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FRS Membership
Dues |
Please contact the American College of Radiology Membership Services at (800) 347-7748 to pay your 2025 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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Dear Colleagues,
As we all know, the ACR has so much to offer from education, leadership, advocacy, research, patient care, practice management, accreditation and more. With such a diverse menu of options, it can sometimes be easy to overlook some of their programs. I wanted to take the time to highlight the Radiology Leadership Institute to encourage all of you reading this to explore what they have to offer and take a course. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, strong leadership within radiology is more important than ever. |
The American College of Radiology’s Radiology Leadership Institute offers a comprehensive suite of programs designed to develop and support current and future leaders in our field, empowering them to enhance their clinical practice while driving strategic decision-making and innovation within their institutions.
What is the Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI)?
The RLI is an educational arm of the ACR focused on developing leadership skills tailored specifically to our unique challenges. It aims to provide radiologists and radiation oncologists with the necessary tools and knowledge to be effective leaders in both clinical and administrative roles. Whether you're an emerging leader or an experienced practitioner looking to refine your leadership skills, the RLI provides the tools, training, and resources to thrive in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. By engaging with the RLI, you will gain the skills needed to enact meaningful changes that improve patient care, advance interprofessional collaboration, and foster innovation.
What Does the RLI Offer?
- Leadership Development: The RLI offers an array of leadership training courses, from introductory to advanced levels, to help radiologists build essential skills. These programs cover topics such as team management, communication, conflict resolution, and change management.
- Executive Education and Certification: The RLI offers executive-level education, which equips participants with strategic thinking, financial acumen, and the skills needed to manage large teams and make impactful decisions at the organizational level.
- Networking Opportunities: With exclusive access to a network of fellow radiologists, radiation oncologists and healthcare professionals, participants can collaborate, share best practices, and form valuable professional relationships that can enhance their careers.
- Customized Programs: Understanding that radiologists’ career paths and leadership needs can vary, the RLI also offers customized educational experiences including live in person, live virtual and self-paced options that can be tailored to the unique goals and challenges of individual institutions or groups.
What Can Participants Gain from the RLI?
- Enhanced Leadership Skills: Gain a strong foundation in leadership strategies that are directly applicable to radiology settings, equipping participants to lead both people and projects effectively.
- Career Advancement: The RLI’s programs are designed to build a pathway to leadership roles within radiology departments, hospitals, and healthcare organizations. Those who complete the RLI programs are positioned for greater career opportunities.
- Confidence in Decision-Making: The RLI’s courses focus on developing critical thinking skills that are essential for making informed, data-driven decisions—particularly in high-pressure or rapidly changing environments.
- Impact on Healthcare Delivery: Effective leadership in radiology directly impacts the quality of patient care. By developing strategic skills, participants learn how to manage resources efficiently, advocate for innovation, and lead initiatives that improve healthcare outcomes.
- Continued Professional Growth: The RLI offers lifelong learning opportunities, ensuring that radiologists stay ahead of industry trends and continue to evolve as leaders throughout their careers.
How to Get Involved
Joining the RLI community is easy! Radiologists at any stage of their career can benefit from the resources the RLI provides. “Taking the Lead” Podcasts and ”RLI Power Hour” webinars are both free offerings from the RLI featuring advice from some of the greatest luminaries in our fields and engaging discussions on economics, politics, leadership, physician workforce, business management and other pressing topics that are integral to our professions.
For residents and fellows, there are scholarships available from the ACR through the Philips Emerging Leader Scholarship (deadline to apply for this is February 14. For ACR members, fees for other RLI programs are heavily discounted.
To learn more about upcoming programs, membership benefits, and registration, visit the RLI website or contact the ACR for more information.
I hope you take my advice and go check out these resources today. |
James Banks, MD
Secretary, FRS |
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FRS President's Message |
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Happy New Year to all our FRS members.One item I would like to bring to the attention of our YPS membership. If you have never attended a Radiology Leadership Institute event/course at the ACR and you are currently a YPS member, please consider applying for an FRS Scholarship of $1000 to attend the RLI Summit in September 2025. The early-bird pricing is $1450 for ACR members, so the scholarship would defray most of the registration cost.
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The deadline to receive applications is March 21, 2025. All applications will go through our Grant & Scholarship Committee to select a recipient for this scholarship award. Applicants should be prepared to commit to attending the September RLI Summit upon notification of scholarship award. The recipient of this scholarship award will receive notification in time to register at the Early Bird rate before the April 15th deadline.
Please reach out to Lorraine Roger by email at lroger@edusymp.com if you are interested in an application.The RLI offers a wide array of leadership-building content and exercises, and is just one of many excellent offerings the ACR has to help further the careers of its members.
We recently hosted the FRS winter board of directors meeting virtually and had a very productive session outlining the current and future efforts of the FRS. The program and registration for the summer FRS meeting in Ft. Lauderdale are now available so please sign up! Next month an FRS team will be visiting Tallahassee for State Capitol Hill Day -- if you have any state-specific concerns please reach out to me and let me know what you would like to be heard at the Capitol.
Thanks to all, and we wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2025. |
Juan Batlle, MD, FACR
President, Florida Radiological Society
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FRBMA President's Message |
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Florida’s New Medical Doctor Licensing Requirements
If your group has not hired any new physicians (MDs) from outside Florida within the last few months, you may not be familiar with our new licensing perils. The Mobile Opportunity by Interstate Licensure Endorsement (MOBILE) Act, also known as Senate Bill 1600, went into effect in Florida on July 1, 2024. The goal of this bill was to make it easier for foreign medical graduates as well as medical doctors licensed in other states to practice medicine in Florida.
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But it doesn’t do that. In fact, it does quite the opposite.
As of January 1, 2025, there are two pathways to obtaining a Florida medical doctor license:
Licensure by Examination – Florida Statute 458.311
Under the new Licensure by Examination pathway, the physician must not hold a valid (full/attending) medical license in any state.
The applicant must also meet one of the unchanged education criteria about attending a U.S. medical school or approved AMG foreign school, having a valid Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate plus two years of residency, or completing a 5th pathway program.
Licensure by Endorsement – The MOBILE Act – Florida Statute 456.0145
Under the Licensure by Endorsement pathway, the physician must meet all the following criteria:
- Must hold an active, unencumbered license issued by another state, D.C., or U.S. territory; and
- Must have actively practiced the profession for at least three years during the four years immediately preceding the date of submission of this application; and
- No medical malpractice claims reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB); and
- Must not have had disciplinary action taken in the five years immediately preceding the date of submission of the application (as reported to the NPDB); and
- Has never had a medical license revoked or suspected by another jurisdiction, and has never voluntarily surrendered any such license in lieu of having disciplinary action taken against the license; and
- Must not have been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings in any jurisdictions where the applicant is currently licensed; and
- Passes a background check that includes fingerprinting; and
- Pays the licensing, application, and NICA fees (approx. $1,000); and
- Has never been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to any felony or misdemeanor related to the practice of a health care profession; and
- Must have passed all parts of a national examination (NBME, FLEX, or USMLE).
Former Licensure by Endorsement (discontinued and removed from Florida statutes as of 12/31/2024):
After having passed all parts of a national examination (NBME, FLEX, or USMLE), a medical doctor could apply for a medical license by meeting the following criteria:
One of the following, plus the same educational criteria that is in effect starting on January 1, 2025:
- Licensed in another jurisdiction and actively practiced medicine in another jurisdiction for at least two of the immediately preceding four years; or
- Successfully completed a board-approved postgraduate training program within two years preceding the filing of the application.
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Implications of Licensing Changes:
Scenario #1 – you are a current interventional radiology fellow in Texas applying for a license in Florida. You currently hold a medical license in Texas since you moonlight during your fellowship. You also previously held a medical license in Oklahoma where you did your residency because you did some moonlighting during your residency.
You are not eligible for the Licensure by Examination pathway because you hold an active medical license in Texas. Therefore, you must attempt to apply under the Licensure by Endorsement (The MOBILE Act) pathway. The problem with this new Licensure by Endorsement pathway is that you must prove that you have three years of active employment in your field.
You’ve been moonlighting for the last six months during your fellowship. During your residency, you also moonlighted during your PGY-4/R3 and PGY-5/R4 years. That adds up to 2.5 years. Did you moonlight during your PGY-3/R2 year? And more importantly, can you prove it (e.g. provide paystubs)?
No, you didn’t moonlight during your R2 year? Well, then you need to withdraw your application. You will not be able to apply until after you have three years of employment within your scope of practice. You will have to apply this coming July after you’ve reached three years of employment and hopefully get approved in August so that you can then apply for expedited hospital credentials. Maybe you’ll start working in October or November. That puts a damper on your bank account as well as a staffing strain on any hospital or practice looking to hire you.
Scenario #2 – You have been working as a radiologist in Illinois for fifteen years, so you must apply for a Florida medical license under the Licensure by Endorsement pathway. Unfortunately, you have a settled medical malpractice claim from a few years ago where your insurance paid on your behalf.
Unfortunately, you have no pathway to becoming licensed in the state of Florida. The current MOBILE Act prohibits physicians with claims reported to the NPDB from becoming licensed. The law must be changed before you can become licensed.
What Now? How Do We Fix This Law?
The Florida legislature will need to amend the law to provide for some flexibility within these two pathways. The harsh reality is that if this law is not amended, hospitals and physician groups will only be able to recruit physicians who already hold a Florida license (e.g. those already employed within the state), recruit candidates from Florida-based radiology residency programs who decide to stay in Florida, or recruit from the significantly smaller pool of radiologists with Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees.
Residents outside of Florida are mostly already licensed in their residency state to do moonlighting for extra cash, so they would need to prove three years of employment before applying for a Florida license.
Any physician with any malpractice claim reported to the NPDB will be disqualified from Florida licensure. Few physicians in our industry have squeaky-clean NPDB profiles. Given that our full-time radiologists read anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000 radiology exams per year, that is 15,000 to 30,000 opportunities to get sued each year.
The licensing requirements for the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) did not change to reflect the MD licensing changes. It seems like all our groups will be exclusively recruiting DO radiologists for the short term. May the odds be ever in your favor!
You can look up your local state senator and your local state representative to encourage them to help draft a bill and/or support a new bill that amends the current MD licensing requirements by the MOBILE Act. Hopefully, our vocal opposition to this new law will cause a swift change to the licensing requirements… otherwise, the radiologist shortage we’re all already experiencing will be exacerbated. |
Janene W. Markuske, MBA, FRBMA
President, FRBMA |
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Legislative Update |
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Legislative Session starts in less than five weeks on March 4th. Tallahassee has experienced a record snow in the Capitol City which cancelled all committee meetings last week in the Capitol.
The Governor decided to call a special session with several legislative issues in the call including immigration, condo reform, and several other issues.
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The Legislature did not want to meet on these issues in a special session and wanted to wait for regular session as they have a lot of committee meetings to get through to be ready for the regular session. The Governor was insistent so he called them into special session. There was a lot of speculation as to what would happen next.
The Speaker and Senate President gaveled in their respective bodies into Special Session A. Then they procedurally tabled all his issues, overrode a budget veto and then both chambers adjourned.
They then called themselves into Special Session B with the call being just immigration. They passed their version of the immigration bill with input from the President. They then adjourned late Tuesday night and went home. The bill has not made it to the Governor’s desk yet but he has stated he will veto the bill when he has it in his possession.
The Governor has been hosting round tables across the state bashing the Speaker, Senate President, Agriculture commissioner and members of the legislature.
Needless to say , It will be a very contentious session ahead. This is politics and will spill over to the legislative issues in the upcoming session. It definitely will not be dull.
On the legislative front several bills related to mammography have been filed. The Woman’s Imaging committee has been reviewing the bills and relaying their comments to me. All of them have been tremendously helpful.
More bills are being filed daily so there will be more ahead to work on for certain. The political climate will make it all very interesting.
Thanks to all for their help and support.
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Best,
Alison Dudley Lobbyist, FRS
AlisonDudley@dudleyandassociates.com |
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Martin Northup Resident Leadership Award |
H. Martin Northup Resident Leadership Award - A scholarship opportunity for Florida Diagnostic Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Medical Physicist 2nd year Residents or graduate students.
Martin Northup was very committed to radiology resident education and advancement. To eternally honor and remember him, the board of the FRS Foundation has established a special award bearing his name, the “H Martin Northup Resident Leadership Award.” During the FRS annual meeting, a $1,500 award will be given to a 2nd year Florida radiology resident who will be a 3rd year at the time of the fellowship. During the FRS Annual Meeting, the resident will have an officer mentor and will attend all functions including the board meeting. The goal is to develop future leaders in Radiology and develop promising residents to assume greater roles in the society, such as President of the Resident and Fellow’s Section. The award recipient will be chosen for the 2025 Annual Meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 11-13, 2025 by the Scholarships and Grants committee based on a competitive application process.
Please check with your Program Director to be considered for this opportunity and to complete the application. Return your completed application to lroger@edusymp.com before end of business on May 15, 2025 in order to be considered for this award.
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Thank you,
Jeffrey Stone, M.D., FACR
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2024 Annual Meeting of the
FRS & FRBMA |
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| Please join the Florida Radiological Society and the Florida Radiology Business Management Association for the 2025 Annual Meeting at The Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, July 11-13, 2025. The meeting will focus on “Beyond the Screen: Creativity and Vision in Modern Radiology Practice” and will feature lectures by faculty who are leaders in the practice of radiology. We look forward to seeing you in July. |
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FACR Application |
Although there are multiple pathways to ACR Fellowship, by providing opportunities for leadership and involvement, chapters give members an opportunity for recognition as an ACR Fellow. This designation is attained by only an estimated 10 percent of radiologists that belong to the ACR and represents a significant career accomplishment. Chapters also serve as a vital link for recommendation of candidates for ACR Fellowship to the ACR Committee on Fellowship.
If you think you meet these criteria and wish to apply to become an ACR fellow with Florida chapter nomination please contact the FRS at lroger@edusymp.com. Years in training do not count as member years.
More information can be found by visiting the ACR website at: Click Here
If you are applying for Fellowship, the Chapter Deadline is May 31st!
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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.
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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