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FRS Membership Dues |
Please contact the American College of Radiology Membership Services at (800) 347-7748 to pay your 2024 Florida Radiological Society membership dues. |
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Meet Your 2024 - 2025 FRS Executive Committee |
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President
Juan Batlle, MD, FACR |
President Elect
Andrew Bowman, MD, PhD |
Treasurer
Edem Chen, MD |
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Secretary
James Banks, MD |
Past President
Laura Vallow, MD |
Radiation Oncology, Chair
Jennifer Peterson, MD |
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Letter from the Editor |
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“Knowing is not enough;
we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
As radiologists and radiation oncologists, we are well aware that our roles are not limited to the interpretation of images or the administration of treatment. In the face of workforce shortages, increased volumes and unrealistic turnaround time expectations, it can feel overwhelming to remember that simply completing our clinical work is not enough. We don’t earn our keep merely in our technical skills, but in our ability to translate complex imaging results into actionable decisions. Through active interdisciplinary teamwork with referring physicians, surgeons, and oncologists, our findings are not just reports on paper, but vital contributors to the patient care continuum. This collaborative spirit enhances our visibility and reinforces the essential roles we play in the healthcare team providing critical insights that shape diagnosis, treatment plans, and ultimately, patient outcomes.
In such an increasingly complex healthcare environment, we find ourselves at a crossroads where our expertise must be clearly articulated in the face of scope creep and reimbursement cuts. We know our value, but as Goethe explained, this is not enough. Educating lawmakers through face-to-face meetings or letter writing “calls to action” is necessary so they can understand what we do and what we stand for. An appreciation of the many facets of our profession is key to preventing policies that could undermine the important roles we play. It is crucial for radiologists and radiation oncologists to take actions for governing bodies and the general public to see us as the essential components of the healthcare system that we are.
If we are to remain indispensable to our institutions and our patients, we must stay informed and adaptable as new techniques and modalities emerge. Being at the forefront of artificial intelligence and personalized medicine enhances our skill set and demonstrates our commitment to innovation in an ever-changing healthcare system. New information gathered through health equity research enables us to access underserved populations whose quality of life and life expectancy could be improved through the diagnostic and therapeutic services we provide.
We elevate our specialties through engaging in research, advocacy, legislative processes, quality assurance, patient safety, education, outreach, and leadership development. We support our profession on all of these fronts by empowering the ACR and FRS through our membership dues and volunteer hours, keeping the house of radiology central to how medicine can be best practiced. Together, we can act to demonstrate and elevate the standards of excellence that define our work. Together, we can apply our knowledge to ensure optimal outcomes for all patients now and in the future.
“Together we can accomplish more than we can ever do alone”
Dr. Howard B. Fleischon, MD, MMM, FACR
The ACR and FRS has offerings and opportunities for medical students, residents/fellows, young/early career, midcareer, and senior/retired members. Those in training and in their first decade out of training have the most at stake, but it is never too early or too late to get involved. I hope you will take this opportunity to reach out to your colleagues at any stage in their careers who aren’t yet ACR members to encourage them to join.
Warm regards,
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James Banks, MD
Secretary, FRS |
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FRS President's Message |
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Hello everyone!
We hope you all enjoyed the Florida Radiological Society annual meeting, with that starts a new year for both our state chapter and the national college. One item of interest occurring right now is the field review for practice parameters and technical standards.
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As you may know, last year was the first year for a virtual meeting to address practice parameters and technical standards, occurring in March. We will continue with that virtual meeting, and the field review period for open comment on the documents is open now. It will continue until September 27th, 2024. This is your opportunity to propose edits and deletions, in preparation for ratification of the divergence in March and subsequent adoption at the ACR annual meeting. Please also keep your eyes open for a YPS event for Florida Radiological Society members at RSNA this year. Best regards to all! |
Juan Batlle, MD, FACR
President, Florida Radiological Society
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FRBMA President's Message |
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Filling the Gaps: Strategies for Attracting Top Talent
Undoubtedly, every radiology group in the country is feeling the impact of the radiologist shortage. Currently, there are over 1,900 advertised open radiology positions on ACR’s job forum. This doesn’t include the groups who have given up advertising for their open positions due to a lack of response from their ads. ACGME graduates approximately 1,400 radiology residents each year which means the new radiologists entering the workforce are not capable of fulfilling the shortage. |
Unfortunately, the shortage is likely only going to become more severe. The aging population, rising healthcare utilization, and advancements in imaging technology have led to a significant increase in demand for radiology services. Many radiology groups are reporting year-over-year same-store growth in double digit numbers which is only exacerbating the physician shortage. This leads to more conversations with hospital administrators about increasing turnaround times as patient care is being impacted. Emergency department throughput decreases affecting hospitals’ revenue and patient satisfaction scores.
If all our groups are advertising on the same ACR job forum, what can each of us do to differentiate ourselves? What can our groups do to generate leads from prospective physicians? What can our groups do to convince these prospective physicians to join our group instead of the radiology group down the street or even across the country with whom they are also interviewing? And just as import: how do you retain the radiologists you already have so that you don’t have to recruit more physicians to replace the ones that are leaving?
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Focus on Work-Life Balance:
Offer flexible work schedules, remote work options, and generous time off benefits to attract talent seeking a better work-life balance.
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Do you offer flexible scheduling? Can someone make a morning dentist appt and then request an afternoon shift for that day with the expectation of getting that special request approved? Do you have a fair mechanism for dividing up the popular vacation weeks? Do you try to minimize each radiologist’s commute by scheduling them at locations that are nearest their homes? Do you allow for some employees or some shifts to work-from-home? What is your plan for maternity or parental leave for both staff and radiologists? |
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Foster a Positive Company Culture: Create a supportive and inclusive environment that values teamwork, diversity, and employee well-being.
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Every person in your company will be more loyal to your company, and therefore less likely to leave your company, if they feel like the company and its employees care about them as an individual. Do you send gift baskets for achievements like new babies, graduations, passing board exams, marriages? Do you send welcome and introduction announcements to all your physicians and staff when a new physician or employee joins your practice? Do you encourage your physicians, advanced practice providers, and staff to take all their allotted vacation each year? Do you host events or parties for all your staff to attend? Maybe a family picnic one weekend when the weather is nice. Maybe a big holiday party in December. Do you share the positive feedback that patients give you so that physicians and staff know that you care about them doing a great job? |
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Invest in Professional Development: Provide opportunities for continuing education, certifications, and specialized training to demonstrate commitment to employee growth and advancement. |
Encouraging your employees to attend industry conferences and other professional development opportunities allows for your physicians and staff to network and build relationships with like-minded individuals in their fields. If other attendees are looking for new jobs, they will see your employees and will know that your company supports their professional development. This could lead to a prospective employee interviewing with your company.
Attendees also learn about the latest trends, best practices, and innovations in the industries which leads to them being perceived as more knowledgeable and potentially an expert within your group. |
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Offer Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Ensure that salary packages, benefits, and perks are competitive with industry standards to attract top talent. |
Money talks as the saying goes. If two companies are perceived by a prospective employee as equal, the prospect will likely choose the one that offers a higher compensation package. If your group’s fee-for-service income is not high enough to allow for competitive salaries, then your group could explore other avenues of income. Do you have the physician and hospital support to start and host an ACGME program? The hospital will pay your group for the teaching hours and management of those residents. Will your hospital provide a stipend to your group? Stipends were very popular many years ago and then phased out. They’re once again becoming more popular as groups struggle to recruit new physicians. |
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Highlight Unique Value Proposition: Clearly articulate the unique selling points of your radiology group, such as cutting-edge technology, specialized services, or a strong reputation in the community. |
What makes your group different (and better!) than other radiology groups across the country? That is the information that should be listed in your job postings. What will the physician read on your job post that will cause them to click on that ‘Apply Now’ button? Do you use any AI products that help improve productivity, improve accuracy, or decrease fatigue? Do you have an easy system for communicating critical results to the ED and hospitalists? Do you have a rock-solid hospital PSA because of the strong reputation you’ve built and fostered? Do you have a high-tech PACS that your radiologists love to use? Enumerate any and all of these benefits in your job postings so that you can differentiate your group among the 1900 other job listings out there right now.
The radiology workforce shortage is a significant challenge that requires innovative solutions. By implementing strategies such as investing in employee development, fostering a positive company culture, and offering competitive compensation and benefits, radiology groups can attract and retain top talent. Further, by marketing your group’s differentiating factors, you can stand out among other hiring groups. |
Janene W. Markuske, MBA, FRBMA
President, FRBMA |
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Legislative Update |
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The Primary elections have been held and we now know that many of our friends made it successfully through their primary challenge. A much-watched race was Tom Leek for Senate and he handily beat his trial bar sponsored opponent. He still has a general election ahead of him, but he is continuing to work hard and I anticipate he will be successful.
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The General election is now underway and I will be working my way around the state delivering campaign checks and educating candidates about radiologists.
If anyone has any questions about races in their local areas, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Thanks, |
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 |
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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: Drs. Baran, Chen, Cook, Eber, Grainger, Hatton, Keller and Robinson.
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 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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