he 59th ASA House of Delegates met during the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco on October 13-17, 2007. Among the significant actions of the House of Delegates were the following:

Officer Elections

• President
Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D.

• President-Elect
Roger A. Moore, M.D.

• Immediate Past President
Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D.

• First Vice President
Alexander A. Hannenberg, M.D.

• Vice President for Scientific Affairs
Charles W. Otto, M.D.

• Vice President for Professional Affairs
Robert E. Johnstone, M.D.

• Secretary
Gregory K. Unruh, M.D.

• Assistant Secretary
Arthur M. Boudreaux, M.D.

• Treasurer
John M. Zerwas, M.D.

• Assistant Treasurer
James D. Grant, M.D.

• Speaker, House of Delegates
Candace E. Keller, M.D.

• Vice-Speaker, House of Delegates
John P. Abenstein, M.D.

Special Awards
Ronald D. Miller, M.D., of Mill Valley, California, was named as the recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Service Award.

Debra A. Schwinn, M.D., of Seattle, Washington, was presented with the 2007 Award for Excellence in Research.

Marcos F. Vidal Melo, M.D., of Boston, Massachusetts, received the Presidential Scholar Award.

Strategic Plan
The revised ASA Strategic Plan, as approved by the Administrative Council and presented as an informational report, includes the following vision and mission statements:

Vision: The American Society of Anesthesiologists is the world’s premier medical specialty organization, leading through innovation in patient safety, clinical care, advocacy, education and research.

Mission: The American Society of Anesthesiologists is an organization of physicians and other professionals, dedicated to serving the best interests of its members and their patients. ASA supports patient safety by promoting improved quality, ethical behavior, discovery of new knowledge, and involvement of an anesthesiologist with every patient receiving anesthesia services, including perioperative care, pain management and critical care.

Values: The values of the Society are: Patient Safety, Integrity, Education, Research, Advocacy, Leadership and Service.

Budget
The 2008 Budget was approved as amended with a total net loss of $1,928,749 and total expenses of $28,815,949.

Dues
The following 2008 membership dues (unchanged from 2007) were approved:

Active members: $450

Affiliate members: $225

Educational members: $225

Educational student member: $25

Resident members: $25

Medical student members: $10

Practice Parameters
Approved two new practice parameters, “Practice Advisory for Prevention and Management of Operating Room Fires” and “Practice Guidelines for Neuraxial Opioids Associated With Respiratory Depression.” Both new documents will be published in the journal Anesthesiology. Hard copies are available on request from the ASA Executive Office.

Other new practice parameters in development will address neuraxial opioids and the prevention, diagnosis and management of infections and bleeding complications associated with the technique; and magnetic resonance imaging related to anesthetic practice. Parameters undergoing revision include Practice Guidelines for Transesophageal Echocardiography and Practice Guidelines for Chronic Pain Management, both scheduled for completion in 2008.

Also approved was a revised Policy Statement on Practice Parameters, which is available on the ASA Web site www.ASAhq.org under “Clinical Information.”

Standards, Guidelines and Statements
Approved or ratified previous Board action on the following new or current documents:

• Guidelines for Regional Anesthesia in Obstetrics with updated references (affirmed)

• Optimal Goals for Anesthetic Care in Obstetrics with updated references (affirmed)

• Statement on Pain Relief During Labor (affirmed)

• Statement on Regional Anesthesia (affirmed)

• Statement on Fluoroscopic Guidance for Spinal Injections (new)

• Statement on Reporting Postoperative Pain Procedures in Conjunction With Anesthesia (new).

Perioperative Anesthesiology-Centered ACLS Module
Approved Board action to accept a new committee work product from the Committee on Critical Care Medicine that, with the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (ASCCA), was developed to supplement the advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) studies that traditionally focus on cardiac arrests and circumstances outside the perioperative period. The committee and ASCCA will develop a timeline for periodic review and updating of this information.

Donation After Cardiac Death (DCD)
Approved Board action to accept a new committee work product titled “Sample Policy for Organ Donation After Cardiac Death,” which is intended to serve as an educational guide and possible template for DCD organ recovery and transplantation policies for departments or institutions that choose to customize and use it. The document is posted on the ASA Web site under “Clinical Information.”

Economics
Approved a recommendation from the Committee on Economics for developing an online presentation to serve as a coding resource for the membership. The committee will create a panel to oversee the development of and exercise editorial control over this new product.

Practice Management
Approved a recommendation from the Committee on Practice Management for ASA to partner with Auburn University to co-sponsor a custom physicians’ executive Master of Business Administration (PEMBA) program. Completion of the Certificate in Business Administration course through ASA waives the foundation course requirements in the PEMBA program.

Resolutions
Approved resolutions on Medicare Anesthesia Payment Parity, Patient Safety and Hand Washing, Signing Verbal Orders Within 48 Hours, Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation Under Anesthesia, ASA Pay-for-Performance Action Plan and Confidential Bench Marking as an Alternative to Pay-for-Performance Methodology.

CPOM Update
Approved recommendations from the Committee on Performance and Outcomes Measurement for five performance measures on: Pencil-Point Spinal Needles – Reduction of Post-Dural-Puncture Headache; Management of Postoperative Hypothermia; Patient Education – Postoperative Analgesia; Preoperative Fasting Status (Clear Liquids); and Treatment of Postoperative Shivering With Meperidine. These measures will be posted on the ASA Web site.

Preanesthesia Checkout Procedures
Accepted for information a report from the Committee on Equipment and Facilities announcing that a committee statement was developed and has been posted to the ASA Web site titled “Recommendations for Preanesthesia Check-Out Procedures.” Developed by a multidisciplinary task force, the new recommendations are designed to replace the 1993 FDA-sponsored pre-use anesthesia checklist.

Also, approved a recommendation that the Committee on Standards and Practice Parameters draft a practice alert recommending training and demonstrated competence in the use of any particular anesthesia machine or workstation, as well as completion and documentation of a pre-use checkout of that workstation, before an anesthesia provider uses it to deliver patient care.

Professional Diversity
Approved a recommendation from the Committee on Professional Diversity for the development of a new ASA Mentoring Program for Diversity that enhances racial, ethnic and gender diversity in membership, committee appointments, executive appointments and leadership development at all levels of the Society.

Medical Student Component
Approved component society status for the Medical Student Delegation, which was founded in 2003 under the auspices of the ASA Resident Component. The Medical Student Component will develop bylaws and be represented within the ASA House of Delegates in 2008.

Board of Directors
Following adjournment of the House of Delegates, on October 17, 2007, the Board of Directors met in San Francisco. Board members were elected to serve on the Board of Directors committees on Administrative Affairs, Professional Affairs, Scientific Affairs and Finance.