Annual Session 2008 Minutes in Brief

The Texas Academy of Family Physicians’ Board of Directors met on Saturday, July 19, 2008, to hear reports and recommendations from TAFP’s committees, commissions and sections. Below are highlights of the meeting. For a complete copy of the minutes, contact Kathy McCarthy at (512) 329-8666 ext. 14 or kmccarthy@tafp.org.

TAFP FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Foundation voted to combine the Glen Johnson, M.D., Scholarship and the TAFP Foundation Minority Scholarship that were both still in the fundraising stage to form the Glen Johnson, M.D., Minority Scholarship. The scholarship will be given to a minority medical student with interest in family medicine with preference given to African-American medical students. They also voted to rename the South Texas Scholarship and change its criteria. The scholarship will now be known as the South Texas and Rural Health Scholarship and will be available to medical students with a strong interest in practicing family medicine in a rural area. Preference will be given to medical students who are from the counties that comprise the South Texas Chapter.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Board approved a new vision and mission statement for TAFP. They are, “The vision of the TAFP is to promote a health care environment that values the vital role of family doctors in providing quality, comprehensive care to all Texans,” and “The TAFP is the premier membership organization dedicated to uniting the family doctors of Texas through advocacy, education and member services, and empowering them to provide a medical home for patients of all ages.” The Board also approved participation in a steering committee to discuss a patient-centered medical home pilot project.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The Board approved a new asset allocation model for TAFP’s investments. The new model is 70 percent equity and 30 percent bond.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The Board approved a recommendation that TAFP nominate Roland Goertz, M.D., M.B.A., for president-elect of AAFP. The election will take place at the 2009 AAFP Congress of Delegates in Boston, Mass. The Board also approved nominating Joane Baumer, M.D., for the AAFP Commission on Education and Clare Hawkins, M.D., for the AAFP Commission on Continuing Professional Development. At Interim Session, the Nominating Committee will receive recommendations to fill the unexpired term of AAFP Alternate Delegate, David Schneider, M.D., who moved to Missouri. For information, contact Kathy McCarthy at kmccarthy@tafp.org.

COMMISSION ON ANNUAL SESSION AND CME

The Board approved a new Continuing Education Mission Statement. The Commission also discussed a request to reinstate TAFP CME in conjunction with TexMed but due to lack of grants and scheduling concerns they determined this was not in TAFP’s best interest. Instead TAFP staff will work with TMA staff to incorporate more primary care education into the existing TexMed program.

COMMISSION ON CORE DELEGATION

The Board approved a recommendation that Texas support a Florida resolution to the AAFP Congress of Delegates regarding a dues check-off for the Family Medicine Political Action Committee.

COMMISSION ON HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND MANAGED CARE

There were no action items from the Commission on Health Care Services and Managed Care but the chair noted in his report that the Commission heard presentations from the Harris County Health Care Alliance and Cigna, and heard reports on AAFP’s Medical Home initiative and the TransforMED project.

COMMISSION ON LEGISLATIVE AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Board approved a recommendation that TAFP provide up to an additional $8,000 for the 2008 Leadership and Legislative Conference.

COMMISSION ON MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBER SERVICES

The Board approved a recommendation that TAFP increase maximum reimbursement for the official representatives to the National Conference of Special Constituencies to $1,000 each to offset the loss of AAFP airfare support.

COMMISSION ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND CLINICAL AFFAIRS

The Board approved a recommendation to send forth two resolutions to the AAFP Congress of Delegates regarding the development of new K-award mechanisms suitable for community-based academic family medicine faculty and to promote the creation of an NIH-level National Institute of Family Medicine.

TASK FORCE ON THE MEDICAL HOME

The newly formed task force met for the first time and discussed their mission of evaluating the emerging concept of the medical home, assessing members’ understanding of and needs related to this concept. They also selected a group to represent TAFP on a steering committee for a medical home workgroup organized by the Texas Chapter of the American College of Physicians Services.

TASK FORCE ON PRIVATE SECTOR ADVOCACY

The Task Force met for the last time and reviewed the issues that they discussed over their tenure and the recommendations they have made. The Task Force believes that the concerns faced by private practice physicians can be addressed by current standing commissions. TAFP members should be made aware of their opportunity to send concerns to the headquarters to be addressed by the appropriate Commission or Committee.

CALL FOR PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENTS

Any TAFP member wishing to submit a proposed amendment to the TAFP bylaws must submit it to Kathy McCarthy at TAFP by Dec. 15, 2008. The TAFP bylaws can be viewed by going to www.tafp.org/media/default/downloads/membership/bylaws.pdf.

Amendments can be e-mailed to kmccarthy@tafp.org or faxed to (512) 329-8237. Members submitting a proposed amendment must include a statement giving the rationale for the amendment.

The TAFP Bylaws Committee will review the amendments at the 2009 Interim Session meeting on March 14, 2009. The Chair of the Bylaws Committee will present the proposed amendments, with the recommendations of the Bylaws Committee, to the Board of Directors at the Interim Session. If the Board of Directors approves the amendment, it will go before the TAFP members in attendance at the TAFP Annual Business Meeting in July 2009.