Page 10 - SFHN JUNE 2020 FLIP BOOK

Can Medical Societies Survive?

Some wonder whether state Directors of the Medical might have dreamed of last year. to participate in precision and personal-
and county medical societies Group Management Medical societies need to understand ized medicine, if not ultra-personalized
can survive. They face Assoc i ation (MGMA), a population health, precision health, and medicine.
increasing competition from member of many different data analytics, and assist their members Medical societies need to be leaders in
the specialty professional associations and a coun- in not only understanding these con- their communities. They need to foster
associations. Increasingly, selor to physicians sug- cepts, but also being market leaders in healthy environments, understand and
more physicians are employ- gests that those medical them. They need to be facile with infor- help address the social determinants of
ees of hospitals or in models societies which will sur- mation technology, mHealth, social health, be advocates for their patients on
with private equity sponsors. vive will need to think media, telehealth, etc., and provide a local, state and national level, if they
Younger physicians often are more about reinventing resources in that regard for their mem- want their members and would be mem-
more likely to eschew such themselves and thriving. bers. COVID-19 has emphasized the bers to value them. A physician who is a
groups, given that they are They need to reach out to importance of having a greater under- member of a medical society should be
not always seen to adapt the BY PAUL R. DEMURO, their members and provide standing of financial and legal issues. proud of their affiliation, not just view it
technological advances that PHD, JD, MBA, MBI, services that have not pre- Physicians do not want to have to con- as another group to which they must pay
they are accustomed to and CPA, FACMPE, viously been imagined. tinually reach out to their accountants dues. Such physicians should be engaged
often, seem to be “old boys” FHFMA, CHC For example, the MGMA and attorneys in areas where other physi- in striving for better quality of care in a
networks. Many clinicians list serve on COVID-19 is cian also have the same queries. more cost-effective manner. They need
wonder whether the costs of such societies a go-to resource for medical practice exec- They need to understand privacy and to see their medical society as an advo-
are worth their financial and time invest- utives. Offerings of MGMA are designed to security and not operate in a vacuum. cate with them in bettering the health of
ment. And now, we have COVID-10 appeal to all medical practice executives, Patients visit South Florida from all over all and their community.
adding additional stresses, including whether or not, their medical group is the world. Not only are the HIPAA priva- South Florida is a very special place. It
financial pressure, to one’s practice. employed by a hospital or in a traditional cy laws relevant, but also the European has been my home for over the last five
It is probably true that many medical private practice. Union General Data Protection Regu - years. I have seen the dedication of the
societies will not survive, but that is not Just what are the characteristics that a lations. physicians in this great community, and
because there is not a role for them, but medical society will need to be successful If medical societies want to be consid- more recently, in their unbelievable
rather, they have not decided to adapt to and strive in the next decade? The society ered top tier, they may need to be places response to the pandemic. As we start to
the changing market place. As Wayne needs to be agile and understand its mar- for innovation, exploration of cutting- re-open our communities, we need to
Gretzky might say, a medical society ket. Physicians want on demand edge medical practices, hosts for medical ensure that our medical societies not only
needs to skate to where the puck is going resources. Many of their patients are used residents, and increasingly understand help our physicians meet the new chal-
to be. Physicians need to realize substan- to using apps and want to access their the value of national and international lenges we face, but also help them thrive.
tial value from their financial and time physician through such an app, and connections. More sophisticated medical Their leadership can take their medical
investment. increasingly are interested in telemedicine societies might be involved in clinical societies to where “the puck will be.” We
My experience the last year and a half as offerings. Obviously, COVID-19 has facili- trials, explore medication therapy man- as residents and patients are looking for-
a member of the national Board of tated such offerings beyond what anyone agement models with pharmacists, seek ward to their continued leadership.

Is COVID-19 a Ready Excuse

for Layoffs? Boca Rio Golf Club and the

People and businesses do longer as necessary as they Barry Family Foundation
not like to admit defeat and were 5 years ago, like cer-
we certainly don’t like to tain retailers, banks and Deliver 2,000th Meal To
take the blame. For those financial institutions.
businesses who were • Fourth is a superior
already beaten, COVID-19 competitor - companies that Hospital Front Line Workers
provides a ready excuse for were challenged by a com-
cutbacks and layoffs, and petitor who had a more Boca Raton Regional Hospital received its 2,000th meal from Boca Rio
shedding of all things marketable product. Golf Club and The Barry Family Foundation. This is largest meal donation
redundant. Even as the • Fifth possibility is dried received from an individual club to the hospital staff.
Federal government up funding - where certain Knowing the stressful demand that front line clinicians and support
opened its coffers and companies survived on bor- workers have been under since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boca
made available over $2 tril- BY BEN ASSAD MIRZA, rowed or investor funding, Rio Golf Club and The Barry Family Foundation wanted to show their
lion worth of aid to help ESQ., LLM, CPA, as those funds dried up and unwavering support. The decision was made to deliver 250 meals twice a
bridge the COVID-19 peri- MPHA, CHC so did the ongoing opera- week for six weeks. The first meals were delivered Wednesday, April 22,
od; some businesses have tions of the business. 2020 and they have continued since then. Today’s delivery brought their
still elected to proceed Regardless of the real rea- total to 2,000 meals served. “This is such a generous initiative and is so
with layoffs. Covid-19 is a great “out” for son, COVID-19 provided a great “out” welcomed by the staff,” explains says Mark Larkin, President of Boca
certain businesses that were heading and an opportunity to save face for cer- Raton Regional Hospital Foundation. “Working long shifts, often 12 hours
down a bad path to begin with. tain companies. a piece, the nurses, physicians and technologists have little time to take for
Redundancy comes in several possible As the world plows forward toward a breaks. Knowing that a nice meal is coming gives them one less thing to
forms, and COVID-19 should not be post-COVID-19 era, it is becoming glar- worry about.”
used a default reason: ingly clearer that business scalability and Boca Rio Golf Club and The Barry Family Foundation have been long-
• One is companies with bad business ability to employ labor are less of a con- time supporters of Boca Regional. In the past, they have hosted many Golf
models – meaning the business models cern due to technology. With technology fundraisers to support patient care initiatives at the hospital. Boca Regional
that were no longer viable or less viable scalability is much easier. For those who is very grateful for the philanthropic spirit that Boca Rio Golf Club and
than before like certain retailers, trans- persevere, understanding technology and The Barry Family Foundation has always shown to our organization.
portation providers, and even manufac- how to utilize it will be more essential “Being able to support the hospital staff during such trying times has
turers. than ever. In healthcare chief strategy been a pleasure,” say Luciano Farias, General Manager of Boca Rio Golf
• Second is outsourcing - businesses officers and technology officers will be Club. “The hospital and its clinicians plays such an important role in the
that had already decided to shift their the key to forging a path to the future. health and well-being of our community, to thank them with this gift of
operations to outsourcing or overseas, fine food is an honor.”
now have the opportunity to blame their Ben Assad Mirza, Healthcare Law
move on COVID-19. Partners, LLC, can be reached
• Third is redundant locations - com- at (954) 445-5503 or
panies where multiple locations are no Ben@HealthcareAttorney.net.

10 June 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News