Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah presenting award to Kailee Imperatore,

At the Board of Medicine meeting in Deerfield Beach/Boca Raton on April 5^th, 2013, Chairman Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah presented one medical student with the Chairman’s Recognition Award for exemplifying the professionalism, moral character, compassion, and intellect essential to the future leaders of the medical profession.

Kailee Imperatore, a fourth year medical student at Florida International University, has shown significant leadership skills and has been involved in numerous community service activities during her medical school career. Ms. Imperatore has received honors in each of her first three years of medical school, currently holds one of the highest cumulative grade point averages in her class, and is an accepted candidate for the Alpha Omega Alpha chapter at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

Among her numerous awards and honors, Ms. Imperatore received Finalist for Most Outstanding Medical Student of the Year Award, Most Outstanding Student in OBGYN Clerkship, and Finalist for Most Outstanding Student in both Pediatrics Clerkship and Psychiatry Clerkship. Her broad range of volunteer experience includes The Free Clinics in North Carolina, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Florida, the American Diabetes Association Fundraising Walk, the American Cancer Society Fundraising Walk, and the UCF Medical Student Forum. She holds memberships in several professional and community associations including the American Medical Student Association, the American Medical Women’s Association, the American Association of Family Physicians, the Miami-Dade County Medical Association, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Ms. Imperatore thanked the Board and her future colleagues upon receipt of the award, stating “it means a lot to know that all the hard work I’ve done for the last four years goes recognized by people who are going to become my peers here in a couple of weeks, so thank you everybody.”

Risk Management or Ethics CME Available

Attend a Florida Board of Medicine Meeting, sign in and earn 5 hours CME in ethics or risk management.

WHEN: June 7, 2013 at 8:00 a.m.

WHERE: Wyndham Tampa Westshore
700 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa, FL
(813) 289-8200

Florida Administrative Code – Rule 64B8-13.005(2)

(a) For purposes of this rule, risk management means the identification, investigation, analysis,
and evaluation of risks and the selection of the most advantageous method of correcting,
reducing, or eliminating identifiable risks.

(b) Five hours of continuing medical education in the subject area of risk management or
medical ethics may be obtained by attending one full day or eight (8) hours, whichever is more,
of disciplinary hearings at a regular meeting of the Board of Medicine in compliance with the
following:
1. The licensee must sign in with the Executive Director of the Board before the meeting day
begins.
2. The licensee must remain in continuous attendance.
3. The licensee must sign out with the Executive Director of the Board at the end of the meeting
day or at such other earlier time as affirmatively authorized by the Board. A licensee may receive
CME credit in risk management for attending the disciplinary portion of a Board meeting only if
he or she is attending on that date solely for that purpose; he or she may not receive such credit
if appearing at the Board meeting for another purpose. A member of the Board of Medicine may
obtain 5 hours of continuing medical education in the subject area of risk management for
attendance at the disciplinary portion of one Board meeting.

Medical Expert Witnesses are active licensed physicians in the State of Florida who provide valuable insight into medical negligence cases and help regulate the medical profession. In order to become an expert witness in the State of Florida, an active Florida physician must obtain a Medical Expert Witness Certificate with the Florida Board of Medicine. 

Florida licensed physicians have the opportunity to aid in the regulation of the medical profession by becoming a Medical Expert Witness. As an Expert Witness, a physician can help determine whether a Florida licensed medical professional has conformed to proper standards of care in medical negligence cases statewide. By providing written or oral testimony to proper standards of care in various medical specialty areas, Expert Witnesses help to preserve and maintain the integrity of the medical profession.

Physicians who obtain an Expert Witness Certificate with the Board of Medicine and provide pro bono, or volunteer, services such as case review and written opinions can receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits of 5.0 hours per case, for up to 15 hours per license renewal period. For other services, such as deposition and trial services, an Expert Witness can be compensated at a rate of $160.00 per hour. Physicians who wish to be a paid Expert Witness can be compensated at a modest hourly rate for all services provided. 

Florida physicians wishing to obtain an Expert Witness Certificate with the Board of Medicine must have a current and active Florida license with no history of disciplinary action, be board certified, and be currently practicing medicine in the State of Florida. The Department currently needs experts in the following specialty areas:

• Cardiology
• General Anesthesiology
• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• OB/GYN
• Orthopedic Spine Surgery
• Pain Management

The Expert Witness Certificate Application can be found by navigating to the Resources page of our website and selecting Applications.
Click on the link at the bottom of the page and fill out the survey to begin the application process.

Effective March 3, the Department will now also accept transfer agreements under contract between the hospital and facility from licensed hospitals within reasonable proximity in offices where the physician performing procedures does not have staff privileges, or a transfer agreement within 30 minutes proximity as required by rule 64B8-9.009(b)1.

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At the Board of Medicine meeting in Jacksonville on February 1st, 2013, Chairman Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah presented two medical students with the Chairman’s Recognition Award for exemplifying the professionalism, moral character, compassion, and intellect essential to the future leaders of the medical profession. Lauren Menke Lee, a fourth year medical student at the University of Florida, graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Cell Science, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Mrs. Lee is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Chapman Chapter Gold Humanism Honor Society, American Medical Association, and received the Excellence in Psychiatry Clerkship Award. She is also a Commissioned Officer in the US Air Force Reserve at the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Mrs. Lee thanked the Board for honoring her, stating that it’s “things like this that encourage me to keep doing what I’m doing. It reminds me of why I’m doing what I’m doing and it pushes me to keep going.

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The Florida Board of Medicine’s Surgical Care/Quality Assurance Committee has been reviewing Rule 64B8-9.007, Florida Administrative Code – Standards of Practice in an effort to reduce the number of wrong patient, wrong site and/or wrong procedure disciplinary cases. This rule outlines requirements for taking a pause prior to beginning surgery to ensure you have the right patient, the right site and are performing the right surgery as described in the Informed Consent signed by the patient. (more…)

Effective January 3, 2013 any physician who performs liposuction procedures in which more than 1,000 cubic centimeters of supernatant fat is removed, level 2 procedures lasting more than 5 minutes, and all level 3 surgical procedures in an office setting must register the office with the department unless that office is licensed as a facility under chapter 395. The department shall inspect the physician’s office annually unless the office is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or an accrediting organization subsequently approved by the Board of Medicine. The actual costs for registration and inspection or accreditation shall be paid by the person seeking to register and operate the office setting in which office surgery is performed. For instructions on registering with the Department of Health please refer to rule number 64B-4.003 F.S. Office Surgery Registration Requirement, Fees, or visit the Licensing page. (more…)

Inspiring Quality in Surgical Health Care –
Quality Improvement Programs that Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs

Health care quality is a hot topic everywhere today, from infections and readmissions, to preventable errors and public reporting. As surgeons, we have a deeply held professional commitment to ensuring the highest standards for patient safety, and we’ve taken a special interest in how we can continuously monitor our performance and improve outcomes while reducing health care costs. 

You are invited to continue this important discussion with us and RSVP for a special American College of Surgeons (ACS) Surgical Health Care Quality Forum Florida, featuring a robust lineup of statewide surgical, health care, and government leaders on Jan. 23 at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. (more…)

A New Approach to License Renewal. The Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance, will now review your continuing education records in the electronic tracking system at the time of renewal. It will happen automatically when you renew your license, but it is important that you understand how this simple change will affect the way you renew your license in the future. Visit www.CEatRenewal.com to learn more.