Summary of Board Actions and Issues
The NCCPA Board of Directors met on November 16-17, 2002 in San Antonio, Texas. The following summary describes some of the actions taken and issues addressed at that meeting.
Title Changes, Election of New Board Officers
The Board of Directors voted to change the titles of the chief elected and chief staff officers to better reflect the nature of their positions and current trends in nomenclature for similar organizations. NCCPA’s chief elected officer is now the chairman of the Board. The chief staff officer is now NCCPA’s president. The new titles do not confer any change in the roles or responsibilities of the offices.
The following individuals will serve as NCCPA’s officers in 2003:
- Chairman of the Board—Gary Winchester, MD (appointed to the NCCPA Board by the Federation of State Medical Boards)
- Immediate Past Chairman—Katherine J. Adamson, PA-C, MMS, MA
- Chairman Elect—John W. Ogle, MD (appointed by the American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Treasurer—Edward J. Dunn, MBA, SPHR (appointed by the American Hospital Association)
- Secretary—Disty Pearson, PA-C (PA director at large)
Lee Bryan Smith, JD, MD (appointed by the American College of Emergency Physicians) will serve as a member at large on the Executive Committee with the five officers listed above.
New Appeals and Disciplinary Policies
The Board of Directors approved a new shortened version of NCCPA’s appeals policy, now entitled Appeal Process for Adverse Certification Decisions. The new document is much simpler than its predecessor and describes the process by which PAs may appeal adverse administrative decisions (i.e., denial of requests for deadline extensions), substantive decisions (i.e., denial of certification) or disciplinary decisions (described below).
The Board also approved a new disciplinary policy, which includes some elements previously included in the appeals policy as well as some new provisions. The disciplinary policy defines the following basis on which disciplinary action could be taken: irregular behavior before, during or after an exam; fraudulent use of NCCPA credentials; or legal, regulatory or credentialing actions. Disciplinary action, as defined in this new policy document, could include denial or revocation of eligibility, certification or proficiency recognition. In some circumstances, as in the case of fraudulent use of NCCPA credentials, PAs could also be subject to legal action.
The new disciplinary policy will enable NCCPA to deny or revoke eligibility or certification when presented with evidence of a conviction or no-contest plea of a felony, loss of licensure to practice or gross incompetence or unethical conduct.
The new appeals policy and disciplinary policy are available in the Resources section of NCCPA’s Web site.
NCCPA-Sponsored Issue of Perspective on PA Education
NCCPA’s Board voted in favor of a proposal from the Association of PA Programs, agreeing to sponsor a testing and evaluation-themed issue of APAP’s peer reviewed journal, Perspective on Physician Assistant Education. The NCCPA-sponsored issue will be printed in 2004.
Other Action Items
The Board also took the following actions of note:
- Approved the 2003 budget.
- Approved bylaws revisions, which principally change the document’s organization and format.
- Took actions related to the construction of NCCPA exams.
Discussion Item: The Future Development of the Recertification Process
The Board continued its discussions of possible changes to the recertification process. Though that work is ongoing, the Board has clearly articulated its commitment to preserving the generalist nature of the PA-C credential. Those discussions are expected to reach conclusion in the first half of 2003, and additional information will be reported at that time.
Future Meetings
The Board and its committees will meet in March, May and November 2003.
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