P.R.I.D.E.
Practice Rights Immediate Defense Effort

From: FAPA Board of Directors
To: All Physician Assistants

This year, Florida Physician/Physician Assistant teams face unprecedented threats to our professional integrity and our ability to practice. The future of our profession in Florida is at stake in the upcoming legislative session as never before.

Please note these funds do NOT go to the Political Action Committee. They go directly to a fund to pay for the Public Relations Campaign and no other purpose. Help us to help you.

The Legislature will consider bills to:

Limit physician practice rights. This bill would restrict doctors' ability to use physician assistants in their practices, including prohibiting new patients from seeing anyone other than a physician and requiring PAs in specialty areas to practice under direct supervision. This will decrease patient access to care, increase delays for treatment and drive up health care costs. The Florida Academy of Physician Assistants (FAPA) recently helped to defeat a similar proposal before the Board of Medicine relating to dermatology practices only. The threat is likely to be greater and broader in this legislative session.

Limit frivilous lawsuits that are driving up medical liability insurance. Dramatic liability insurance rate increases are crippling all medical professionals and causing some medical practices to eliminate providers as a way of lowering their insurance bills. We need the Legislature to impose sensible limits this session or patients will pay the price by not being able to access the care they need.

What FAPA is doing in the behalf of all PAs:

We are launching an aggressive communications and lobbying campaign to defeat these threats and win liability insurance relief. We have engaged the services of professional lobbying and public relations professionals with a proven track record of excellent results. But we cannot conduct this fight without your help. You have a lot invested in your education and your profession.

Make an investment today to ensure that you continue to have the right to practice with your physician!!!

If you are a PA who is not licensed in Florida, these issues may affect other states eventually if they succeed here. Help us to protect practice rights of Physician/PA Teams everywhere and make your donation today!

President's Note, March 2nd, 2003

There are some indications that an FMG group may attempt to get licensure through legislative or judicial means this year. FAPA will oppose any such effort that would allow for licensure of anyone or group outside of the current requirements by Florida statutes. This may require legal action which could be costly. Part of the PRIDE funds may be needed to pay costs above that provided by the current FAPA budget.

This is to protect not only the integrity of the PA profession, but more importantly we need to protect the health and welfare of Florida citizens by ensuring that the laws are enforced as they are written to prevent unqualified providers from being licensed as a physician assistant in Florida. We have no problem with anyone obtaining a license to practice as a physician assistant as long as they fulfill the requirements of current law.

P.R.I.D.E.
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