Fla. CHOICE Award Winners Named

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 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.

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.

“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 added.