JUNE EDITION, VOLUME 2015, NO. 6
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY LEADS EFFORT TO PROTECT INTERESTS OF DONATING PROVIDERS By Pam Wilson, CMS Executive Director
Donating medical provider, Dr. J. Daniell Rackley with a We Care patient.
Donating dental provider, Dr. Michael Hartley with a We Care patient.
During what was to have been a routine monitoring visit on October 24, 2014 by Florida Department of Health’s Volunteer Health Care Provider Program (VHCPP) of Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network, the stage was set for a crash course for eight months of learning about sovereign immunity and VHCPP. During that monitoring visit, the auditor retracted years of reports stating that We Care Network was in compliance using FLDOH-approved electronic Referral Form (DH1032) and required an immediate move to manual completion of the Referral Form and the previously approved electronic version of the Eligibility Form (DH1032E). More significantly, during that visit, it was shared that all volunteer providers would have to complete new five year Agreements with FLDOH to replace their current perpetual Agreements. These Agreements are critical to a provider having sovereign immunity protection when providing donated medical care. They are vital to the over 300 donating specialty medicine providers and 45 donating dental providers who participate in the We Care Network and donate over $5 million in specialty
medical and dental care each year. Although our assistance was offered to sort through the changes needed to VHCPP and to consider recontracting administration, that offer was initially declined. Having a short tenure at Capital Medical Society, the need to become well-versed on the VHCPP quickly became imperative. After reviewing copious communications with FLDOH from past monitoring visits, I scheduled appointments to meet with We Care Network’s past Program Coordinators and Executive Director Karen Wendland. On November 13, with the help and venue of Jeff Scott, FMA General Counsel, we participated in a conference call with Cheryl McFarland, Ph.D., Chief of Community Health Assessment, FLDOH and Jan Myrick, J.D., Deputy General Counsel, FLDOH with We Care Network represented by Dr. James Stockwell, Monica Demott, Jean McCully We Care Network R.N. Program Coordinator, and Shannon Boyle, CMS Communications and Marketing Director, to discuss our concerns regarding pending Agreement revisions and the removal CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CAPITAL MEDICAL SOCIETY 2015 MEETINGS CALENDAR September 15, 2015 CMS Membership & CME Meeting “Rheumatology Update” Less Shrestha, M.D. 6:00 pm Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning at Westminster Oaks
October 20, 2015 CMS Membership & CME Meeting “Prevention of Medical Errors” – 2 Hour CME Scott Sellinger, M.D. and Jesse Suber, Esq. 6:00 pm Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning at Westminster Oaks
November 10, 2015 December 3, 2015 CMS Membership & CME Meeting CMS Foundation Holiday Auction “Advanced Cardiac Imaging – Cardiac MRI” 6:30 pm Greg Hartlage, M.D. and Ernesto University Center Club at FSU Umaña, M.D. 6:00 pm Maguire Center for Lifelong Learning at Westminster Oaks MEDICAL SOCIETY PUBLICATION CAP SCAN - A CAPITAL 1