FPD Private News & Updates

Palmer College Florida and Federation Reach Tentative Agreement

After close to 15 months of bargaining, the Federation and Palmer College of Chiropractic (Florida) have reached a tentative agreement that has been subsequently ratified by the Federation membership.

In addition to base wage adjustments, the Agreement provides for salary additives and production adjustments, increases for advance degrees and certifications and it establishes specific hours for patient care and other responsibilities. This Agreement also replaces, in its entirety, the Employee Handbook, and, for the very first time, it provides for final and binding arbitration. Also for the first time, clinicians will not be subject to unilateral determinations made by the Administration or Faculty Senate.

Stay tuned for any further developments and news.

South Florida State Hospital/GEO Care, Inc. and Federation Reach Agreement

The Federation and Geo Care, Inc. have reached a new 3 year Agreement which includes, but is not limited to, a guaranteed 3% increase each year of the Agreement. Additionally, this Agreement provides for a continuation of the 5%(+) merit increase for the remainder of this Fiscal Year and greater compensation for the assumption of additional duties and maintenance of benefits with respect to health insurance. There will also be an increase in CME reimbursements, allowing physician discretion for the use of up to $3600 a year for CME and/or licensure and professional fees.

Stay tuned for any further developments and news.

Although A Complete “Undo” Of The Health Care Law Is Unlikely, A Newly Divided Congress Faces Big Decisions On Health Care Reform & Medicare Pay

A plan by the Republicans to repeal the health care law signed by President Obama last March has been in the works since the beginning and it’s certainly not been kept secret. In fact, for weeks they’ve been advocating their legislative agenda for 2012 called “A Pledge to America” which promises to repeal “Obamacare” and fix the health care system. But what doctors need to know is what about now?

While the Republicans have indeed gained control of the House, they have to admit that keeping their “Pledge” will be difficult given Obama’s veto power. And, some parts of the health care reform are already in effect and are proving to be fairly popular. So try as they might to “starve” health care reform through continued political gridlock and by cutting funds, instead of thinking so far ahead as 2012 they need to think about now and how to find a permanent solution to the Medicare reimbursement crisis as physicians face what could be a devastating loss of income on December 1.

Stay tuned as this story progresses. And unionize, so we can get this crisis resolved once and for all!

NEW! Check Out Our RESOURCE CENTER

In order to streamline certain sections of our web site and to avoid redundancy, we have reorganized some of the information on some of your web pages.

Please note that access to stuff like legislative information (ie., Acts, Statutes, Laws, etc.) and resources about the 2010 health care law can now be found by clicking on our new “Resource Center.”

So, if you want to know more about, say, the FMLA, or Whistleblower Protection, or what health care law provisions are currently in effect, check it out.

The FPD fully supports H.R.1409 and Dr. Connair has testified to Congress over the years, most recently this past December, urging the passage of legislation that would give physicians the antitrust exemption they need in order to fulfill the new type of relationships now developing because of new rules that emerged out of the Affordable Care Act allowing for the formation of Accountable Care Organizations.

To read the article in its entirety, click on the title above, then click on the same title (listed first) in the “Orthopedics This Week” April 26, 2011 publication.

Physicians are in danger of becoming “medical sharecroppers” on the “ACO Plantation” if they don’t organize and petition the government. That’s the message from a former hospital lawyer. As May Day approaches, physicians have never been more in need of collective action.

Our own Dr. Michael Connair contributed to the article, “Happy May Day, Physicians United,” written by Walter Eisner and provided here courtesy of RRY Publications LLC/Orthopedics This Week.

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