QI
Legislative
House of Delegates Two-Years in the Making
The TMA House of Delegates held its 186th annual business meeting last weekend in Franklin, where 127 credentialed physician delegates considered 20 resolutions on a number of healthcare topics, and eight Bylaw amendments. Please review the summary of which resolutions were adopted, not adopted or referred to the TMA Board for possible action. TMA also installed Dr. Ron Kirkland, an otolaryngologist from Jackson, as 167th President of the association and elected a number of new officers on the TMA Board of Trustees. Drs. Warren McPherson of Murfreesboro and Dr. Don Franklin of Chattanooga received Outstanding Physician Awards, and the Nashville Academy of Medicine gained special recognition for their upcoming Bicentennial Anniversary. Thanks to the HOD, the TMA Young Physician Section was saved. There were Bylaw Amendments aimed at removing the Section from the HOD due to inactivity, but members voted to retain the Section. If you’re interested in representing Memphis and Young Physicians, reach out to Cara, your Physician Liaison, at cazhar@mdmemphis.org. A Resolution was passed that changes the TMA Committee nomination process. Now, all TMA Committee member nominations will go through the local component society (via the nominating committee or Board). This Resolution creates consistency for the process of nominating TMA Committee representatives. A Bylaw Amendment that would “further define” Residents’ voting rights in TMA elections was referred back to the Board. Although many physicians supported Residents’ ability to vote in elections, more work needs to be done before it can be passed. Currently, the TMA Board and staff are reviewing the bylaws and election rules in order to recommend the easiest fix that would allow Residents the ability to vote. A Bylaw Amendment that would change the makeup of the TMA Board of Directors was referred back to the Board. The Amendment would have decreased the necessary amount of members to give component societies a second Board Member (from 1,000 to 500). This change would have allowed many societies to add a second Board Member and increase diversity across the Board. The Board is currently in the process of establishing a blue ribbon panel that will make recommendations to the Board on the future governance of TMA. We need a diverse set of physicians to serve on this committee, so please email Cara at cazhar@mdmemphis.org, if you’re interested in serving on this important panel.
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