AMA-OMSS Governing Council

AMA-OMSS Committees

 

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AMA-OMSS Governing Council

A. Officer Designations. In addition to the Chair and the Vice Chair identified in AMA Bylaw 7.04 there shall be a Secretary.

B. Governing Council. There shall be seven voting members of the Governing Council, consisting of the officers, delegate, alternate delegate and two members at-large elected at the Business Meeting of the Section as provided in AMA Bylaw 7.03. In addition, the Immediate Past Chair shall serve, ex officio, as a voting member of the Governing Council for one year only, to provide continuity in the leadership of the Section.

C. Eligibility. AMA Bylaw 7.40 defines eligibility and cessation of eligibility for those elected to the OMSS Governing Council.

D. Duties and Privileges. The Governing Council shall direct the programs and activities of the OMSS including the creation of OMSS committees, subject to the approval of such programs and activities, when required, by the Board of Trustees or House of Delegates of the AMA. Time commitments will include 5 days each for the Annual and Interim Meetings with the exception of the Delegate and Alternate Delegate whose commitment will be 7 days for the Annual Meeting and 6 days for the Interim Meeting and 4 weekend days associated with 2 Governing Council Meetings plus conference calls and other meetings on request.

1. Chair. The Chair shall:

1. Presides at all meetings of the Section and the Governing Council.
2. Represents the Section on all matters of policy.

2. Vice-Chair The Vice Chair shall:

1. Assist the Chair and preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair or at the Chair's request.
2. Act as liaison for the OMSS Outreach Program

3. Secretary. The Secretary shall:

1. Prepare summary minutes of Governing Council meetings in coordination with Department of Organized Medical Staff Services.
2. Work with staff of the Department of Organized Medical Staff Services in the production of communication materials.
3. Serves as Chair of the Credentials Committee

4. Delegate. The Delegate shall:

1. Present testimony on OMSS resolutions in the AMA House of Delegates.
2. Act as advocate for the OMSS in the AMA House of Delegates.
3. Monitor issues not directly commented on by the OMSS Assembly.

5. Alternate Delegate. The Alternate Delegate shall:

1. Present testimony on OMSS resolutions in the AMA House of Delegates.
2. Act as advocate for the OMSS in the AMA House of Delegates.
3. Monitor issues not directly commented on by the OMSS Assembly.

6. Members-at-Large. The Members-at-Large shall:

1. Complete special OMSS projects assigned by the Chair or Governing Council.

7. Immediate Past Chair. The Immediate Past Chair shall:

1. Provide continuity in the leadership of the Section.
2. Serve as an ex-officio member of the Governing Council.

E. Terms. Governing Council members, including the delegate and alternate delegate, shall serve a term of 2 years, beginning at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting at which they were elected and ending at the conclusion of the second Annual Meeting after their election. These provisions shall not be applicable to the Immediate Past Chair, whose term is one year.

F. Tenure. Governing Council members shall serve for no more than 2 consecutive terms in the same position on the Governing Council, except that the delegate and alternate delegate shall serve no more than three consecutive terms. A member elected to serve an unexpired term shall not be regarded as having served a term. Those provisions shall not be applicable to the Immediate Past Chair, whose total tenure is limited to one year.

G. Vacancies. Any vacancy occurring on the Governing Council shall be filled at the next Business Meeting of the Section.

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AMA-OMSS Committees

A. Credentials Committee

1. The Credentials Committee is chaired by the Secretary of the Governing Council with assistance from other Governing Council members or state chairs when needed. The number to serve on the Credentials Committee will be determined by the Chair of the Governing Council based on meeting attendance.
2. The Committee is responsible for consideration of all matters relating to the registration and credentialing of all representatives.

B. Committee on Late Resolutions

1. The Committee on Late Resolutions is composed of five representatives selected by the Chair to meet with authors of late resolutions prior to the opening of the Assembly.
2. This Committee does not hold open hearings, but provides the sponsors of all late resolutions an opportunity to explain the reasons for submitting them.
3. The Committee considers the emergency nature of each late resolution. If the resolution is not of an emergency nature, it is recommended that the resolution be resubmitted to the next regular business meeting of the OMSS.
4. The Committee then submits its recommendations to the Assembly. The Assembly votes on the acceptance of each resolution. A two-thirds affirmative vote is required for acceptance of any item as official business of the Assembly.
5. The Committee also reviews resolutions that may be a reaffirmation of AMA policy. The Committee provides a reaffirmation calendar to the Assembly. A representative can extract a resolution from a reaffirmation calendar for referral to a reference committee. The committee shall cite the current policy which the new resolution reaffirms in their report to the Assembly.

C. Reference Committee(s).

1. Reference committees shall consist of five representatives, who are selected by the Chair in consultation with the Governing Council. The committees shall conduct open hearing on all items of business before the Assembly. Based on testimony and their deliberations, the reference committee shall develop a report and make recommendations on the disposition of all referred items of business.
2. Reference committee reports shall comprise the bulk of the Business Meeting. They shall be constructed swiftly and succinctly after completion of the hearings in order that they may be processed and made available to the representatives as far in advance of formal presentation as possible.
3. Reference committees shall have wide latitude in their efforts to facilitate the will of the participants on the matters before them. They shall be able to amend resolutions and consolidate similar resolutions by constructing substitutes. They also shall be able to recommend the usual parliamentary procedure for disposition of the business before them, such as adopt, not adopt, amend and refer. Resolutions and reports, which are grouped together, shall be carefully reviewed to verify that they are similar.
4. All reference committee members shall review and sign the final report. The OMSS Chair and Vice Chair shall review, with the reference committee chairs, the final reference committee reports for parliamentary procedure and clarity.
5. The entire report of the reference committee shall be presented on a Consent Calendar, with the items of business grouped together according to the committee's recommended courses of action. When the reference committee moves adoption of the consent calendar, the Chair shall ask if any member of the Assembly wishes to extract any item from it to be considered separately. Upon request of any representative, the item shall be withdrawn from the calendar and shall be considered as a separate item after the remainder of the consent calendar is acted upon.
6. The Chair shall open for discussion the matter that is the immediate subject of the reference committee report. The effect is to permit full consideration of the business at hand, unrestricted to any specific motion for its disposal. The reference committee report shall not contain a direct motion, and any appropriate motion shall be made from the floor. If the reference committee recommendation is to refer to the Governing Council, opportunity will be given prior to the discussion for referral for an alternative motion. In the absence of such a motion, the Chair shall state the question in accordance with the recommendation of the reference committee.
7. Reference committee hearings shall be open to all AMA members, OMSS representatives, guests and interested persons. The reference committee chair shall be privileged to call upon anyone attending the hearing if, in the chair's opinion, the individual has information helpful to the committee. A reference committee hearing is the proper forum for discussion of controversial items of business. In general, representatives who do not take advantage of the hearing process to present their views on an issue shall be discouraged from doing so on the floor of the Assembly.
8. Equitable hearings shall be the responsibility of the reference committee chair, and the committee may establish its own rules on the presentation of testimony with respect to limitations of time, repetitive statements and the like. The chair shall also have the jurisdiction over such matters as photography, television filming and the introduction of recording devices. If, in the Chair's estimation, these actions would be or become undesirable in order to conduct an orderly hearing, the Chair can prohibit them.
9. The reference committee chair shall not query those in attendance or take an informal vote on matters before the reference committee. Committee members shall be free to ask questions of those at the microphone in order for clarification or understanding of a statement. They also shall have the ability to answer questions if a member seeks clarification on an issue, but never shall engage in a debate with speakers or express opinions during the hearing. It shall be the charge of the committee to listen carefully and evaluate all opinions presented so that the recommendations in the reference committee report reflect thoughtful consideration.
10. After an open hearing, the reference committee members shall meet separately in executive session to deliberate and prepare a report. The committee shall have the ability to call into the executive session anyone who it wishes to hear from or question.

D. Tellers Committee.

1. The Tellers Committee is composed of 15 representatives, one of whom serves as chair. At the request of the Governing Council Chair, members of this committee are responsible for taking a count of votes in a designated section of the Assembly during the Business Meeting.
2. The Committee is selected by the Governing Council Chair.
3. The Committee is also responsible for distributing, collecting, and counting ballots during the elections.

OMSS Advisors
OMSS Advisors are volunteer physicians who agree to assist new OMSS representatives in becoming familiar with the Assembly and the policy-making process. We encourage the Advisors to invite new reps to join them at their caucus meetings, the luncheon, or the reception to make them feel welcomed at the meeting and valued as a member of the Section.