Florida CHOICE Award Winners

Recipients Announced at Florida Workers' Comp Conference in Orlando

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 19, 2003--CHOICE Medical Management Services announced the recipients of the Florida CHOICE Awards recognizing outstanding workers' compensation physicians. The six winners were Robert Baylis, MD, Orthopaedic Associates, USA in Boca Raton, Fla.; Ann David, MD, IMPRIMIS Healthcare, Plantation, Fla.; Dan Gerstenblitt, MD, Internal Medicine Group, Orlando; David Gilbert, MD, Broward Orthopedic Specialists in Fort Lauderdale; Kevin O'Keefe, MD, Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation, Wauchula, Fla.; and Steven M. Tucci, MD, PhD, American Injury Centers, Sarasota, Fla. The winners were announced on Aug. 18, at the 58th Annual Florida Workers' Compensation Institute's (FWCI) Conference at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Fla.

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The Florida CHOICE Award recipients were selected from nearly 200 nominations from employers, carriers, case managers, claims adjusters and managers, risk managers, Third-Party Administrators (TPAs), and employees. A panel of judges - who are involved in the workers compensation industry, but are not employed by CHOICE - evaluated the physicians based on their ability to deliver high quality health care, promote the return-to-work philosophy and achieve a high rate of patient satisfaction.

CHOICE, a workers' compensation health care organization, developed the awards program to recognize Florida workers' compensation physicians who treat Florida's injured and ill employees, according to Tom Barrett, president and CEO of CHOICE. "There is so much talk about what's wrong with the system that we wanted to focus on what's right," he said. "The awards highlight the vital role that physicians play and honor some of the best doctors in the system."

Workers' compensation physicians need to provide prompt - and often aggressive treatment - to patients who tend to have acute injuries. While providing high quality health care, doctors need to communicate quickly and effectively with all the parties involved in a workers' compensation claim: adjusters, case managers, employers, and regulators. They also have to manage the disability component of the injury, provide work status and other medical reports on a timely basis, and understand the administrative and regulatory requirements associated with a claim.

"The treating physician has the greatest impact on a workers' comp claim and the most experienced physicians help keep costs down while providing excellent care and helping employees return to work as soon as they can," Barrett said.

The Florida CHOICE Award judges were Jim McConnaughhay, partner in the Tallahassee, Fla. law firm of McConnaughhay, Duffy, Coonrod, Pope & Weaver, P.A.; Gerald Jacobs, director of insurance & claims for Hillsborough County; Gene Hartsell, COO, American Board of Quality Assurance & Utilization Review Physicians based in Clearwater, Fla.; Victor Marrero, Vice President of Marsh Inc., a leading risk and insurance services firm in Sunrise, Fla.; Joel Strom, MD, USF Physicians Group in Tampa, Fla.; Joseph Paduda, a nationally recognized workers' compensation managed care consultant and president of Health Strategy Associates of Madison, Conn.; and Mike Madden, director of the Florida League of Cities, Inc. in Orlando, Fla.

The Florida CHOICE Awards is an annual program and nominations for the 2004 awards can be made by logging onto http://www.FloridaChoiceAwards.com or calling 888-823-5377. Nominations will be due on June 1, 2004 and the awards will be presented at the 59th Annual FWCI Conference in Orlando in August 2004.

Based in Tampa, Fla., CHOICE Medical Management Services, Inc., is a full service, fully integrated workers' compensation care management organization built upon proven cost-saving, return-to-work strategies that deliver tangible, measurable results. CHOICE serves insurance carriers, third-party administrators, municipalities, large employers and managed care organizations. For more information, contact Yvonne Halvaei, Marketing Manager at 813-282-9801 or yhalvaei@choicemedmgt.com or visit http://www.choicemedmgt.com or http://www.FloridaChoiceAwards.com