Hillsborough County College Health Insurance

Hillsborough cracks down on clinics that treat crash victims

A tough new law regulating auto-accident medical clinics was approved by Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday.

The ordinance is intended to reduce staged auto accidents and insurance fraud, though critics say it could shut down legitimate businesses. It was approved unanimously by commissioners after an hourlong public hearing, where supporters of the legislation far outnumbered opponents.

Melissa Snively, a State Farm insurance agent in Lithia, said fraudulent claims under the state's personal injury protection law have made Hillsborough one of the most expensive insurance markets in the country.

"Criminals have been bilking insurance companies for millions of dollars," she said.

The law requires clinics specializing in auto-accident medical or physical therapy treatment to be licensed and pay annual fees. Clinics also must have a medical director on staff and allow periodic inspections.

The county says the businesses being targeted fraudulently bill personal injury insurance providers for nonexistent injuries.

Cindy Barsa, who has operated clinics for 25 years with her husband, said the additional requirements and fees were overkill because state agencies already license and regulate these sites.

"This is a lot of expense for a lot of people," she said. "That should really be left to (the Agency for Health Care Administration) and medical boards to look at these places."

In other action, the commission voted Wednesday to demand repayment of $35,000 that, according to an audit, was spent inappropriately on a controversial Riverview community center. In total, the county put $2.5 million into the Regent center.

County leaders will discuss the repayment with Brandon Community Advantage Center, the nonprofit that built and runs the Regent, and Hillsborough Community College, which owns it now and operates classrooms there.

Discussions with HCC and the Brandon Community Advantage Center should also include attempts to create more public access to the events center, which has been one of the criticisms, commissioners said.

USF Medical Students Debate Health Care's Future | HealthyState ...

A panel of four students will lead the Association’s members in a debate/discussion of several hot topics, including pros and cons of the current system of medical school admissions, what the shift in employment for new physicians means for the practice of organized medicine, the transformation from paper to electronic health records, and the role of social media in the future of health care delivery.

The forum provides an opportunity for the students to share with practicing physicians their thoughts and opinions about issues affecting the students’ careers in medicine, and the future of health care in Florida and the country.

Kenneth Louis, MD, HCMA President, and Stephen Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO of USF Health and dean of the USF College of Medicine, will kick off the debate. The event, moderated by fourth-year USF medical student Chad Rudnick, will include the following panelists: Michael Perrone, 1st year student; Alicia Billington, 2nd year; Nicholas DeVito, 3rd year; and Matthew Assing, 4th year.

Also at the meeting, the Cherry, Bekaert & Holland Medical Student Scholarship will be awarded. The scholarship is presented yearly to a USF medical student who demonstrates outstanding leadership, participation and citizenship throughout medical school.

About USF Health

USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School Physical of Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. With more than $394.1 million in research grants and contracts in FY2009/2010, the University of South Florida is a high impact global research university.

About HCMA

The Hillsborough County Medical Association, Inc . (HCMA) is an organization of over 1400 physicians and medical students. The mission of the HCMA is to advocate all things necessary to develop and maintain the highest professional and ethical standards for medical practices and healthcare in the best interest of the physicians and patients of Hillsborough County.

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