Florida Pediatrician Named 2012 Charles "Buzzy" Vanchiere Award Winner

Dr. Richard Lander, Dr. Mark Reuben, Dr. Jerald Zarin, Dr. Roger Suchyta.

These are just a few past recipients of the Charles “Buzzy” Vanchiere Award, and Dr. Edward Zissman is familiar with all of them, including the late Dr. Vanchiere, for whom the AAP's practice management award is named.

Dr. Zissman, a managing partner at Florida's Altamonte Pediatric Associates, was at his first AAP chapter meeting in 1992, when he met his esteemed colleagues and jumped with both feet into the world of pediatric practice management advocacy.

“I knew 'Buzzy,' I know them all,” Dr. Zissman said, fondly referring to the group he would join as an original CPT Code trainer.

So it seems it was only a matter of time before Dr. Zissman was chosen to join the ranks of Vanchiere Award winners, and that time has come. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Zissman was recently  chosen by the AAP's Section On Administration and Practice Management as this year's recipient of the Charles “Buzzy” Vanchiere Award. PCC sponsors the award that recognizes outstanding contributions in the education of pediatricians in administrative pediatrics, practice management and payment.  

“I've always been someone who cares about being assertive and standing up for my fellow pediatricians,” said Dr. Zissman, who is slated to receive the award at the AAP's upcoming National Conference and Exhibit in New Orleans.

Dr. Zissman's leadership within the AAP began with chairing the Florida AAP's committee on child health care finance, in which he was instrumental in forcing the state of Florida to provide equal access to children's health services through fair payments and adequate networks in the Medicaid system.

The Florida pediatrician, in addition to serving as a member on the original AAP CPT Coder's Training Network, served on the executive committees of both SOAPM and the Committee on Child Health Care Finance (COCHF).

Most recently, as co-chair of the AAP's ad hoc committee on vaccine bar coding, Dr. Zissman has forged an alliance between the AAP, the CDC, the FDA and vaccine pharmaceutical companies to implement two-dimensional bar coding of vaccines. He also continues to advocate on behalf of physicians whose goal is to be paid for all (direct and indirect) the costs of providing immunizations.   

Dr. Zissman is the father of four grown children and has five grandchildren. His wife, Phyllis, a systems administration analyst, also works at Altamonte Pediatric Associates as its office manager.

Also a civic leader in his community, Dr. Zissman and his wife founded the Jewish Academy of Orlando, a parochial school for children in kindergarten through 8th grade.

PCC Chip Hart, Pediatric Solutions manager at PCC, said Dr. Zissman's contributions to the bi-annual SOAPM newsletter should not go unnoticed. “Without him the newsletter would not be reproduced twice a year and be available as a highly dependable resource for pediatricians,” Hart said. “He has been vital to keeping the newsletter alive and vibrant.”