For more information on RXNT, click here.

For more information on VitalMD, click here.

The e-commerce giant is pushing deeper into health care delivery with 24/7 telehealth through a virtual clinic launched last fall. Users can compare prices and response times before picking a provider from several options.

Between inflation, reimbursement declines and Medicare pay cuts, physician pay is struggling to keep up.

Additionally, CMS floated a 3.34 percent conversion factor decrease in its proposed Medicare physician fee schedule for 2024, which could mean an even starker decline in physician pay.

The state Department of Health documented nearly 3,000 more cases per week over the two weeks ending July 20 compared with the prior five weeks.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise nationwide, and Florida has one of the highest rates of increase.

In its most recent report, the Florida Department of Health documented nearly 10,000 new cases for the week ending July 20. The week prior had over 9,500 new cases.

That is compared with just over 6,000 new cases a week at the start of June. Cases have been rising steadily for the past five recorded weeks — what one health official called the first increase in a couple of months.

Popular e-cigarettes lack packaging that stops kids from consuming the hazardous nicotine inside.

Hospital toxicologist Ryan Marino has seen up close the violent reactions of children poisoned by liquid nicotine from electronic cigarettes. One young boy who came to his emergency room experienced intense nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, and needed intravenous fluids to treat his dehydration.

Kids can also become dizzy, lose consciousness, and suffer dangerous drops in blood pressure. In the most severe case he’s seen, doctors put another boy on a ventilator in the intensive care unit because he couldn’t breathe, said Marino, of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Thousands of kids a year are exposed to the liquid nicotine in e-cigarettes, also known as vapes. For a toddler, even a few drops can be fatal.

Kids are focusing too close for too long and their eyes are actually growing to focus the light for things that are near. But it’s blurring their vision for distance.

Increased exposure to screens, like smartphones and tablets, is causing myopia, or nearsightedness, to become more common among children at younger ages.

Five physicians joined Becker's to discuss their side gigs, or lack thereof.

For more information, click here. 

The Florida Medical Association (FMA) has announced they will be providing the 8-hour, required DEA continuing education requirement through their CME portal: www.flmedical.org.

Here is the clickable link to the FMA site for further information and courses. Signing in is required, membership is not required.

Gas stoves are a health risk. This is true especially for children and the elderly. People who live in homes with gas stoves have more asthma, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. This month, the Society’s My Green Doctor provides a short article (visit https://mygreendoctor.org/learn-the-health-risks-of-gas-stoves/) on this vital topic (reading time: 5 mins).

The ability to prescribe controlled substances based on telehealth patient visits was set to expire when the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ends on Thursday, May 11^th. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initially issued two proposed rules establishing new policies for controlled substance prescriptions based on telehealth visits, one for buprenorphine and one for other controlled substances. After receiving more than 38,000 comment letters, however, the DEA has decided to extend [federalregister.gov] the same policies that have been in place during COVID for an additional 6 months, until November 11, 2023.

·    The deadline for satisfying this new training requirement is the date of a practitioner’s next scheduled DEA registration submission—regardless of whether it is an initial registration or a renewal registration—on or after June 27, 2023.

·    This one-time training requirement affirmation will not be a part of future registration renewals.

·    How can practitioners satisfy this new training requirement?

·    There are multiple ways that practitioners can satisfy this new training requirement.

·    Treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, including the appropriate clinical use of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of a substance use disorder; or

·    Safe pharmacological management of dental pain and screening, brief intervention, and referral for appropriate treatment of patients with or at risk of developing opioid and other substance use disorders.

·    The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)

·    The American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP)

·    American Medical Association (AMA)

·    The American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or any organizations accredited by the AOA to provide continuing medical education

·    The American Dental Association (ADA)

·    The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS)

·    The American Psychiatric Association (APA)

·    The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

·    The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA)

·    The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)

·    Any other organization accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical

·    Any other organization approved or accredited by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the ACCME, or the CCEPR

We hope this information is helpful. For information regarding the DEA Diversion Control Division, please visit www.DEAdiversion.usdoj.gov. If you have any additional questions on this issue, please contact the Diversion Control Division Policy Section at (571) 362-3260.

Does your workday start before dawn and end well after dusk? Do you go to bed tired and wake up the same way? Maybe it’s time you talk to someone who can help you make positive changes for a healthier, happier life and lifestyle. The CMS has six professional counselors who are available to you - free of charge - free of worry. This program remains one of the few in the state that serves all local practicing physicians and TMH Residents, without cost, without question. Six sessions annually are completely confidential and autonomous. 

WELLNESS COACHES: 

Pam Irwin, Executive Director, 850-559-8611, [email protected]

·    Is your practice expanding? Are you adding staff members?

·    Do you have a new practice administrator/office manager?

·    Have you changed or added locations?

·    Have you changed your email/phone/fax?

·    Have you added a new specialty or passed your Board Certification(s)?

·    Have you retired within the last six months?

Send your updates to [email protected].

Subject line: Member Updates

The CMS website is your link to our physician member database. The CMS has been actively working on each provider search. Please take the time to search the listing. If you find there is any inaccurate information or an outdated headshot, please reach out to CMS to update your information. Let us know as soon as possible to make sure your information is current.

CMS | (850) 877-9018 | [email protected]

Click here to view the August 2023 Cap Scan.

For more information and to register, click here.

Medicare Revalidations are back in full force after a brief pause during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. All healthcare providers and suppliers are required to revalidate their Medicare enrollment every 3-5 years per CMS’ request. Medicare has implemented new revalidation screening criteria that you will need to be aware of. Missing this important deadline will have significant financial consequences on your medical practice! This link is to a tool to a searchable database that allows you to look up the revalidation due date for Medicare providers who must revalidate their enrollment record information every three or five years.