The mission of the DCMS is to promote the delivery of and access to high quality, ethical medical care for the community, and to serve as an advocate for physician members and their patients.

ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

The Duval County Medical Society (DCMS) is the voice of organized medicine in Duval County. We are a voluntary professional association of nearly 2,000 physicians dedicated to the health of our community. The DCMS is a non-profit organization governed by an elected board of directors. We accomplish our mission with the support of our physician members. The DCMS is chartered with the Florida Medical Association, and together with other county, state, and specialty societies, and the American Medical Association, we form the Federation of Organized Medicine.

WHAT WE DO FOR THE COMMUNITY:

• We offer a physician referral service to the public

The public can telephone the DCMS office (355-6561) and request referrals and information about member physicians. Available information includes a physician's practice locations, specialty, board certifications, medical school, internship and residency dates and locations, and hospital affiliations.

• In cooperation with the Florida Medical Association and the American Medical Association, we represent the interests of physicians and their patients in local, state, and national legislative matters.
   
• The DCMS Alliance, an organization of physician spouses, promotes healthful lifestyles and provides support to health related charitable organizations.
   
• The DCMS initiated the We Care Jacksonville program to coordinate a network of free health care clinics which provide quality healthcare to the homeless and medically underserved people of Duval County. DCMS physicians volunteer in the medical clinics.
   
• The DCMS Grievance and Peer Review Committee mediates grievances between DCMS member physicians and their patients in issues of miscommunication and fee disputes.
   
• We provide the community with leadership and guidance on medical, ethical and public health issues facing citizens of Duval County.
   
• The DCMS disseminates medical and health care information through our speaker's bureau, the media, and our publications.

WHY WE ARE HERE:

DCMS online — the Web Site of the Duval County Medical Society is here to disseminate information to our community about today's health care trends and medicine in Northeast Florida. DCMS online will be continuously updated as new information becomes available, and the needs of our patients develop. We welcome your feedback. Please let us know what you would like to see included.

WHO ARE DCMS MEMBERS:

Any Medical Doctor (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) who is licensed in the state of Florida and/or any resident/fellow training in Jacksonville is eligible to apply for membership with the Duval County Medical Society.

Before becoming a member of the Duval County Medical Society, physicians are credentialed. We verify their medical education, internship, residencies, fellowships, their hospital affiliation, medical license (if applicable) and we verify their records with the American Medical Association. We also require that each physician applying for membership have at least two current active members as references to help insure that the physician is not practicing fraudulent medicine.

AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION PRINCIPLES OF MEDICAL ETHICS:

Preamble

The medical profession has long subscribed to a body of ethical statements developed primarily for the benefit of the patient. As a member of this profession, a physician must recognize responsibility to patients first and foremost, as well as to society, to other health professionals, and to self. The following Principles adopted by the American Medical Association are not laws, but standards of conduct which define the essentials of honorable behavior for the physician. 

Principles of Medical Ethics 

1. A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights.
    
2. A physician shall uphold the standards of professionalism, be honest in all professional interactions, and strive to report physicians deficient in character or competence, or engaging in fraud or deception, to appropriate entities.
3. A physician shall respect the law and also recognize a responsibility to seek changes in those requirements which are contrary to the best interests of the patient. 
4. A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law.
5. A physician shall continue to study, apply, and advance scientific knowledge, maintain a commitment to medical education, make relevant information available to patients, colleagues, and the public, obtain consultation, and use the talents of other health professionals when indicated. 
6. A physician shall, in the provision of appropriate patient care, except in emergencies, be free to choose whom to serve, with whom to associate, and the environment in which to provide medical care.
7. A physician shall recognize a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to the improvement of the community and the betterment of public health. 
8. A physician shall, while caring for a patient, regard responsibility to the patient as paramount.
9. A physician shall support access to medical care for all people.

PHYSICIAN EDUCATION AND TRAINING:

All physicians educated in the United States, including Puerto Rico, and those educated in Canada, have completed approximately four years of education in a medical school or college of osteopathic medicine.

M.D. TRAINING:

Before entering medical school, students complete approximately four years of pre-professional education in an accredited college or university. Students enrolled in Allopathic medical schools study the basic sciences (e.g., anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology) as well as the behavioral sciences and learn fundamental techniques of taking a medical history and examining patients. Later, students participate in clinical rotations in hospitals and clinics to observe and work with experienced physicians and begin to learn aspects of patient care.

Clinical rotations allow medical students to explore a wide variety of medical specialties (e.g., family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery). Students also explore various career paths, including direct patient care, medical administration, academic medicine, and research. Students undertake increasingly complex clinical rotation responsibilities while continuing to satisfy elective course requirements.

D.O. TRAINING:

Before entering an osteopathic college, students complete four years of pre-professional education in an accredited college or university. A doctor of osteopathy (D.O.) degree requires four academic years of study, two years devoted to didactic instruction in the biomedical sciences and clinical medicine and two years devoted to clinical work in community hospitals, major medical centers, and physician's offices. Students rotate through urban and rural settings, experiencing all major areas of medicine.

Osteopathic principles and practices are integrated throughout the four-year curriculum. Students learn to use osteopathic techniques for diagnosis and treatment of disease, as well as for disease prevention. These techniques emphasize physical, emotional and spiritual factors that can impact a patients health.

MEDICAL SPECIALTY BOARD CERTIFICATION:

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) sanctions 24 medical specialties, many of which have subspecialties. Member boards of the ABMS evaluate physicians by examination and certify as diplomats those candidates who qualified. Medical specialty boards determine whether candidates have received adequate preparation in accordance with established educational standards, provide comprehensive examinations designed to assess knowledge, skills, and experience requisite to the provision of high quality patient care in that specialty, and certify those candidates who have satisfied the requirements. Many boards require recertification at periodic intervals.

OSTEOPATHIC SPECIALTY BOARD CERTIFICATION:

Osteopathic specialty board certification is awarded by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists. Osteopathic physicians are eligible for certification by 1 of 18 AOA specialty certifying boards after completing an osteopathic residency training program and satisfying requirements defined by an osteopathic specialty. Some boards offer certification in subspecialties or certificates of added qualifications.

INFORMATION YOU SHOULD HAVE ABOUT YOUR PHYSICIAN:

The Florida Medical Association and The Duval County Medical Society supports every patient's freedom of choice in health care, including the choice of a physician. To make the best choice, you should have the answers to the following questions, and you should feel fully informed and comfortable with the explanations you receive. You should also feel free to request any other information relevant to your health care and treatment.

ASK YOUR PHYSICIAN:

1. Education: Where did you attend medical school? When did you graduate? What kind of graduate medical education, including residencies and fellowships, did you complete? What specialties are you eligible for or Board-certified in? What faculty appointments do you hold? What other medical education have you completed?

2. Participation in Health Plans: Do you participate in Medicaid? Medicare? TriCare? PPOs? HMOs? Which ones? Do you accept my insurance coverage? Who files my claims?

3. Practice Information: What is your primary area of practice? How long have you been in practice? Where is your office located? What medical groups are you affiliated with? Are you accepting new patients? What languages are spoke in your office? Where do you have hospital staff privileges?

4. Disciplinary Actions: Have you ever been subject to discipline by the Florida Board of Medicine, Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine or other professional boards from other states in the past five years? (If your physician has been subjected to discipline, ask for a full explanation of the circumstances.)

5. Criminal Convictions: Have you been convicted of any felonies or serious misdemeanors? (If your physician has been convicted of such crimes, ask for a full explanation of the circumstances.)

6. Professional Liability Judgments and Settlements: Have you ever been subject to any professional liability judgments or settlements that led to disciplinary actions by the Florida Board of Medicine or the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine? (If your physician has been subject to such judgments or settlements, you should compare his or her record against other physicians in similar specialties and practice, with similar years of experience. You should also be aware that this information does not necessarily reflect on the quality of care your physician provides. Physicians in certain high-risk specialties, such as obstetrics and neurosurgery, experience higher rates of lawsuits than specialists in other areas.)