2025 March Ebrief of the FRS & FRBMA

Edition: March 2025

Table of Contents

Letter from the Editor |  FRS President's Message
FRBMA President's Message  |  Legislative Update
Martin Northup Resident Leadership Award  |  RLI Scholarship
Call for Volunteer FRS/FMA Delegates | FACR Application
Medicolegal Practice For Sale |  Job Posting Opportunities
Become a PAC Member

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.

Meet Your 2024 - 2025 FRS Executive Committee


President Juan Batlle, MD, FACR	President Elect Andrew Bowman, MD, PhD	Treasurer Edem Chen, MD


Secretary James Banks, MD	Past President Laura Vallow, MD	Radiation Oncology, Chair Jennifer Peterson, MD

Letter from the Editor
		Dear Colleagues, Stewardship of medical imaging, much like antibiotic stewardship is essential in maintaining high-quality care while ensuring the efficient use of resources. As technology advances and imaging becomes an increasingly integral part of diagnostics and treatment, the need for proper utilization is critical.
The ACR’s Appropriateness Criteria is a key example of appropriate use criteria (AUC) that provide evidence-based guidelines to help clinicians determine when medical imaging is necessary, ensuring that imaging procedures are ordered appropriately. These criteria are designed to guide healthcare providers in making the best decision for patient outcomes, minimizing radiation exposure, avoiding unnecessary tests, preventing overuse or misuse of imaging technologies, and ultimately improving patient care while reducing healthcare costs. Radiologists and referring clinicians must collaborate to ensure imaging is both clinically indicated and aligned with the latest guidelines. Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), enacted in 2014, is a crucial step toward improving the quality and efficiency of medical imaging services. The law mandates the use of AUC for Medicare patients, requiring providers to consult these criteria before ordering advanced imaging services. However, its full implementation remains a work in progress. The implementation of PAMA will standardize the use of AUC nationwide, enhancing consistency and ensuring that imaging decisions are based on the most current evidence. Preventing unnecessary testing has the potential to stem the exponential rise volumes of medical imaging in the face of workforce shortages and physician burnout. As we continue to navigate the complexities of medical imaging, it is essential that all stakeholders—radiologists, referring physicians, policymakers, and healthcare organizations—work together to embrace AUC and fully implement PAMA. By doing so, we can optimize imaging practices, reduce unnecessary tests, lower healthcare costs, and most importantly, improve patient care outcomes. Please take a few moments to write our Florida senators https://www.senate.gov/states/FL/intro.htm and your representative https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative to push for PAMA implementation. It is a cost saving ask and has already been enacted so there should be a positive reception to your endorsement. I also strongly encourage you to join the FRS delegation at the ACR annual meeting to participate in the ACR’s capitol hill day on May 7, 2025, where we will lobby for PAMA implementation as well as other key issues facing the house of radiology.
James Banks, MD Secretary, FRS

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FRS President's Message
		FRS members: the FRS is seeking to find out how frequently practices are being impacted by the newly implemented MOBILE Act, which went into effect July 2024. The details of the law are here: Click Here. It appears that this law was well-intended to provide "licensure by endorsement" for those already with other state licenses. You may be familiar with the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact which has expedited licensure reciprocity among its participating states for many years now.
However, the Florida Board of Medicine has interpreted this new law as requiring physicians with other state licenses to apply by this method (and not by the usual full application "licensure by examination"). See the following text from Click Here "For Licensure by Examination, applicants who do not hold a state license or who have not passed a national examination, the requirements are as follows and can be found in Chapter 458.311 F.S." Let's call this Rule 1. This sentence appears to prohibit applicants who already have a state license from applying "by Examination", meaning they must apply "by Endorsement". However, there are strict conditions for applying by endorsement. You cannot apply "by Endorsement" if you: 1) Have held the other state license for less than 3 years, 2) Have any disciplinary proceedings ongoing or any disciplinary actions with 5 years, 3) Have any reports to NPDB. If any of these exclusions apply, an out-of-state license holder cannot apply for endorsement. But that out-of-state license holder also cannot apply by examination because they already have another state license (see Rule 1 above). That applicant is stuck and unable to apply altogether. Someone with 2 years of a Pennsylvania license and no disciplinary action cannot apply for a license in Florida. Several groups have run into this issue with new hires, limiting the pool of radiologists and radiation oncologists available to Florida patients. Several FRS members and groups have made inquiries to clarify this language, but apparently there is no formal clarification from Florida forthcoming. If you have had issues with this, please email me at juancarlos98@gmail.com with anonymized details.
Juan Batlle, MD, FACR President, Florida Radiological Society

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FRBMA President's Message
		Florida RBMA Winter Retreat Recap Last month the Florida RBMA chapter held its annual Winter Retreat at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld hotel. We have held our retreat at this hotel for the past few years because it is very accommodating, and our attendees have always had positive things to say about the hotel. In total, we had 64 attendees of which about half were vendors and half were radiology group managers, up from 58 attendees in 2024, and 42 in 2023.
Our goal for next year is to personally reach out to radiology groups in Florida who are not active members in RBMA and/or who have not sent any managers to our events in the last few years to engage with them. A cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception on Thursday evening kicked off our event. It was very well attended and allowed vendors and radiology managers alike to network and mingle together. Many attendees went out to dinner with vendors after the reception. Our Florida RBMA exhibitor space is laid out unlike most other conferences; instead of a separate room, we put the exhibitors’ tables around the perimeter of the main conference room. This allows for more interactions during breaks between attendees and exhibitors because the attendees do not have to walk over to a different room. The vendors have also told us they appreciate this layout because it allows them to listen to the conference presentations. One suggestion we received from this winter’s retreat is that we need to build in more time for exhibitor/attendee interactions. Many of the attendees told us they did not have enough time to visit all the vendors with whom they wanted to speak. For next year, we are going to extend the Friday schedule by one hour to 5pm instead of 4pm. This will allow for longer breaks throughout the day where attendees can visit with exhibitors. We are also going to walk around the exhibitor space during the opening session to allow each vendor to give a quick 30-second elevator speech about their company. The speakers’ presentations at our conference were engaging, thought-provoking, and relevant. The presentations ranged from revenue cycle topics to operational and growth strategies topics to topics about physician operations. The speakers presented a kaleidoscope of ideas, making for a dynamic and engaging experience. Our annual joint conference with the Florida Radiological Society is July 11-13, 2025, in beautiful Fort Lauderdale. There is still time for vendors to register for sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor spaces. Please book your hotel soon as the block always sells out! The national RBMA conference, PaRADigm, is later this month at the Omni Hotel in Nashville. We look forward to seeing you at both conferences!
Janene W. Markuske, MBA, FRBMA President, FRBMA

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Legislative Update
	Happy March! The Legislative Session starts this Tuesday, March 4th and is scheduled to end May 2nd. This year’s residents, Drs. McKinnis, Jourdan, and Vera, along with President Dr. Batlle and RFS Chair, Dr. Eber will be in town to see the legislature in action this first week.
On the committee agenda for the first week is SB 158 by Senator Berman which she sponsored on behalf of the Koman organization. The Breast Imaging Workgroup has reviewed the bill, which was heard last year, and is neutral, though the preference would be to wait for the federal bill to pass. Unfortunately, our state legislators prefer not to wait for the feds. This bill will be heard on Wednesday March 5^th. As we are in opening week, are still seeing new bills hit the system. It is too early to predict what will happen, but one guarantee is that it is never dull!
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 second year Florida radiology resident who will be a third 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.

Thank you,

Jeffrey Stone, M.D., FACR

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2024 Annual Meeting of the
FRS & FRBMA

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.

FRS Meeting Registration

FRBMA Meeting Registration

RLI Scholarship

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, to apply Click Here. The early-bird pricing is $1450 for ACR members, so the scholarship would defray most of the registration cost.

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.

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Call for Volunteer FRS/FMA Delegates

The FRS is seeking volunteers to be an FMA delegate. These openings are on a first come, first serve basis. If you are an FMA and FRS member and want to be an FMA delegate to represent the FRS, please contact Lorraine Roger at lroger@edusymp.com

As an FMA/FRS Delegate you agree to attend the House of Delegates meeting to represent the interests of the FRS with other FMA/FRS delegates. Below is the FMA official description:

The FMA House of Delegates (House) is the legislative and business body of the FMA. Its members are the officers of the FMA, the elected members of the Board of Governors, and the delegates officially elected by the component societies, specialty societies, Specialty Society Section, Young Physicians Section, Medical Student Section, Resident & Fellow Section and the FMA Alliance. The House meets annually at a time and location determined by the FMA Board of Governors. It is the responsibility of the Speaker of the House to prepare the agenda and assure consideration and completion of its business.

The business of the formal sessions of House is established by a blend of tradition and requirements of the Association’s charter and bylaws, and includes:

Setting policy for the FMA by acting on recommendations from the Board of Governors and resolutions presented by component county medical societies, recognized specialty medical societies, special sections and delegates.
Hearing addresses and reports from the Treasurer, Speaker, and outgoing and incoming Presidents.
Presenting awards recognizing distinguished work by members of the FMA and others whom the FMA decides to honor.
Electing Officers, Board members and AMA Delegates.

The 2025 FMA Annual Meeting is scheduled for July 24-27, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, in Orlando, Florida.

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FACR Application
Want to be a fellow of the ACR? Please check your number of ACR years and review these criteria. If you believe you meet some of them in your year category, please contact lroger@edusymp.com with your CV and the reasons you believe you meet the criteria. We will review the information. If we agree, we will help you proceed with your ACR fellowship application process and Florida chapter nomination. If you are applying for Fellowship, please go to: FACR Application and Process. The Final Chapter Deadline to submit a completed application with endorsements is 5:00 pm ET on May 31^st. Sincerely,
Thank you, Joeph Cernigliaro, MD, FSAR, FACR Florida Chapter Fellowship Committee Chair

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SUBMIT AN
ARTICLE

Medicolegal Practice For Sale

Interested inquires please contact:
Mark Glickstein • 860-604-6955 • marcglick@yahoo.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
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

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.