Pertinent Information

Is your 2023 HCMA membership renewal past due?

If you are not sure if you paid your 2023 membership dues, please contact Asta Orthman, HCMA Membership Coordinator, or call the HCMA office at 813.253.0471. Your dues can also be easily and securely paid online by visiting the HCMA website and logging into your account. If you haven’t paid your dues yet, please don’t delay! Drop date is March 31st.  

HCMA Installation Dinner

Tuesday, May 9, 2023 

6:30pm - The Westshore Grand

Dr. Michael Cromer will be installed as HCMA's 120th President, officers and representatives will be announced, and FMA President, Dr. Joshua Lenchus, will be our special guest. Sponsors: The Bank of Tampa, Florida Blue, MCMS Inc. Insurance Trust. For more information, contact the HCMA office (813.253.0471),  or email Anni Blackwell.  Registration details are forthcoming.

Physician loan assistance program launched February 1, 2023

The Department of Health launched the Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical Education (FRAME) Program to assist eligible healthcare practitioners with the repayment of medical education student loans. An annual appropriation of nearly $6.6 million for the FRAME Program was secured during the 2022 Legislative Session.

The Department will accept applications through Friday, March 31, 2023. Applications will be evaluated, and selections will be made on or before June 1, 2023. The eligibility guidelines and the required submission forms are listed on the FRAME website.

Medical COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) new overview fact sheet

As part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) ongoing efforts to provide up-to-date information to prepare for the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, which is expected on May, 11, 2023, they are providing a new overview fact sheet on CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.  COVID-19 efforts have been a significant priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and with the use of whole-of-government approach, the country is in a better place. Over the next several months, CMS will work to ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations.

The CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the Transition Forward from the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency provides clarity on several topics including:

• COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatments;
• Telehealth services;
• Health Care Access

In the coming weeks, CMS will be hosting stakeholder calls and office hours to provide additional information. Please visit the CMS Emergencies Page for continuous updates regarding PHE sunsetting guidance as information becomes available to the public.

Hospitals bear the brunt of financial fallout from COVID - but there is an opportunity here to try new strategies to cope

This year, March brings with it a joyless anniversary. It's been a long, arduous 3 years since the onset of the pandemic that overwhelmed our nation's hospitals and health systems. And, as of February 1, 2023, it resulted in a staggering 1,106,824 deaths in the U.S. When the federal government's Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 expires in mid-May, the country will enter a post-pandemic transition phase. What will this look like? Are we really out of the woods? Read more.

Not enough data to support multiple annual COVID boosters, CDC advisers say

There is not sufficient evidence to recommend more than one COVID-19 booster shot a year for older people and those with weakened immune systems, an expert advisory group to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday. The COVID-19 working group of the CDC's Advisory Committee For Immunization Practices (ACIP) supported an annual booster campaign, likely in the fall, especially for populations considered at high risk. Read more.

FDA authorizes the first at-home test for COVID-19 and the flu

With a shallow nasal swab, the single-use kit can provide results within 30 minutes indicating whether a person is positive or negative for COVID, as well as influenza A and influenza B, which are two common strains of the flu. Read more.

Learn the art of effective physician leadership

The FMA is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Karl M. Altenburger, MD Physician Leadership Academy, the FMA's premier professional development program. This intensive, 10-month program helps emerging physician leaders develop the non-clinical skills they need to be effective advocates for their profession and their patients. “It’s been an extraordinary experience,” said Mamta Patel, MD, one of the current class members featured in this highlight video.

Selected participants will be invited to attend five in-person, facilitated sessions beginning Saturday, Oct. 7, along with virtual learning activities throughout the year. The FMA Foundation for Healthy Floridians will cover expenses for materials, lodging, sponsored meals, and speaker fees.* Only FMA member physicians who practice in the state of Florida will be considered. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 9. *The Foundation for Healthy Floridians/FMA will reimburse for one night’s lodging per session at the contracted single-room rate reserved through the hotel website.

A Project in Cultural Representation in Healthcare

Reena Angela Martinez, BSN, RN, OCN, a current nurse practitioner student at the University of Florida who will graduate with her DNP in May, is implementing a project for her program: cultural representation in healthcare. Her project is to create diabetes educational resources for the Filipino American community in the Tampa/St. Pete metro area. One of the aspects she is researching is providing this helpful tool for both Filipino and non-Filipino providers to understand Filipino patients and culture better. Participation would include watching 3 short videos, all under 10 minutes, and filling out a questionnaire after each video. If you are interested in participating or learning more about her project, please contact Ms. Martinez via email: reenamartinez.dnp@gmail.com 

HCMA Government Affairs Committee

The HCMA's Government Affairs Committee (GAC) is gearing up for another busy legislative season. 

• The GAC, in conjunction with the FMA, has compiled a list of 2023 Legislative Priorities, that will be presented to our legislators locally, through our Key Contact program, and in Tallahassee.
• The GAC is coordinating a contingency of members to visit Tallahassee on April 18th which is during the 2023 Legislative Session. This one-day event includes a meeting with FMA legislative experts to brief attendees on the important issues of the day and appointments will be secured for our contingency to meet with legislators and/or their administrative staff.  Members often arrive in Tallahassee the evening prior to the scheduled day at the Capitol.
• If you are interested in joining the GAC contingency in their visit to Tallahassee, contact Elke Lubin or call the HCMA office: 813.253.0471.

Become an Editorial Board member

The Editorial Board for HCMA's publication, The Bulletin, will be meeting on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Dr. David Lubin, Editor, is inviting any member interested in participating and learning more about The Bulletin and the Editorial Board to attend. Attendees can participate in person at the HCMA office or via ZOOM. The meeting discussion will include writing assignments for the 2023-2024 volume of The Bulletin. When submitting articles, please stay clear of overly-scientific/specialty-specific articles as our audience spans all specialties. Previous issues can be found HERE.  RSVP for the meeting by clicking here.

HCMA Annual Membership Directory - now accepting ads

Promote your practice to your colleagues and to the public.  The HCMA Annual Membership Directory, published each summer, lists all members alphabetically and practicing physicians are listed by primary specialty. The Directory is printed and mailed to all Active HCMA members and is also posted on the HCMA website. Physicians can enhance their listing and/or secure additional advertising space.  Members receive a discounted rate to advertise.  Details can be found HERE.

HCMA Physician Family Alliance

The HCMA Physician Family Alliance is a group of physicians, spouses, partners, family members, resident physicians, medical students, and their parents whose aim is to promote good health and health education, engage in charitable community endeavors, and foster friendly relations among physicians’ families and the communities in which we live. They enjoy gathering throughout the year to socialize in a supportive atmosphere and support the HCMA Foundation and initiatives consistent with their mission. Please consider joining the HCMA PFA. For more information, you can contact Bill Butler (PFA President), Michael Kelly (PFA Treasurer/Secretary), or John Hotchkiss (PFA Membership/Outreach).

Florida Department of Health - Hillsborough County

The newest edition of the Community Newsletter is now available.  If you have any questions concerning information in this newsletter, please contact Mandy Chan, MPH, CHES, Senior Health Educator, 813.559.4153.

Have you created your HCMA profile yet?

In order to make use of our innovative new database and all of its features, all HCMA members need to create a password for their profile.

By setting up your profile, it will ensure that you have full access to our website in which you can update your office information, your home mailing address, RSVP to our events, pay dues, and receive all future correspondence from the HCMA.

Please follow these few simple steps to set up your profile:

• Log in to your HCMA account at www.hcma.net 
• Click the orange sign-in icon located in the upper right-hand corner 
• Enter your email address - IF YOU HAVE NOT CREATED A PASSWORD YET, click the "forgot password" link and follow the instructions. 

If you have any questions please contact Anni Blackwell.