By Adriana Bonansea-Frances, MD

The 2025 Florida Medical Association (FMA) Annual Meeting this summer was a powerful reminder that medicine is strongest when physicians unite around a shared mission. Held with participation from across the state, the FMA House of Delegates gave physicians an opportunity to listen, learn, lead, and influence healthcare policy. It was a time for open dialogue, cross-county collaboration, and thoughtful debate. Through this united process, we were able to address some of the most pressing issues affecting our patients and our profession.

The South Florida Caucus, comprising the Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach County Medical Associations, played a particularly active role, and I’m proud to report that our three submitted resolutions were adopted by the FMA House of Delegates:

Resolution 25-302: “Restoration of Due Process and Legal Protections for Physicians in Hospital Peer Review Proceedings” addresses concerns regarding physicians’ due process and access to fair legal remedy. The resolution supports eliminating the requirement for pre-litigation financial bonds, restoring the legal standard of “malice” for claims against peer review misconduct; parity in legal cost recovery; and narrowing the scope of immunity to exclude actions taken with malice, in violation of hospital bylaws, or retaliatory intent.

Resolution 25-401: “Preventing Patients from Being ‘Trapped’ in Medicare Advantage Plans”, seeks to protect seniors from misleading or incomplete marketing materials about Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The resolution calls on the FMA to request that the Florida Insurance Commissioner provide seniors with clear and honest information about MA plan, and for the FMA to design educational handouts on MA plans that physicians can share with their patients.

Resolution 25-402: “Enhancing Oversight and Transparency in Healthcare Transactions”, responds to the increasing influence of private equity firms, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and management service organizations (MSOs) in healthcare delivery. The resolution directed the FMA to advocate for state legislation to monitor and hold these entities accountable; implement safeguards to prevent adverse effects on patient care; and ensure that healthcare delivery in Florida remains transparent, accountable, and patient-centered.

Our caucus also supported Resolution 25-101: “Supporting Routine Immunization of all Children” submitted by the Florida Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics. The House adopted this resolution, which affirms that the FMA strongly recommends routine childhood immunizations as the safest and most cost-effective way of alleviating disease, disability, and death due to infections caused by vaccine-preventable diseases; and supports the on-time, routine immunization of all children and adolescents.

These wins demonstrate the power of organized medicine. As president of the Miami-Dade County Medical Association, I was proud to witness South Florida’s leadership, especially through the efforts of Drs. Rose Berkun, Aaron Elkin, Julie Kantor, Shawn Baca, and Vicki Norton.

The FMA Annual Meeting reaffirmed our profession’s core values—clinical excellence, scientific rigor, compassion, and ethical leadership—at a when healthcare faces unprecedented challenges and rapid transformation.

To my fellow physicians: advocacy begins at home. Join your local county medical association. It is where your voice matters most.

Dr. Adriana Bonansea-Frances is President of the Miami-Dade County Medical Association.