Interim Session 2005 Minutes in Brief

The Texas Academy of Family Physicians’ Board of Directors dealt with several key issues at the TAFP Interim Session held in Austin on Feb. 24 – 27, 2005. Below is a summary of these issues. For a complete copy of the minutes, contact John Ashbaugh at (512) 329-8666 ext. 16 or at jashbaugh@tafp.org.

FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Approved that travel funding for students and residents be awarded first from the travel and leadership scholarships that have been funded through Board designated funds. These scholarships include the Richard B. Hartin, M.D., Memorial Scholarship; the Cecil French, M.D., Memorial Scholarship, the Sam A. Nixon, M.D., Leadership Scholarship and the Phil Thorek, M.D., Memorial Scholarship. The actual check should be presented to students by the Family Medicine Interest Groups at their medical schools or at their residency programs and their names should be printed in the TAFP publication, Texas Family Physician.

BYLAWS COMMITTEE

Approved a change in the wording in TAFP Bylaws, Chapter X, Section 2, #4, lines 13-14, to read “to make available the power of referendum” from “the power of referendum.”

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Approved that the TAFP join the Texas Alliance for Patient Access as a full member for the cost of $2,000.

Approved that the TAFP sponsor the Hard Hats for Little Heads Project, through which family physicians will host events throughout the state during the month of May, which is National Bicycle Safety Month, by supplying up to 100 helmets for up to 30 physician participants and providing marketing materials as needed. The fiscal note is $7,050.

Approved the TAFP Officers be reimbursed a per diem of $350 while attending meetings relating to their official duties. This per diem will encompass expenses including hotel/lodging, meals and tips. In addition, reimbursement will also be granted for coach airfare or mileage in a personal vehicle or aircraft up to the amount of $500. If this amount exceeds $500, prior approval of the President and Executive Director is necessary. Officers will also be reimbursed for registration fees and ground transportation to and from airports on these trips. Officers are defined as: President-elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Immediate Past President. Approval from the TAFP President is required for reimbursement for travel to these meetings. After the travel is complete, the officer is required to submit a travel expense form and all appropriate receipts to the TAFP office within 60 days after the travel has occurred to receive reimbursement. This reimbursement will be based on a set fiscal year budget reviewed and approved yearly by the Finance Committee. FY 2005 fiscal note: $6,750

Approved providing up to $1,600 for each officer including the President-elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Immediate Past President to attend the AAFP’s Annual Leadership Forum. If an officer is unable to attend or has an alternate funding source, the President and the Executive Director will work to select a future TAFP leader to accept this scholarship. The scholarship being provided is to be used for all expenses incurred in attending ALF including airfare, ground transportation, registration fees, hotel/lodging, meals and tips. This reimbursement will be based on a set fiscal year budget reviewed and approved yearly by the Finance Committee. FY2005 fiscal note: $8,000

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Approved the revised FY 2005 Budget.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Approved Roland Goertz, M.D. for the position of AAFP Delegate and Justin Bartos, M.D. for the position of AAFP Alternate Delegate.

Approved the following slate of officers for 2005-06:

• President-elect: Douglas Curran, M.D.
• Vice President: Robert Youens, M.D.
• Treasurer: Linda M. Siy, M.D.
• Parliamentarian: K. Ashok Kumar, M.D.

Approved the following members to fill the open slots on the TAFP Board of Directors:

• Alamo Chapter: Mitch Finnie, M.D.
• Brazoria Chapter: Harvey Resnick, M.D.
• Brazos Valley Chapter: Robert Howard, M.D.
• El Paso Chapter: Juan Perez, M.D.

COMMISSION ON ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Approved that the TAFP serve as catalyst and convener to create a summit between Academic Health Centers in Texas and leaders in family medicine to discuss relationships of mutual benefit between health centers and family medicine.

Approved funding a maternity care provider study with $10,000 previously allocated but not expended.

COMMISSION ON ANNUAL SESSION AND CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION

Approved the commission’s annual review of and changes to the following educational policies and forms:

• The TAFP Education Mission Statement
• TAFP Symposia and PrimeCME evaluation forms
• The Joint Sponsorship Agreement Form
• Registrant Cancellation Policy with changes
• Policy for Selection of Speakers, Teacher or Authors for CME activities
• Policy for Selection of CME Activity Venue
• Guidelines for Policy on Faculty Honoraria and Speaker Reimbursement
• Policy for Management of Conflict of Interest
• Disclosure Policy and implementation with noted changes
• TAFP Disclosure Form

Approved that the education staff work with Clare Hawkins, M.D., to offer Winter Symposium in 2006 with a goal to decrease the expenses for this program and work to increase attendance.

COMMMSSION ON HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND MANAGED CARE

Approved that the Commission on Annual Session and CME will provide lectures at the 2005 Annual Session on health savings accounts and how they may affect family physicians and patients.

Approved that the TAFP draft a resolution to AAFP to include patient incentives as part of the AAFP pay for performance policy.

Approved investigating the implementation of “smart card” technology, which would include, at a minimum, patient information and covered benefits, available at the point of service.

COMMISSION ON MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBER SERVICES

Approved that the TAFP Vice President send a letter to local chapters near medical schools challenging them to adopt medical students by paying the TAFP dues of interested students.

Approved that a minority scholarship of up to $1,250 be established to encourage participation of minority members in our chapter and foster their active participation at both the national and local levels. The minority scholarship would help fund a minority member to attend National Conference of Special Constituencies as a general registrant.

Approved that a third-year resident scholarship of up to $1,250 be established to build future leadership in our chapter and foster resident and new physician participation at both the national and local levels. This scholarship would help fund a third-year resident member to attend National Conference of Special Constituencies as a general registrant.

Approved that the TAFP staff organize committed time for physical activity by the physicians attending each meeting that TAFP holds.

COMMISSION ON PUBLIC HEALTH

Approved setting a formal process of selection for the TAFP representative to the AAFP’s Convocation of Practices that should include, 1) Solicitation of an essay of interest from all members four months prior to the Convocation; 2) The selection of the representative will be made by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Commission on Public Health, Clinical Affairs and Research and the Chair of the Section on SPARRC; 3) Increase the amount of funding to support travel for the representative from $1,000 to $1,500 to more accurately reflect expected expenses.

FLOOR MOTIONS

Whereas, many TAFP constituent chapters are inactive and consistently do not have representation at the TAFP Board of Directors meetings, and

Whereas, many TAFP CME attendees at TAFP Annual and Interim Sessions do not know that they are invited to attend business meetings and are uneducated about how to be involved in the TAFP’s political process, and

Whereas, many TAFP members are not aware of which constituent chapters they are members or if those chapters are active, and

Whereas, some TAFP CME attendees from inactive constituent chapters might be interested in serving in the corresponding business meetings during that session or at a session in the future, be it therefore

Resolved, that the Texas Academy of Family Physicians Executive Committee consider methods to recruit CME attendees to the business meetings, beginning at Annual Session 2005, including:

• The preparation of a display board which identifies all chapters, including those chapters that have consistently not had board member representation, possibly linking current CME registrants to their component chapters in an effort to make registrants aware that they can serve as board member if their chapter’s specified board member(s) do not attend; and
• The development of a brief lecture from one or more of the TAFP officers, performed in the middle of the CME program, to welcome CME attendees to the business meetings and to identify legislative “hot topics” of interest to most of our members.

Proposed Amendments to TAFP Bylaws

The proposed amendments to the Bylaws are in accordance with the TAFP Bylaws, Chapter XIV, Amendment of Bylaws. An affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting at the at the annual business meeting shall constitute adoption. If you would like to receive a complete copy of the TAFP Bylaws contact John Ashbaugh at the TAFP office at (512) 329-8666.

Chapter X, Section 2, #4, lines 13-14

Functions of the annual business meeting shall be: (1) to adopt or reject proposed changes in the Bylaws; (2) to act upon annual reports by officers and committees which are summarized and given by the President; (3) to act on business specifically referred by the Board of Directors; and (4) the power of referendum. to make available the power of referendum.

Recommendation of the Bylaws Committee: FOR Action of the Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors recommended adoption of this proposed Amendment to the TAFP at the Feb. 26, 2005 meeting.