Success for Florida Physicians: Governor Crist Signs SB 1122

Last week Governor Crist signed SB 1122, which was a clear victory for Florida physicians and a demonstration of how we can work together to achieve important goals. We asked you, the membership of FSGS, to write the governor and urge him to approve SB 1122, and the Florida Medical Association coordinated the efforts of Florida’s key medical associations.
Our combined efforts paid off and we defeated attempts by the insurance industry to derail this critical legislation.

The importance of SB 1122 cannot be overstated. Physicians can now be assigned payment for services directly from insurance companies at the option of patients in cases where, beforehand, insurers would pay patients.
Now, when a patient visits a doctor considered “out-of-nework,” they can choose to assign their benefits to the provider who will be paid directly.
By not routing payment through the patient, the process is greatly simplified and expenses and effort are reduced for all parties. Physicians will be able to spend more time with patients, resulting in enhanced health care for Floridians.

We thank you for your support in helping to achieve this victory. FSGS is a recognized constituent in Florida’s medical community and we played a key role in supporting this bill, which will help us to provide the highest standards of medical care.