As Florida continues to grow, an aging population, aging primary care physicians and changing demographics bring forth unique healthcare challenges. To secure Florida’s future, Florida must take the correct steps toward an innovative and sustainable healthcare system, or our state’s population will experience a workforce shortage which could limit access to care. The Florida Chamber supports the overwhelming need to correct rising costs and believes telemedicine has the potential to provide greater access to care while controlling costs, especially in rural areas. Telemedicine can be used for primary care services, remote patient monitoring, medical education and other health-related services. Currently, Florida lacks a comprehensive telemedicine law.  We believe telemedicine can help treat chronic diseases by providing better management via technology, allow greater coordination and management of care, and reduce hospital visits. Florida Chamber partner Baptist Health South Florida already has a state-of-the-art eICU program in place that is seeing considerable overall cost savings.   Along with our partners, we support legislation that:   Encourages the adoption of technologies to enhance the quality and affordability of care, Enact protections against waste, fraud and abuse, Ensure that compensation for telemedicine consults will be set by providers and insurers in a competitive marketplace and not via mandates, and Avoid unintended consequences of restricting which doctors can perform telemedicine. We should ensure that Florida patients have access to the best care possible. ​ Join us and our members as we expand the discussion on providing quality care this week during the Florida Chamber’s Annual Insurance Summit. The Florida’s Healthcare Landscape panel will provide insight into how healthcare providers and insurers will be required to work collaboratively to bring the highest quality care to all Floridians. The panel will feature speakers like Jon Urbanek, Senior VP of Florida Blue, Drew Rector, Executive VP and Chief Strategy & Growth Officer of Health First, and Mia McKown, Senior Counsel at Holland & Knight.   Join the Florida Chamber’s Business Alliance for Competitive Healthcare Solutions (Healthcare Alliance), which seeks to highlight innovative healthcare initiatives, like telemedicine, that boosts Florida’s global and economic competitiveness. Learn more about how you can become a part of the solution by clicking here.

Save The Date:

Join the Florida Chamber for the Board of Governor’s Capitol Days February 10 - 12, 2014. Invited speakers include Governor Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, House Speaker Weatherford, Senator Negron and others. Join Florida Chamber members and partners as they lead discussions on important subjects including tax reform, legal reform, business climate reform, excellence in education and quality of life. Be sure to register for 2014 Capitol Days now by clicking here. Contact llenhart@flchamber.com for more information.