October 2001
Volume 65 |
Number 10
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| Board
of Directors Annual Meeting Summary |
The ASA Board of Directors held its annual meeting in Chicago,
Illinois, on Saturday and Sunday, August 18-19, 2001. The Board
Committees on Administrative Affairs, Finance, Legislative Review
and Scientific Affairs met as Review Committees on Saturday to
review reports for consideration by the Board of Directors on
Sunday. Among the actions taken by the Board of Directors were
the following:
Educational Affiliate Membership
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, a recommendation
that a new category of educational membership be created for the
purpose of making educational opportunities available to anesthesiologist
assistant members of the anesthesia care team.
Structure and Governance
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, recommendations
from the Task Force on Structure and Governance for revamping
ASA’s organizational structure. Included in the task force’s
recommendations is the establishment of a new Vice-President for
Professional Affairs who would oversee newly established Sections
on Professional Standards and Professional Practice.
Scope of Practice
Received information that a formal response is being prepared
and will be submitted within the 60-day comment period following
publication of a new Medicare anesthesia services rule on July
5 in the Federal Register. This new rule replaces the Clinton-approved
no-supervision rule and restores the requirement that anesthesia
nurses be supervised by a physician
Patients’ Bill of Rights
Received information that ASA has endorsed the patient protection
bill introduced by Senators James M. Jeffords (I-VT), Bill Frist
(R-TN) and John B. Breaux (D-LA). It was reported that the terms
of this bill conform with the principles endorsed by the Society
and reflect a careful balance among positions that have been advanced
by physicians, patient groups and the managed care industry.
Budgets
Approved amendments to the 2001 budget to provide for total expenditures
of $21,629,000. The 2002 expense budget of $19,241,000 was approved
and forwarded to the House of Delegates for adoption. The 2002
budget includes funding for the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
(APSF), the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER)
and the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) as follows:
APSF $400,000
FAER $1,050,000
WLM $400,000
Section on Fiscal Affairs
Approved a revision in ASA’s budget methodology to refine
the controls over management of the Society’s reserves. Also
approved a $50,000 honorarium for the First Vice-President to
commence in October 2001.
2002 Dues
Recommended that the House of Delegates approve the following
2002 membership dues:
Active Members $450
Affiliate Members $225
Resident Members $25
Medical Student Members $10
ASA Web Site
The Committee on Electronic Media and Information Technology reported
new enhancements to the ASA Web site that include: a new searchable
meeting calendar; a searchable exhibitor database; an online pain
management workshop; a “members only” section that includes
membership renewal, an online directory and the capability to
update demographic information; a Joint Commission on Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations tool kit developed by the ASA Committee
on Quality Management and Departmental Administration; posting
of ASA’s recent video news releases; and an improved version
of the ASA NEWSLETTER.
Quarterly Practice Management Newsletter
Received information that members of both ASA and the Anesthesia
Administration Assembly will soon be able to receive a new quarterly
practice management newsletter (the ASA e-PM Letter) by e-mail.
The Committee on Practice Management will help to identify subjects
for articles and provide information for the publication as well
as assist editor Karin Bierstein.
Survey of Transfusion Practices
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, funding
for a survey of transfusion practices among ASA members. A similar
survey was conducted 20 years ago. Since that time, new transfusion-transmitted
diseases have been identified, laboratory testing has become more
accessible in the operating room, and several practice guidelines
have been published.
Practice Parameters
Received information that the following practice parameters will
be ready for consideration by the House of Delegates in October
2001: revised “Practice Guidelines for Pulmonary Artery Catheterization”;
revised “Practice Guidelines for Sedation and Analgesia by
Nonanesthesiologists”; new “Practice Advisory on Preanesthesia
Evaluation”; and new “Practice Advisory on Postanesthetic
Care.”
Committee on Rural Anesthesia Practice
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, the establishment
of a new Committee on Rural Anesthesia Practice made up of practitioners
from the rural setting as well as academicians who have an interest
in rural issues.
Certificate in Business Administration Program (CBA)
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, that the
CBA Program be continued in 2002. Received information that 90
individuals from more than 20 states have subscribed to the program
in its first year.
Education of Supervising Nonanesthesiologist Physicians
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, funding
for the development of a Web-based educational product to be housed
on the ASA Web site for the purpose of offering educational information
to nonanesthesiologist physicians who supervise the administration
of sedation or anesthesia.
Demographic Database Survey Instrument
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, a recommendation
from the Committee on Information Management that funding be approved
for the development of an expanded, Web-based, ASA demographic
database survey instrument.
Relative Value Guide
The Committee on Economics reported that a new series of obstetric
anesthesia codes along with relative values will appear in the
2002 edition of the Relative Value Guide. In addition, several
new or revised codes for the 2002 Relative Value Guide were introduced.
Reduction in the Production of OxyContin™
Received information that ASA and the American Society of Regional
Anesthesia and Pain Medicine have jointly suggested that alternate
solutions be considered regarding the recently announced potential
changes in Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) policy to mandate a reduction
in the production of OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride) to 1996
levels and to restrict the prescription of OxyContin to a set
of physicians defined as “pain management specialists.”
As a first step, an offer has been extended to the DEA for ASA
to provide pain medicine specialists to serve in the capacity
of expert advisors on this issue.
Patient Education Brochures
Received information that new patient education brochures on “Sedation
Analgesia” and “Office-Based Anesthesia” are in
the process of being developed by the Committee on Communications.
Fourth Media Award
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, a media
award for Web-based articles. This would be the fourth award category
and would be added to the existing awards for print, television
and radio that are presented at the ASA Annual Meeting.
AMA Principles of Medical Ethics
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, a recommendation
from the Committee on Ethics that the newly revised American Medical
Association (AMA) “Principles of Medical Ethics” replace
the current AMA principles appearing in the ASA document “Guidelines
for the Ethical Practice of Anesthesiology.”
New Publishing Agreement for the Journal Anesthesiology
Approved a recommendation from the Section on Journals to proceed
in entering into a new five-year agreement with Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins for the publishing of Anesthesiology.
Formal Relationship with the American Geriatrics Society
Approved, subject to House of Delegates ratification, a recommendation
that ASA establish a formal relationship with the American Geriatrics
Society to enhance education, research and improvement in perioperative
care of the geriatric patient.
Editorial Board Elections
Alan Jay Schwartz, M.D., was elected to a three-year term as Editor-in-Chief
of the Refresher Course Publication.
Edwin A. Bowe, M.D., and Ronald S. Litman, D.O., were elected
to three-year terms on the Editorial Board of the Self-Education
and Evaluation (SEE) program. Peter L. Bailey, M.D., was elected
to a three-year term as Editor-in-Chief of the SEE program.
Liaison Representatives
Rebecca S. Twersky, M.D., was elected to a two-year term as Representative
to the JCAHO – Ambulatory Health Care, Professional and Technical
Advisory Committee (AHC-PTAC). Walter A. Maurer, M.D., was elected
to a two-year term as Alternate Representative to the JCAHO-AHC-PTAC.
Thomas A. Joas, M.D., was elected to a two-year term as Representative
to the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).
Earl S. Ransom, Jr., M.D., was elected to a two-year term as Representative
to the American Society of Anesthesia Technologists and Technicians.
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