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          Volume 16 • Issue 2• $5.00      August 2019
                          THE REGION’S MONTHLY NEWSPAPER FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS & PHYSICIANS

               Associations                                             Education                                            Associations

                                                FIU’s BHSA and MHSA Programs


                                                            Undergoing Changes

                                                         to Meet Student Needs



                                                             BY VANESSA ORR

                                               Education is ever evolving, and in order to remain rel-
                                             evant, colleges and universities must change with the
                                             times in order to meet the needs of their students. At
                                             Florida International University’s (FIU) Nicole
                                             Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences,
                                             changes are being made to both the undergraduate and
                 Dr. Ronald F . Giffler                                                                                          Jenna Merlucci
                                             graduate programs in order to better set up students for
                                             success.
                                               In its Bachelor of Health Services Administration
         Dr. Ronald Giffler                  (BHSA) program, for example, closer attention is being                              SFHEF
                                             paid to the prerequisites required for students to enter
             Preparing for                   the program.                                         Salvatore Barbera         Educational
                                               “Our BHSA program continues to have a large student
          FMA Presidency                     following, with approximately 800 to 1,000 students on the BHSA track,” explained   Opportunities
                                             Salvatore Barbera, DHA, MHA, FACHE, interim department chair, Health Services
                                             Administration Program, Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences,
                                             Florida International University. “We’ve recently implemented some changes in the   Keep Members
                BY LOIS THOMSON
                                                                                                  Continued on page 26
          Ronald F . Giffler, M.D., understands                                                                          Up-to-Date on
        how it works – "it" being the progres-
        sion from joining an organization to                                                                                  Changing
        becoming its president. Dr. Giffler, who          First Choice Neurology:
        also has a law degree from the University
        of Miami School of Law; an M.B.A. from       Offering Florida Neurologists                                             Industry
        NOVA University; and is a retired U.S.
        Army Medical Corps Colonel, said he                  an Effective Strategy                                             BY VANESSA ORR
        joined the Florida Medical Association
        because he wanted to get involved. Now                                                                          One of the most unique and challeng-
        president-elect, he will be installed as   in a Complex Healthcare Market                                     ing facets of healthcare is that it is every-
        president in August. He said he is look-                                                                      changing, which means that healthcare
        ing forward to it, but added, "I didn't ini-    BY DANIEL CASCIATO                                            administrators need to stay up-to-date
        tially have any desire to become presi-                                                                       on the latest trends and news affecting
        dent. But you spend more time and get   As the largest neurology group in the country ,                       the industry. One of the ways in which to
        more involved and eventually you get   Medley , FL-based First Choice Neurology has                           do this is through the South Florida
        into a leadership position, and then the   more than 41 facilities in six Florida counties                    Healthcare Executives Forum (SFHEF),
        topic comes up – do you want to       and services at 35 major hospitals.                                     which provides a wide range of educa-
        progress to be president?"              The single specialty neurology group was                              tional opportunities to its members.
          Fortunately for the FMA, Dr. Giffler's   formed in 2003 and became operational in 2004                        “While there are many benefits of
        answer was yes, and he has the experi-  in response to South Florida’s increasing need for                    membership, the one that is most impor-
        ence and background to enable him to   high-quality neurology services. First Choice                          tant to me is the education that it pro-
        accomplish quite a bit during his one-  Neurology has over 75 Neurologists as well as                         vides because the presentations are
        year term. He has been a member of the   diagnostic and rehabilitative services, including                    extremely relevant to today’s healthcare
        Florida Medical Association for 37 years,   the practice of Brian Costell, M.D., a neurologist                industry,” explained Jenna Merlucci,
        and during that time has served as treas-  based in Boca Raton, FL.                                           director of clinical business operations
        urer, vice president, and president-elect,   One of the reasons that Dr. Costell became a                     for the Cardiac and Vascular Institute at
        as well as on numerous committees and   part of the group was because it was a single spe-                    Memorial Healthcare System (MHS).
        boards. In addition, he served in similar   cialty neurology group and not a multi-specialty   Dr. Brian Costell   “I’ve attended presentations focused on
        capacities for the Broward County     one.                                                                    finance, diversity, quality metrics and
        Medical Association, beginning in the   “Being a part of a single specialty neurology group, we gain all of the knowledge of   patient care, and it really helps to get dif-
        late 1990s.                           working together and basically doing the same job for the same goal,” says Dr. Costell   ferent executives’ perspectives. I’ve
          Dr. Giffler said the FMA is involved in   who joined the network last year. “Our other option was to join a multi-specialty group   found it very helpful in my day-to-day
        three main activities: education, charita-  of general surgeons. It offers the same goals as other physicians but it’s from different   work, as well as in looking at ways to
        ble works, and political advocacy.    specialties.”
                         Continued on page 10                                                     Continued on page 13                  Continued on page 4
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