A bi-weekly publication of the FMA Communications Department: 123 South Adams Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301 800/762-0233, Fax 850/222-8030. For more information visit www.fmaonline.org
January 26, 2004
CE BROKER
DON'T SUBSCRIBE
UNTIL YOU READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE!
The Florida Medical Association has received numerous complaints from physicians and accredited CME providers regarding tactics used by CE Broker to convince all physicians that they must subscribe to the company tracking service. As we have been telling our members and Florida CME Providers, MDS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO USE CE BROKER TO TRACK THEIR CME HOURS. It seems apparent that CE Broker has been leading physicians to believe that their licenses are in jeopardy if they do not subscribe to their tracking service. The FMA has attempted to address these complaints through the Florida Department of Health, which is contracting with CE Broker. The complaints continue to mount. The FMA recently mailed a letter to CE Broker asking them to cease and desist in their unfair and misleading practices. WE will pursue this matter as far as needed to ensure that MDs in Florida are not duped into paying unnecessary fees. Please contact us at legal@medone.org if you have information regarding tactics being used by CE Broker that you deem unfair.
For our DO members, the CE Broker problem is a little different. The DO practice act (Chapter 459) contains certain language that is not in the MD practice act (Chapter 458). For this reason, the Department is requiring organizations that provide AOA credit to report through CE Broker. However, DOs still may or may not want to participate in the CE Broker Tracking System contains his/her continuing education hours. A DO may be able to do this without becoming a subscriber. It may be a good idea to delay subscribing to the services so that we can see what happens with the law during the 2004 legislative session.
The FMA is working very hard to address this issue permanently for both MDs and DOs. We are working on two different legislative bills, one sponsored by Senator Saunders that will eliminate the electronic tracking system altogether; and another that will ensure CE Broker is a voluntary tracking service for all professionals licensed under Medical Quality Assurance (MDs, DOs, Nurses, etc.) This is a top FMA priority for 2004, since both MD and DO licenses could ultimately be in jeopardy if this confusion is not addressed appropriately.
Please share this message with your colleagues, your staff, and any other people you deem appropriate. The FMA is committed to ensuring that all physicians and CME Providers understand what is and is not required in terms of the CE Broker Tracking Service.