posting, emails, articles in MMA News and Physician Advocate, and a webinar. In preparation for discussions of Resolution 400, an agenda was published, containing eight major areas for discussion.5 The ensuing testimony in the Reference Committee at the 2012 MMA Annual Meeting showed support for changes that had the potential to make the Board of Trustees more efficient and more accountable to the membership. There was also broad support for increased opportunities for participation and involvement with expansion of the concepts of policy forums and listening sessions. Serious reservations were raised, however, regarding the concentration of decision-making, policy development, and policy-making authority in the hands of a small number of individuals with no accountability to the membership. There was also concern expressed that these same individuals would essentially choose their own successors, and that they might choose like-minded individuals, with no real input from the membership. One of the biggest concerns was that if the House of Delegates was eliminated, the long-standing grassroots, representative nature of the MMA would not be continued, and even though there may be multiple avenues for input and discussion in the future, the ability of physician members not serving on the Board to set policy through the resolution and reference committee process would be irrevocably lost. At the House of Delegates, it is customary for physician leaders to address the delegates, and for the MMA CEO to give a report. At the Annual Meeting last September, the CEO, rather than reporting on the activities of the MMA over the past year, gave a forceful presentation advocating for approval of Resolution 400 as recommended by the Governance Task Force and the Board of Trustees. With the extensive and far-ranging discussion and input at the Reference Committee, the committee amended the resolution to allow changes to the size and composition of the Board of Trustees and to begin piloting the listening sessions and policy discussions, with report back to the House of Delegates in 2013. The MetroDoctors
resolution stated, however, that no further decisions would be made on the future of the House of Delegates until the 2013 Annual Meeting. This amended resolution was adopted by the House of Delegates.6 Personal Commentary:
The physicians of the MMA have known for many years that we face growing challenges of membership, declining participation in many MMA activities, relevance to members, and frustration with certain aspects of the Annual Meeting and how the House of Delegates functions. Serious and sincere efforts have been made to address these challenges. The original resolution 102 in 2011, submitted by physicians of TCMS, was a part of these efforts, and sought to strengthen and improve the resolution process and the policy-making role of the House of Delegates. This resolution was amended by the reference committee, calling on the Governance Task Force to explore the governance responsibilities of the House of Delegates and the Board of Trustees. The charge given to the task force
The Journal of the Twin Cities Medical Society
was to explore how the existing roles of our governing structure align with MMA strategic direction, and to make final recommendations to align governance with strategic direction developed by the Board. This charge directly contradicted the intent of the original resolution. At the meeting of the Board of Trustees in July of 2012, and at the reference committee at the 2012 MMA Annual Meeting, serious reservations have been raised regarding the proposed governance changes, which require further deliberation. What began as an effort to strengthen the representative and democratic nature of our association has led to an effort to concentrate control and decision-making authority within a smaller Board and the committees of the Board. The events referred to here represent a small part of the 160 year history of the Minnesota Medical Association, but how we, the physicians of Minnesota, respond to our current challenges will affect our association, and our profession, for many years to come. References available upon request.
May/June 2013
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