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F S P M R |
HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA SOCIETY OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION Prepared: May 2000 Submitted by: Justine
Vaughen, MD 1962 Organizational meeting of
the group that would become the Florida Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Miami. Seven
physiatrists attended: Drs. Pedro
Arroyo, Norman Borkin, George Cunningham (Palm Beach), William Fleming,
Arthur Pasach ( Tampa), Stansky (or
Nixon) (Bay Pines VA) and Bruce Sutton (Coral Gables VA). The original Constitution
of the FSPMR (corrected in 1974) had outlined qualifications for active
membership as being a graduate of program in medicine and surgery, legally
qualified to practice medicine and with a special interest in Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation according to the principles of the American Congress of PMR.
That phrase acknowledged the fact that certain valued members of the
Society were not board-certified. Dr. Pasach remembers that
Dr. Fleming put together the first set of By-Laws, and that they met around a
poker table and adjourned after the meeting for BBQ ribs and corn at Shortys.
Dr. Pasach, who had come to Tampa in 1958, was elected the first
President, Dr Cunningham the Secretary. Meetings were very collegial, consisting
of a scientific case reports and discussion of mutual problems. 1963
Dr Pedro Arroyo was elected
President. He had arrived in Miami in 1959 as the Medical Director of the
Rehabilitation Center for Crippled Children and Adults ( Easter Seal) and found
the local reputation of PMR to be very poor, as rehabilitation was seen to be
the province of Orthopedics. Serving as consultant to the VA and the School of
Medicine, he continued to pioneer the specialty, writing for the Journal of the
Florida Medical Association and securing a grant from Vocational Rehabilitation
for a yearly course in Principles of Rehabilitation
for non-physiatrists. Drs Nila Covalt had been in
Winter Park, and Harriet Gillette in Gainesville in 1958-9, but did not travel
to Miami for Society meetings. Dr Burton Parker came to Winter Park in 1957,
Justine Vaughen started practice in Gainesville in 1961. Each one of these
doctors faced an uphill battle in gaining respect and acceptance for the
specialty, although patients and service providers welcomed the new specialty
with enthusiasm. Here exists a great gap in
records and in memory. 1965-67 Officers: President Dr Justine Vaughen, (Vice Pres ?) 1973
(President ?, V.President
Dr David Lipkin (?) Dr Frank Moreau Secy-Treas 1974
New Constitution and
By-Laws adopted. The qualifications for Active membership now specified board
certification. Associate membership granted to board-eligible candidates and
Affiliate membership to residents in training. 1974-76 (President Dr. Lipkin, V. President Dr. Moreau?) 1976-78
(President Dr. Moreau?) 1980s
During Dr. Pasachıs term
as President, the Neurologic Injury Compensation Association (NICA) was enacted,
and a significant focus of Society attention was the push toward tort reform. 1982-84
Luis DeLerma was
Secretary-Treasurer 82-83; Vice pres and Program chair 83-84. 1984-86
Dues $25. Dr Frank Moreau
Membership Chair 1986-8
Officers installed:
President Dr Richard Chidsey, VP Dr Dorothea Glass, Secretary-Treasurer Dr
Justine 1986
May annual meeting: Program
on Hyperbaric O2, chronic pain. 51
members (61 known physiatrists in 1988-90 Officers installed:
President Dr Dorothea Glass, VP Dr David Lipkin, Secretary-Treasurer Dr Enrique 1988
May, annual meeting Safety
Harbor 15 members attended. Society has 37 members. Dues increased to $50. Medicare screens proposed,
excluding rehabilitation. Dr Lipkin Chair of new Committee on Professional
Reimbursement. FMA terminates FSPMR
affiliation because not all FSPMR members are FMA members. Some are employed by
VA which does not require FMA membership 1989 May Meeting. 49 members; 6 attended. Dr Pasach
Sec-Treasurer 1989 FSPMR decides not rejoin
FMA. To include VA physiatrists,
starts Florida Association of PMR. With otherwise identical membership and
structure, the meetings were to be held conjointly. 1989
November meeting with AAPMR,
5 attended. 1990 Feb meeting. Program chair
Lipkin arranged 3 speakers on RSD (neurologist from Jefferson, 1990-92 Officers installed:
President Dr David Lipkin, VP Dr Justine Vaughen, Secretary-Treasurer Dr Tony
Dorto. 1990
May Dues 65 Members 62 Increasing Committee
activity. Liaison to AAPMR (Eichberg) Professional Practices (Moreau), Program (Pasach),
FMA-legislative Liaison (Villalobos) Residency training program
effort initiated at Miami (Glass) 1990 Sept 22 Meeting
14 attended Dr Lipkin survey results: MC claims 40% paid; 30%
downcoded; 30%denied 1990 November President Lipkin
initiated discourse with BCBS in Jacksonville re Medicare screens. Offered to
develop educational seminar. Drs Glass, Lipkin, Pasach and Vaughen were active
in this effort. 1991
April 20 Spring meeting
25 attended. @ cost $1479. Treasury:
$8635. PMR residency for Miami 1991-92
Stepped up efforts to
modify proposed Medicare screens. 1991
October meeting with AAPMR,
Washington, DC. 12 attended.
Treasury $6133. FSPMR representatives (DePaz, Moreau, Freed, Vaughen) met with
Senators Mack and Graham as part of Legislative visitation through AAPMR. Their
aides contacted HCFA on our behalf, resulting in changes to HCFA ruling. 1991
March Treasury $ 9817. 1992 February
BCBS responds to HCFA changes. 1992 March/28 Program jointly
sponsored by FMA for CME: Controversies in Management of Low Back Pain (Spinal
injection: Dr Wasserberger, Myofascial Release: Dr DePaz, Acupuncture: Chang) 35
attended 61members For the first time, meeting
partially sponsored by vendor company 1992-94 President Dr J. Vaughen, VP
Dr R.Eichberg, Sec.-Treas. Dr O.DePaz 1992
October
incorporated as 501 (c) (6) non-profit corporation (business league
professional association) Concerns of the Society
include proposed P.T. practice act which permitted treatment without physician
prescription Of 147 physiatrists in
Florida, 92 are FSPMR members November 92 with AAPMR San
Francisco 103 members Society agrees to contract
with Executive Director (Lorry Davis) Education Committee reports
1) One month rotation at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (Thorsteinsson) 1993
February FSPMR invited to
participate in CPAC ( Carrier Physician Advisory Council) for establishing
Medicare B benefits. (Drs Villalobos, Vaughen) As AAPMR Liaison Councilor
Dr Freed spearheads FSPMR member assignments to discuss basic benefit packages
with members of Florida House-Senate Healthcare Committee 1993
March 12 meeting Orlando.
Speakers Brian Klepper on Quality Patient Care in Managed Care March 24 PMR Page
newsletter makes its # 2 issue (Editor Lorry Davis) 1993
April 17 Educational
Conference Tampa (Eichberg) 32 attended Silicone Implant Arthritis 1993
September FSPMR invited to
participate in Clinical Practice Panel for Practice Parameters (Vaughen,
Eichberg) for Florida and for AAPMR. Parameters for diagnosis and management of
diseases, disorders in which PMR should participate are reviewed. Committee
recommendations are forwarded to HCFA. 1993 November 3 Meeting with AAPMR Miami. Speaker: Robert Altieri on Contract Negotiations in Todayıs Marketplace. 20 attend. Treasury $9,144. Exec Davis: AHCA proposes
seminar on Contemporary Crises and Ethical Dilemmas. Dr Freed (AAPMR Liaison)
creates position paper for Floridaıs CHPAs (Community Health Purchasing
Association) through ACHA urging that rehabilitation be included in Basic
Services Package. FSPMR votes to form PLAC (Physiatric
Legislative Action Committee) to establish lobbying activity through a Trust.
Drs. Freed, Haddock, Imfeld, Hunter explore locating lobbyist (Staver
Group) contracted at $ 26,500/yr. Membership assessment is initiated. Working also to have Worker
Compensation Law changed to include Physiatrists as gatekeepers (Drs. Hunter,?) University of Miami
expected to start first resident class of 2-4 in 1994. Society voted to rejoin FMA
Council on Specialty Medicine ( Dr Imfeld) since FMA membership rules relaxed,
and support contributing to Provider Breakout Section of Fl WC Educational
Conference (Dr Hunter) 1994-96 Officers installed: President Rodolpho Eichberg, VP Oscar
DePaz, Secretary-Treasurer Craig Lichtblau. 1994 May 21 meeting in
conjunction with FMA 23 members
attended. Speaker Dr Paul Reier of UF on Dr Glass announced that U
Miami residency program plans cancelled; UF recruiting for PMR faculty member
but no residency program. National trend is away from specialty education. Dr Vaughen summarized State
of the Society: Membership 107 ( half of the reported number in state) compared
to 40 members 2 years earlier; New
initiatives in political arena have led our colleagues to consider FSPMR the
leader and coordinator of our joint legislative efforts, and the image of the
Society has increased accordingly. 1994 July: FMA notified that
FSPMR was granted a voting seat on Council of Specialty Medicine and FMA House
of Delegates. 1994
September meeting at Fl WC Educational Conference. Treasury $ 9,340.
Reports received from Council on Specialty Medicine (Imfeld), Practice
Parameters Committee (Eichberg), CPAC (Villalobos) and PLAC (Freed). The Trust
has a $ 5800. deficit. Payment of member assessments urged. 1994
November
Meeting in conjunction with AAPMR in Anaheim CA. Discussion of the amount
of market share physicians can maintain through health care reform. 1995
June 2
Conjoint Meeting with Occupational Medicine.. CME: Maintaining the
Delivery of Quality Health Care for Injured
Employees under Managed Care. FSPMR Treasury
$10, 053. 107 members. $10,300. contributed to
various legislators from PLAC Trust. 1995
July
Lobbyist brought to Society attention that legislature proposed a rule to
license physician offices doing comprehensive rehab, for $ 400-1500 annual fee.
Blocked successfully. 1995
November 11
Meeting in Orlando, 37 members attending.
Program CME activity PHO vs
Physician-managed networks. Treasury $ 5846. Dues
increase to $ 100. Additional $100. PLAC assessment voted. Voted to share and
staff a booth with Occupational Medicine at annual Fl Worker Comp Educational
Conference 1996-8
Officers installed:
President Oscar DePaz, VP Mitchell Freed, Secretary Karen Williams, Treasurer
Allen Novick. 1996
May Meeting in Orlando in
conjunction with FMA . FSPMR has 121 members( 200 in state). Treasury $6494.
Report on RBRVS for WC patients. By-laws revision underway
(Glass). President DePaz plans to
visit 4 regional forums to tap input from all members. Dr Eichberg reviewed
progress: During his term of office, FSPMR met with FMA for first time and
secured a seat on Council of Specialty Medicine. Clinical Care Guidelines being
developed with our input. The first time that AAPMR
tapped a state society to serve as official hosts for the national meeting (
1997 in Orlando). Net membership increased from 107 to121. 1996
Sept 9.
Meeting Orlando 18 members attending. Three legislative
objectives for 1997: 1) Reasonable
provisions to expand patient choice and preserve MD-patient relationships 2)
uniform credentialing 3) monitor expansion of all health professions scope of
practice. 1996 October 10
Meeting Chicago in conjunction with AAPMR. 14 members attending. Treasury
$ 5,898. Exec Director Davis to
attend legislature once weekly during legislative session, once
monthly otherwise. Start broadcast Fax of PMR
Page weekly for the 8-week legislative session. Her contract fee increased;
formal contract with lobbyist ended. 1997
May 31 Meeting
Bal Harbour with FMA. Treasury $ 6057.
121 members. Program Practicing PMR in the Subacute Setting including
definition, accreditation, contracting and use of physician-extenders. 1997
September in conjunction
with Fl WC Educational Conference. 10 members present. FSPMR membership 125.
Discussion of RBRVS fee schedule, Practice Parameters, soft diagnoses. 1997
November meeting with AAPMR
in Orlando. 26 members attending. Treasury $ 5775. Reports: Exec. Dir. Davis
presented FSPMRıs WC Gatekeeper
initiative to the Council of State PMR Presidents. Pres. DePaz appointed to
AAPMR Health Care Policy and Legislative Committee. 1998-2000 Officers installed:
President Mitchell Freed, VP Oregon Hunter, Secretary Jairo Parada, Treasurer
Carlos Oteyza. 1998
May Meeting Orlando 15
members attending. New By-Laws accepted.
Reports from Healthcare Policy and Legislation (DePaz), Council on Specialty
Medicine: No expansion of providers scope of practice act. Only physiatrists to
review cases involving PMR practice 1998 November with AAPMR in
Seattle. 12 members, 3 guests (residents) attending. Networking, no business
meeting. 1999 May with FMA. 17 members
attending. Membership 134 Program
on Complex Sympathetic Pain Syndromes (RSD) by Dr
Joseph Uricchio and on Being a Medical Witness by Nancy Cavey/ Dorothy Sims. Reports that Medicare is
working on Prospective Payment for rehabilitation and caps on service provided. Division of Worker
Compensation, Physician-Customer Council, has physiatry represented by Dr
Hunter. 1999
October 2 with FMA, at Bal
Harbour. Program on Use of Opioids
for Long- term Management of Chronic Pain ( Dr Fishbain). 2000 FSPMR.org website
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