February 1, 2008 While the start of the formal legislative session is still a month away, the FMA continues to work with our sponsors on our managed care bill, HB 405 by Rep. Bill Galvano and SB 1012 by Sen. Don Gaetz.  Please continue to contact your Senator and Representative and ask them to cosponsor the FMA's priority bill for the session.  The FMA staff has produced a detailed explanation of the provisions of this bill - for a copy please click here.  We are seeking additional examples of physicians who have had problems with the areas the bill seeks to remedy:  payment being sent to a patient despite a valid assignment; an excessively long look back period in which the managed care plan can ask for money back; and problems with silent PPOs.  Please contact Tim Stapleton (tstapleton@medone.org) or Jeff Scott (jscott@medone.org) if you can help with this effort. On Thursday, January 31st, Governor Crist unveiled his budget recommendations for Fiscal Year 2008-09.  As part of his recommended $70 billion budget, Governor Crist is recommending $15.9 million for the Florida Medicaid Program to increase physician fees for dermatologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and orthopedic surgeons.  This proposal is consistent with the budget recommendations made by the Agency for Health Care Administration. While additional funds are needed to achieve the FMA's goal of bringing all physicians up to Medicare rates, the FMA greatly appreciates Governor Crist's efforts to improve access to care for Medicaid enrollees at a time when a budget deficit in excess of two billion dollars will result in reduced funding for many government programs. PLEASE NOTE:  Sen. Dennis Jones has filed a bill (SB 1420) that would make it more difficult for physicians to self-insure.  The bill would require hospitals to ensure physicians meet their statutory financial responsibility requirements, and would require them to pay any malpractice judgment against a physician if they failed to do so.  The bill would also prohibit any physician who self-insured from purchasing legal defense coverage.  The clear intent of this bill is to prevent physicians from "going bare" and will be vigorously opposed by the FMA. During last week's committee meetings, Dr. Alan Routman, FMA Vice Chair of the Council on Legislation, testified in the Senate Health Regulation Committee against a bill (SB 1372) that would give unwarranted rule making authority to the Agency for Health Care Administration regarding emergency room call.  Concerns by the FMA, the Florida Orthopedic Society, and the Florida College of Emergency Physicians prompted the committee chairman, Sen. Jeff Atwater, to agree to strip out some of the problematic provisions and work with the physician groups on fixing the others. Finally, last week the FMA was able to advance a priority item on our legislative agenda.  HB 341 by Representative Holder, the PRN sovereign immunity bill, passed unanimously out of the House Health Quality Committee.  Please take a moment to thank Representatives Gayle Harrell, Chair, D. Alan Hays, DMD, Vice Chair, Kelly Skidmore, Larry Cretul, Audrey Gibson, Doug Holder, Matt Hudson, Paige Kreegel, MD, Julio Robaina, Robert C. Schenck, and Darren Soto for their support of this bill. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming legislative session or any of the FMA priorities, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Miguel A. Machado, M.D. Chair, Council on Legislation