The Brevard Indo–American Medical and Dental Association, a membership organization, was founded in 1999 with just a few doctors. Today, BIMDA has 250 doctors as members and the organization continues to grow. From left: Dr. N. Rao Kopuri of Central Florida Orthodontic Specialists, BIMDA’s operations chairman; Dr. Devin Datta of The B.A.C.K. Center, BIMDA president; and Glad Kurian of Morgan Stanley, BIMDA cofounder and honorary executive director.
BBN photo
Brevard Indo-American Medical and Dental Association crosses a 20-year milestone, startup venture grows into an influential organization in Florida
By Ken Datzman
Florida to network with other medical associations. Importantly, they gained the support of hospital systems
in the region.
“BIMDA provides physicians with a quality collaborative, networking, and learning platform, which serves to support access to quality medical and dental care for Brevard County residents,” said George Mikitarian, the president and chief executive officer of Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, whose organization has been a
longtime supporter of BIMDA.
He added, “Our good relationship and cooperation with BIMDA and its physician members elevate the excellence in the continuum of care provided to patients.” BIMDA is a rich resource for its members in many different ways. And today’s physicians are juggling a number of obstacles and facing new challenges, said Dr. Sudeshna “Sue” Mitra, an internist in Melbourne with Medical Associates of Brevard and a longtime BIMDA member.
“Electronic documentation and other administrative burdens, for example, continue to cut in on the time physicians actually spend with patients,” she said.
“Physicians have to deal with an ocean of administrative burdens and paperwork on a regular basis. They have to report a steady stream of data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for reimbursement. The data–reporting duties required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) may never be very far from their minds.”
The MACRA Act of 2015, a 1058–page rule, changed the way physicians are reimbursed for Medicare Part B services. The Act went into effect Jan. 1, 2017. MACRA repealed the “sustainable growth rate” formula and replaced it with a new program — the Quality Payment Program — under which clinicians have the opportunity to earn bonuses or face penalties in the form of positive, neutral, or negative adjustments based on their performance in quality and cost measures, and activities and use of their electronic health records.
The Quality Payment Program shifts physician reimbursements from the traditional fee–for–service model to a value–based payment model.
Dr. Mitra added that a growing number of independent physician practices have been “swallowed up by hospitals and health–care systems in recent years, thereby causing staffing challenges to the practices that remain independent.
The smaller the practice the harder it is to remain competitive.” This trend is sweeping the nation. Hospitals acquired 8,000 medical practices between July 2016 and January 2018, according to data from Avalere Health and the Physician Advisory Institute.
Between July 2012 and January 2018, the number of hospital–acquired physician practices rose from 35,700 to 80,000, or double the number of hospital–owned practices, the report said.
Dr. Mitra said physicians also must confront a number of “ethical challenges on the job today as they deal with life–and–death situations amid priorities that can pull them in different directions. For instance, how to balance patient need with their ability to pay, or make decisions about expensive end–of–life care that only delays the inevitable?”
Dr. Mitra served as president of BIMDA in 2009. “Over the years, we have grown into one of the most influential organizations in the region,” she said.
“BIMDA has become not only a great networking resource but also an avenue to exchange ideas and discuss developments in the medical sciences.”
BIMDA’s visibility has risen significantly through the years. Its members are leaders in the medical community. U.S. Rep. Bill Posey (R–Rockledge) recognized the organization in 2018 for its commitment to education, calling BIMDA a “pillar of Central Florida.”
The City of Melbourne issued a “proclamation” on Nov. 16, 2019, recognizing BIMDA’s 20th anniversary. It was issued by Melbourne Mayor Kathy Meehan.
In June 2003, BIMDA joined the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, a national organization, as co–host for a major convention at The Marriott World Center in Orlando.
Founded in 1982, the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin represents a conglomeration of more than 80,000 practicing physicians in the United States.
It also serves as a platform for more than 40,000 medical students, residents, and fellows of Indian origin in this country.
Kurian, a Florida Tech MBA graduate who is with Morgan Stanley, said BIMDA is “unique in the state of Florida for being perhaps the only medical association that has embraced a partnership model inclusive of physicians, health systems, and research and academic institutions.
BIMDA believes that together we can all do more.” Dr. N. Rao Kopuri, BIMDA’s operations chairman and a practicing orthodontist, said there are “many people involved in making BIMDA a success.
BIMDA has no paid employees. Glad Kurian is the driving force and spearheads the volunteer effort for the BIMDA events. The volunteers not only enjoy working, but they are also excited about being part of the great BIMDA organization.”
Dr. Kopuri is a successful entrepreneur in his field. He owns Central Florida Orthodontic Specialists, with three offices. “My daughter (Dr. Avanthi Kopuri) is an orthodontist and she is mainly running the practice,” he said.
Dr. Rao Kopuri’s wife — Dr. Aparna Kopuri — is a past president of BIMDA. She is a psychiatrist. “We came to Brevard County in 1986. At that time, I was the first child psychiatrist to practice in Brevard,” said Dr. Aparna Kopuri, who was also the first medical director of the former CPC Palm Bay Hospital, a 60–bed psychiatric hospital for children.
She has been involved with BIMDA for nearly 15 years. “I have seen the organization grow and really gain stature in the community. I’m excited about BIMDA’s future.”
One of the cornerstone members of BIMDA is Dr. Ashok Shah, the longtime sponsorship chairman for the organization and an internist practicing in Titusville. He’s been active in leadership roles with BIMDA for about 18 years, almost since its founding.
“It’s a great organization. We have outstanding leaders like Dr. Rao Kopuri, Dr. Mahesh Soni, and Glad Kurian. They have a passion for BIMDA and continue to work to make the organization better and better. We are reaching new heights, achieving milestone after milestone. We have all spent hours and hours to help make BIMDA the organization it is today,” said Dr. Shah, who is a board member of Parrish Medical Center.
He added, “BIMDA membership represents about 75 percent of the total Indian physician population in Brevard. The Indian physician market has grown considerably
through the years.” Last year, BIMDA presented Dr. Shah with its first “Most Valuable Physician Award” for a lifetime of “dedication and impact” on the organization’s growth.
Also in 2019, Dr. Soni and Dr. Rege received “Lifetime Achievement Awards” from BIMDA for their roles in steering and leading the organization in its early years. “BIMDA’s goals through the years have been achieved by the hard work of its board members and its respected membership of physicians,” said Dr. Homi Cooper, a retired physician who served as BIMDA’s president in 2004.
“I was honored to have served as the organization’s president. Since then, BIMDA has continued to grow in its mission of cutting–edge continuing medical education, charity work, and medical fellowship.”
His advice to practicing physicians: “Talk to your patients and listen to them. Spend time with your patients when you can. They will appreciate you all the more for it.” He added, “The very special patient–physician relationship needs to be fostered and not left to the nuances of digital technology.”
Dr. Cooper said he believes BIMDA will only grow in the years ahead as more physicians move to Brevard to practice medicine. “It’s going to be exciting.”
