Summary of NCCPA Board Actions and Issues
The NCCPA Board of Directors met on Friday, November 10, 2006. The following summary describes the actions taken and issues addressed at that meeting.
Appointment of New Members Announced
The NCCPA Board of Directors was pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Ellen Harder, appointee of the Federation of State Medical Boards. Ms. Harder practiced clinically as a physician assistant for twenty years and is now an active participant on the Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission. She was introduced at this weekend’s meeting, which she attended with outgoing-FSMB appointee Wayne VonSeggen, PA-C. Her term will officially begin on January 1, 2007 .
The NCCPA Board of Directors was also pleased to announce that we received notification of the appointment of Dr. Frank Kane, MD, from the American Academy of Family Physicians, and John J. Davis, PA-C, from the American Academy of Physician Assistants. Dr. Kane and Mr. Davis’s terms will begin on January 1, 2007.
Continued Discussions on Specialty Recognition
The NCCPA Board of Directors reaffirmed their commitment to pursue the development of specialty recognition for PAs. This affirmation of the Board’s commitment, first made in May 2006, came after a presentation by the Task Force on Specialty Recognition. The task force noted their discussions are dynamic and formative in nature and continued discussions and the input from specialty societies known to be interested in specialty recognition is needed.
The task force also sought the Board’s approval of points of consensus that reflected the NCCPA’s commitment to moving forward and provided insight about NCCPA’s current thinking. After minor editing, the document was approved by an e-mail vote of the Board of Directors. Click here to read the article.
Election of the 2007 Executive Committee
Each year, the NCCPA Board of Directors elects individuals to serve on the Executive Committee and as Board officers. The individuals elected to serve in 2007 along with Chairman Randy D. Danielsen, PhD, PA-C, and Immediate Past Chairman William (Bill) Kohlhepp, MHA , PA -C are:
Lee B. Smith, MD, JD – Chair Elect
Don Sefcik, DO, MBA – Treasurer
Ruth Ballweg, MPA, PA-C – Secretary
Ed Dunn, MBA, SPHR – Member at Large
Continuing Discussions on the PANCE Eligibility Policy
The Board of Directors continued its discussion on the PANCE eligibility policy, which was adopted in 2003, and requires PAs to pass PANCE within six attempts or within six years of completing their PA program, whichever occurs first. Recognizing that two individuals have already reached the limit, the Board discussed its desire to consider the development of a policy that would specify mechanism(s), if any are deemed appropriate, for the reestablishment of eligibility and referred such discussions to the appropriate NCCPA committee in 2007.
Adoption of Expanded Credentialing Options
To better meet the needs of PAs and third parties who utilize NCCPA’s credentialing services, the NCCPA Board of Directors approved expanding the information provided in NCCPA’s credentialing letters beyond that information which is publicly available when the PA’s authorization is obtained. NCCPA will develop a system that allows individuals requesting the credentialing letter some flexibility to customize the information included to meet their specific needs.
Other Issues & Decisions
- The term of Dr. John Ogle, MD, appointed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, was extended one year to allow the AAP sufficient time to find a new appointee to replace Dr. Ogle whose second term expires at the end of this year.
- The contributions of COL. Sherry Morrey, PA-C, appointee of the Department of Defense, Suzanne Reich, PA-C, appointee of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, and Wayne VonSeggen, PA-C, appointee of the Federation of State Medical Boards were recognized as all three Board members are leaving the Board at the end of the year.
- The Board approved revisions to the Policy and Procedures for Disciplinary Review and the Review and Appeal Process for Adverse Decisions to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of these processes based on three years of experience with these policies.
- The Board approved revisions to the CME audit policy designed to strength the integrity of the audit process.
- The Board approved the 2007 annual budget for the organization and a removal of a “building funds” designation as such a fund categorization is no longer needed.
Next Meeting
The Board and its committees will convene for the annual retreat in Sedona , Arizona on February 9-11, 2007.
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