Attitudes of Florida Academic Physicians toward the Florida Medical Association.
An Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Physicians was given the charge in 1992 of studying Florida academic physician's participation in the Florida Medical Association. It was postulated that academic physicians may participate less in organized medicine than community physicians and, therefore, may be a group that should be selectively targeted during membership campaigns. Data was obtained from the American Medical Association Masterfiles about Florida academic and community physician membership in the FMA and AMA. Academic physicians at the four academic medical centers in Florida were surveyed about their attitudes toward organized medicine, especially the Florida Medical Association. Unlike any other state in the Federation, more academic physicians than community physicians were members of the state society (46.9% v 43.5%) p < 0.05, which was accounted for mainly women academic physicians. There were substantial differences across the academic medical centers with the University of Florida at Gainesville and Jacksonville being overrepresented, the University of South Florida having average membership, and the University of Miami being underrepresented. Florida academic and community physician membership in the AMA was 34.6% and 38.5% respectively, which was consistent with national trends. Academic physicians at the University of Florida campuses rated their relationship and communication with the FMA as being better than academic physicians at the University of South Florida and Miami. Academic physicians at all four medical centers rated membership dues as being too high relative to the benefits derived, but there was indirect evidence to suggest that this was an apparent and not real barrier. Also, academic physicians thought that the FMA represented community physicians more effectively than academic physicians. The state of Florida is unique in that more academic physicians than community physicians are members of the state medical society. The differences by academic medical centers may be accounted for by variations in leadership at the different medical centers. Decreasing the membership dues for academic physicians probably will not have a significant effect on membership of academic physicians. The FMA should direct efforts at informing academic physicians about how the FMA is representing their interest in forums such as governmental and other regulatory agencies, and third party payers like the insurance industry.
Herold
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University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, USA.
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003154:Community Medicine; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D010822:Physicians, Women; D012577:Schools, Medical; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000191:economics; D000078329:Workforce