Dear FEP
Read some of the wonderful letters we've received from patients over the last few months.
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Kudos
Please join me in congratulating
Dr. Jose Rubero and Dr. Paul DePonte for their recent appointments within
Orange County EMS. Dr. Jose Rubero has been elected Chairman of the Orange
County EMS Medical Control Committee, effective January 2011. Dr. Paul DePonte
has been elected Chairman of the Orange County EMS Advisory Council, reporting
directly to the Orange County Commission.
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Mediterranean CME Cruise
by Derek Jackson, PA-C
The cruise was sponsored by Symposia Medicus. They do medical CMEs. The cruise line used is Celebrity Cruise Line. This was our second CME cruise. We had been to Alaska the year prior. It is a wonderful way to travel & get quality CME.
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A 'Do Nothing' Travel Destination
Try a Trip to Culebra
by Caroline M. Molins, MD
Emergency Physicians are generally characterized as energetic, eccentric and hardworking individuals. Although many of our hobbies most probably portray these same characteristics, we have also found time to ' do nothing’. For most people this just means a vacation to almost anywhere in the world. But in contrast for us, we need a ' do nothing' atmosphere. I am also a victim of the EM doctor way of life, but I have found my oasis, Culebra.
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Time to Get Away
Tips to Make Your Next Vacation Excellent
by Brett Williams, MD, FACEP
I’d like to share one of the most exhilarating, but at the same
time, relaxing vacation spots I’ve found...the Dutch side of St. Maarten!
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Travel Tips from AAA
by Todd Cronson, AAA
I’ll bet you didn’t know AAA has inspected lodgings and restaurants since 1937. The early rating system evolved into the Diamond Rating System for lodgings, first published in the 1977 TourBook edition, and was later rolled out for restaurants in the 1986 to 1991 TourBook editions. Today, AAA’s professionally-trained inspectors use published guidelines to evaluate properties as a service to members.
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My Dad
by Nia Page
My father, Dr. Ernest Page II is such an extraordinary doctor and human being. He is a man of great intelligence and poise, and seems to have all of the answers for me. I couldn’t be more grateful for him. Having a doctor for a dad has its flaws and its perks. On the one hand, I can ask him just about anything about any injury or really anything medically related, and he’ll know exactly what to say and do. On the other hand, my dad travels more often than we’d like him to, but we all understand.
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Be a Part of Our Community
Horsing Around for the Love of Kids
by Douglas Brown
Equine Angels Foundation's mission is to nurture the spirit and well-being of children in need through horse-related activities.
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Healthy Recipes
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Letter from the Editor
It's Time to Take Control
by David Goldman, DO, MBA, FACEP
We have recently faced one of the worst
recessions in our nation’s history with high unemployment rates, foreclosures,
loss of US’s credit rating, rises in the debt ceiling, and Social Security and Medicare
benefits are drying up. In addition, we have seen some of the most horrific natural
disasters in the last decade; tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. If
that is not enough to depress you, we have a stalemate political system that is
more interested in private interest groups and being elected than representing
the common people.
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Letter from the President
by Jorge Lopez, MD, FACEP
President and CEO
If the
best way to predict the future is to create it, Florida Emergency
Physicians is well on its way on paving the road to insure access to quality
emergency care not only to Florida Hospital’s emergency departments, but to all
the citizens and visitors of Florida. In that regard, FEP has been
actively involved and planning ahead in key legislative and regulatory areas
that impact our ability to stay true to our mission statement, Dedicated
to Excellence in Emergency Medical Care…Since 1969.
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From the Political Front
by Vidor Friedman, MD, FACEP President Florida College of Emergency Physicians
The Scientific Assembly in San Francisco was one of the largest ever with stellar educational offerings at a great venue. The ACEP Council Meeting went smoothly, with a focus on Health Care reform:...
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Set Your Wellness Goal for New Year
Tips From the Spine Center
by Luz Rivera, Exercise Physiologist, FH Sports Medicine and Rehab Center
Everyone has goals. What are yours? Are you frustrated due to feeling like you keep
coming up short when it comes to realizing your health and wellness? Maybe it
is time to try a different approach. Clear
goals will help you stay focused and will motivate you to achieve your desired
results. Below are 3 tips to assist you in setting your goals and achieving
them.
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Racing to Your Resolutions in 2012
by Chris Abbott
This article is meant to catalyze change. Read the rest of
it, only if you possess a desire for personal change.
 
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Spin Your Wheels in 2012
by Michael Cottle
 Many of us resolved to improve our fitness in the new year, and bicycling is a terrific way to do it. Cycling provides a great cardio workout, may help you lose weight and gain new friends.
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How to Buy a Bike
by Eddie Braga
“Hey, where can I buy a good bike?” I’ll bet a hundred people have asked me that over the last few years. More and more, people are seeing the benefits of riding a bike.
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The Foot Column
by Robert T. Hoover II, DPM
With the start of the cycling and triathlon seasons, many athletes will sustain foot and ankle injuries during training or racing. The most common foot and ankle sports-related injuries I see include: heel pain, Achilles tendonitis, and metatarsalgia (encompassing stress fractures, neuromas, inflammation of joints, i.e. capsulitis and synovitis), as well as runners toe and overuse injuries.
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Just Breathe
How to Deal with Stress
by Harry L. Mills, Ph.D.
We are built to respond to stress. However,
we are designed for a different kind of stress than the type that we experience
in our modern technological society. Our bodies are the same as it was
for our prehistoric ancestors, but the world has changed greatly over that same
period. We have the same automatic reaction that our tribal ancestors
possessed. We are "wired" to respond to threats with what
physiologists call the fight-or-flight response. If we encounter a
rattle snake while hiking along a trail our bodies prepare us to react by
either trying to kill the snake or trying to get away from the dangerous
situation. Our nervous system orchestrates these changes to prepare for
either event:
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Chocolate Cake Conundrum
When Following the Food Pyramid Doesn't Work
by Ara Suppiah, Chief Wellness Officer FEP
Have you ever eaten a slice of chocolate fudge cake at 2 p.m. and felt totally great? Why didn’t you get the sugar crash and mental fogginess everyone talks about? On the other hand, have you ever drunk a protein shake and felt totally sluggish and bloated? It should have made you feel great, but you can barely keep your eyes open. Why?
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Lose the "Fat Pants" in 2012
by Shannon Sakarati
We have all them. We don’t talk about them though. We cringe at the sight of them. They are our nemesis, yet we don’t get rid of them. We keep them because deep down we know we will need them again, especially around the holidays.
FAT PANTS. You know what I am talking about, so take the puzzled look off your face.
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4 Superfoods to Include in Your Diet
From Florida Hospital's Healthy100 Site
http://www.healthy100.org/
 A superfood is defined as a natural food regarded as especially beneficial
because of its nutrient profile or its health-protecting qualities. Most any
fruit or vegetable would fit this description, but there are a few foods that
experts agree are especially beneficial to incorporate into your diet.
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Yoga is Wellness and Healthy Living
by Dacia Milescu DPM FACFAS RYT-200
Research suggests that Yoga is all you need to maintain a healthy body. Yoga is on par with aerobic exercise minus the negative impact on the joints. The breath work involved along with strengthening and creating agility make it the ideal exercise practice.
Yoga is unique in that it addresses all three aspects of the individual: Body Mind and Soul.
It deserves attention as more and more people find their contentment by connecting with their breath in movement, and calming their mind through focus on the practice.
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13 Things To Know About Artichokes and Avocados
Delicious, Green, and Good for You
When
it comes to the alphabet of delicious, nutritious and versatile foods, A isn't
just for apples. Here's the lowdown on a couple of "A-list" produce
items.
Artichokes:
Artichokes
are actually edible thistles, with globe artichokes the most popular variety.
The leaves and the base, called the heart, can all be eaten.
Artichokes
are delicious hot or cold served with melted butter and seasonings or various
dipping sauces. You can also stuff them with tasty fillings such as breadcrumbs
and seasonings.
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The Kiwi Asthma Connection
From Florida Hospital's Healthy100 Site
http://www.healthy100.org/
About 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma -- and 180,000 die annually from the chronic inflammatory lung disease. Fortunately, research suggests a natural alternative may be on the horizon -- using the goodness of kiwis!
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Truth be Told
How does who you trust affect your health?
How do you define trust? The American Heritage Dictionarydefines trust as a “firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character
of a person or thing; confident belief; faith.”
Most
people would have a definition that is along the lines of that. In
a study that was done in the Journal of the American Medical Association, they
found that “the quality of interaction or trust between the patient and the
physician can be extremely influential in patient outcomes, and in some
(perhaps many) cases, patient and provider expectations and interactions maybe
more important than the specific treatments.” What that means is that if
you trust your physician, you will have a better outcome if you get sick.
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Pulmonary Hypertension
by Dr. Kevin DeBoer
Pulmonologist, Central Flrodia Pulmonary Group
Pulmonary hypertension is becoming a more widely recognized disease that commonly presents with dyspnea on exertion, fatigue, and lethargy. As the disease progresses, symptoms of right sided heart failure develop including lower extremity edema, and later exertional chest pain and even syncope.
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Drowning
by Vanessa Peluso, MD, MBA, FACEP
In Florida, drowning is the #1 cause of injury related death. Most occur within a short distance of safety. 90% occur in fresh water with a higher prevalence in males.
Patients who are alert or mildly altered at presentation have an excellent prognosis. Pediatric cases that require specialized treatment have 30% mortality and severe brain damage may occur in an additional 10-30%.
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Electronic Medical Records
Hardware to Make Your Job Easier
by Alkesh Brahmbhatt, DO
With the
federal government requiring the utilization of electronic medical records
within the medical offices and hospital environment, the need to start thinking
about the implementation about EMR, the training needed to implement, ease of
use, and the hardware needed to succeed is rapidly approaching. This article will go over the different
hardware needs to efficiently use EMR in the emergency department, especially
within our busy Florida Hospital ED.
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EZ Corner
Patient Care is Always Top Priority
by Blake O'Brien, MD
In the midst of a national health care crisis, the future is unknown. With infinite variables in play no one can predict or speculate on the outcome. The only certainty is that change will come. I welcome it. Every provider of emergency care can control its delivery to patients. Our power lies in our ability to control the product.
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The Eyes Have It
A New Tool Will Make Eye Exams Easier
by Jaime Massucci MD, MBA, Assistant Medical Director Florida Hospital Orlando
 We
have all had the experience where a chart with an eye complaint sits in the
rack a little longer than it should because everyone avoids picking it up. Much too often we have seen a provider
prancing around the department attempting to calibrate the Tonopen…flipping it
up, down, and back up again and perhaps ending this procession with a
four-letter word. Well, I can safely
say that those days are over for us because the ICare tonometer will soon be coming
to an ED near you!
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Putting Sepsis on B.L.A.S.T.
by Ryan McCorckle, MD, MPH
We have become very proficient at
providing quality expedient care to our sickest patients with Heart Attack or
Stroke, but there remains a treatable disease process that we see on a daily
basis that carries a staggering 30-40% mortality. Sepsis in its many
varied presentations continues to be a challenge. Our goal as Emergency
Physicians & for the Florida Hospital is to find a way to recognize both
the obvious and insidious presentations of Sepsis. We then want to
provide an approach that is an organized, step-wise care path, the way we do
for Code STEMI and Code Grey, in order to give our patients the best chance for
survival of one of the most deadly disease processes we encounter.
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Risk Management Update
by The Risk Management Team
Happy Holidays and a great 2012 to the FEP family. The Risk Management team is planning for some enhancements in the New Year.
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Electronic Medical Record Difficulties Countered By Mobile Scribe Application
by Jackie McDonald, Vice President- Business Development, ScribeAmerica
U.S. hospital emergency rooms face increasing wait times and decreasing reimbursements, impugning the conventional model of the unassisted physician utilizing the electronic medical record (EMR) as uneconomical. ScribeAmerica, LLC, the nation's preminent medical scribe company together with FEP, utilize scribes to counter EMR productivity losses and enhance physician proficiency by reducing their burden of medical data gathering and entry into EMR, resulting in notable improvements in productivity and treatment times. Backing this effort is ScribeAmerica’s debut of the world’s first mobile Scribe App for use with iPhone® and iPad®. This exclusive app launches the Physician Productivity Tool, Scribe Evaluation Tool, Scribe 101, and Doc Talk.
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CAMPUS UPDATES
FEP Medical Directors Fill Us In on the Latest
The Celebration ED opened its new addition in 8/2011 and in December with refurbishing the old ED we went to a total of 48 beds with 6 OBS beds.
The New Tower Boasts an Innovative Unit with state of the art infection control measures. With the new tower the hospital now has 175 inpatient beds.
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Exploring the Celebration ED Upgrade
by Florida Hospital Media Relations
In August of 2011, the community celebrated the grand opening of the new patient tower at Florida Hospital Celebration Health. The 234,000 sq foot, 62 bed addition to the hospital brings Florida Hospital Celebration Health to a 174 bed facility.
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EM Residency Updates
by Dale Birenbaum, MD
Chairman, Academic Department
Here are some recent developments within the Florida
Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency Program. This has been a very busy
month and we have had some phenomenal saves in the clinical arena including a
young cardiac arrest with a prolonged resuscitation who went on to code cool
and is now doing very well.
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Emergency Services Update
by Debbie Pusateri, VP, Critical Care/ Emergency Services
In 2012, I am committing to three focus areas to improve the working environment, or the perception of the environment from the patients perspective. Those areas are: 1. Safety, 2. Equipment and a reliable process for equipment replacement and 3. Patient Experience.
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MLP Updates
by Ajay Patel, PA, MLP Liason
Happy New Year's. MLPs had a great year with FEP in 2011. Most MLPs are very thankful to have FEP as an employer of choice. We would like to thank FEP for a great year, great new compensation model and a well ness program in 2011. We are looking forward for a great and productive year in 2012.
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FEP Recruitment
Big Successes, New Tactics
In 2007, the leadership of
Florida Emergency Physicians (FEP) set aside as its goal, to become the premier
independent emergency medicine physician practice in the country.
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ED Governance
by Wm. Randall Poole M.D., F.A.C.E.P.
We have achieved a reduction in our average door to doctor times by over 50-percent to less than 60 minutes, a reduction in our door-to-discharge times by more than one hour and a reduction of our door-to-departure times for our admitted patients by more than two hours.
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IT Update
by Derrik Smyth, IT Analist, FEP/PSR, Maitland Office
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Human Resources Update
by Ernest Page II, MD, FACEP
Several new Human Resources policies will affect FEP employees in 2012.
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IFEM Symposium on “Quality and Safety in Emergency Care”
by Bethany Ballinger MD, FACEP
In an unusually sunny
November, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine held the first “Quality
and Safety in Emergency Care” Symposium. It took place over 2 days and was hosted
by The College of Emergency Medicine in the UK at the British Museum in London.
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Mentoring Update
by Jesse Caron, MD
Mentoring Director
The mentoring program has had a busy year. We have mentored thirteen new physicians and eleven new mid-level providers. We are currently better staffed than ever in Florida Emergency Physician's...
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The Patient Experience
Measuring Patient Satisfaction
by Lisa O'Grady, MD, Assistant Medical Dir., Florida Hospital East
The next true core measure FEP and Florida Hospital will embark on is patient satisfaction/experience. It is here to stay and payment will be linked to the patient satisfaction scores (Press Ganey Scores)
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Perspectives
Transition to Value Based Healthcare
by Ramon Nunez, MD, FACEP. CPE, Medical Director FH Zephyrhills
When one considers the upcoming
changes in the way CMS manages core measure performance, the bundling of
payments that are proposed to start during the next several years and all of
the new CPOE and EMR changes that will be required in order to meet “meaningful
use” criteria, it is easy to conclude that in 1630 A.D., when François de la
Rouchefoucauld wrote “the only constant in life is change” he must have been
writing about Emergency Medicine.
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Financial Advice
2011 Year End Review
by Scott Macaione, CFP
Despite natural disasters in Japan and other countries, increased
political turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, and rising commodities
prices, world equity markets logged positive performance. Strong returns in
January and February gave the US equity market its best first quarter since
1998.
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The Importance of Investing
What is the importance of investing in your retirement accounts?
by Steven Stack, CRCP, Chief Compliance Officer, ICC Capital Management Inc.
The
economic dive of the last few years means that saving for retirement has become
a lot more challenging. It's further complicated by longer life spans, which
mean retirees must make their savings last over a greater duration. Not
surprisingly, the Employee Benefits Research Institute found in its 2010
Retirement Confidence Survey that only 16% of workers felt "very
confident" about having enough money for retirement.
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ARCHIVE
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Issue 2
June 1, 2011
Vol. 1
Issue 2
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Issue 1
February 11, 2011
Vol. 1
Issue 1
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