President's Message

april 2023

Dear Florida Chapter Members,

This month I want to focus my message on advocacy, what the chapter is doing and how you can participate. First, is to report to you about my trip to the Capitol in Tallahassee to serve as Doctor of the Day for the Senate. This is a unique opportunity for physicians to use your clinical skills while also making connections with the Legislature. The basic setup is: within the Capitol, there is a small clinic, about the size and scope of a clinic you would find in a high school. There are nurses on site who have a protocol for basic care such as: providing OTC meds, checking vitals, or giving a nebulizer treatment. If there is something that warrants a doctor's attention, they will call you, but otherwise you are free to experience the Capitol. During my day, I did get called once (for a minor trauma, nothing cardiac), but I was also able to meet with my Senator as well as our lobbying team. There are not a lot of bills related specifically to cardiology this session, but I did talk with Senator Keith Perry about reform of prior authorization and support for expanded availability of AED’s in Florida schools.

If you would like to serve as Doctor of the Day next year, let me know and I am happy to discuss further. Also, the Chapter is willing to reimburse your travel for up to $500 for any physician who volunteers.

A couple of years ago, the Florida Legislature amended the statutes on pharmacy practice (Section 465.1865) allowing pharmacists to enter into collaborative practice agreements to manage certain chronic conditions. Currently, pharmacists in Florida can manage hypertension, anticoagulation, and hyperlipidemia in such collaborative agreements with physicians. In the past, the Florida Chapter made the evidence-based case to the the Board of Pharmacy that HEART FAILURE should not be included as one of the chronic conditions. We remain concerned that the Board of Pharmacy may add heart failure to the list. Based on your feedback, the Florida Chapter leadership is working to ensure this will not be added to the list of conditions. Read more here.

Sincerely,

David Winchester, MD, MS, FACC

President, Florida Chapter ACC

The FCACC meeting (right here in your backyard) is a great way to hear about the newest technology, learn about the changes that will affect your practice today and tomorrow, and get together with other Florida cardiologists.

Don't fly across to the country to hear these experts. Come to your chapter meeting!

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