient access with
quality care, and protect patients and physicians from deleterious effects
of controlled substance misuse, abuse and trafficking. Sample
letters to legislators can be found on the site.
Dr Trescot encouraged everyone to go to
www.empiremedicaltraining.com and see the types of programs this
institution (out of Ft Lauderdale, FL) is promoting. Drs Rafael Miguel and
Larry Gorfine agreed that this program is dangerous, not only for patients,
but also for physicians to think that they would have a level
FAPM Minutes, June, 2004, page 3
of expertise in pain management by completing this program. Dr Trescot
handed out a sample letter from physicians who wrote to Empire Medical
Training’s Program Chair (which also cc’d all the Program’s faculty),
concerned and alarmed about the Training Program’s practices and claims.
That letter is attached to the bottom of these minutes, and all are
encouraged to write a similar letter.
State Agenda – Laura Yard MD, Member-at-Large, discussed the FMA’s push for
a constitutional amendment to limit attorneys’ contingency fees. She
stressed the need for all to act on gathering signed petitions and for all
to contribute financially to Citizens for a Fair Share. FAPM has
contributed, but is limited as a 501 c 6, to the amount it can give for
political purposes. Dr Yard urged individual contributions. Dr Hanna
passed out his “Directions for Obtaining Petition Signatures for Citizens
for a Fair Share.”
7. Coding Challenges – Erick Grana MD outlined
the issue with insurance companies not paying for the 76005 code (for the
use of fluoroscope when doing spinal injections at the office) was due to a
computer software glitch that could not be corrected until the new
version comes out next year. This problem is being dealt with at a national
level. In the meantime, doctors will have to deal with individual insurance
companies on a case by case basis whenever a denial occurs.
8. Comments from Outgoing President – Dr Hanna expressed his honor in
having the opportunity to serve as FAPM’s President. He recalled his
mission as having done what he could to help inform FAPM members about tort
reform and the constitutional amendment initiative to limit attorney’s
contingency fees.
Dr Hanna presented the following Slate of Candidates for Executive Board,
2004 – 2005:
President: Sanford Pollak DO
President-Elect/State Legislative Chair: Laura Yard MD
VP: Peter Taraschi DO
Secretary: Felix Linetsky MD
Treasurer: Kenneth Botwin MD
Executive Medical Director: Gary Jay MD
National Legislative Chair: Andrea Trescot MD
Members-at-Large:
Winston Parris MD
Asya Mikulinsky MD
Fred Furgang MD
Immediate Past President: Ashraf Hanna MD
9. A motion was made and carried to accept the entire slate above.
10. Comments from the Incoming President – Sanford Pollak DO:
“During this successful annual conference, the comraderie apparent has made
me pause to consider the cooperation among the membership of our diverse
organization.
FAPM Minutes, June, 2004, page 4: Interventionalists and non inter-ventionalists,
neurologists and anesthesiologists, psychiatrists and rheumatologists,
generalists and radiologists, pm&rs and orthopedic surgeons, all coming
together in fellowship for the purpose of exchange of ideas and education.
Let our organization be a microcosm in this day of beleaguered physicians to
demonstrate to our chosen profession that together we stand strong. We can
be an example to larger organizations that diversity is good and unity is
essential for the survival of the medical profession that we all serve.”
Respectfully submitted,
Lorry S Davis MEd
FAPM Executive Director
New!