1.   President’s report - Dr Kerschner

      Dr Kerschner remarked on the great efforts on behalf of many people to make this meeting and the society very successful this year. There is a reception for donors to “Sustaining the Future” at 5:45pm today, prior to the banquet at the Corcoran art museum.

      A requirement to submit manuscript 2 weeks prior to ASPO meeting for podium presentations will be implemented for the 2014 meeting. Those who fail to submit are still allowed to present, but will not be permitted to submit an abstract for 2015 (authors and all coauthors).

2.   Nominating Committee report - Dr Rosenfeld

     The nominating committee considered 3 candidates each for President-Elect and for Director at Large.  Each candidate was asked to submit a brief statement of their vision and qualifications. The 2013 slate has been endorsed by the Board of Directors to be: 
                                                                             
                                                                                      Marci Lesperance, MD           President-Elect

                                                                                      Ron Mitchell, MD                    Director at Large

VOTE: The slate was approved.

3.   Ad Hoc Subcertification Committee Report- Dr Rosenfeld

     A letter was submitted to ABOto on behalf of ASPO requesting to move forward with subspecialty certification in advanced pediatric otolaryngology. Joe Kerschner will represent ASPO at the ABOto Board meeting on April 30th.

     The purpose of subcertification is to ensure quality, accountability and outcomes. It will facilitate standardization and accreditation for those seeking additional training while preserving the value of the primary certificate. The AAP has provided a letter of support.

     Preliminary results of the BOG (Board of Governors of AAO-HNS) survey indicate about 1000 responses (18%) from 4,200 individuals. About 80% are against subcertification, 20% in favor; 21/22 societies against, and 1 (ASPO) is in favor.

The working definition of “advanced” pediatric otolaryngology is “The advanced pediatric otolaryngologist provides subspecialty medical surgical care to neonates and children with otolaryngologic disorders, building upon the primary certificate by requiring additional knowledge of congenital and acquired disorders that are often managed in children’s hospitals or in specialized pediatric care settings of large general hospitals.”  This includes:

• Advanced surgical procedures  that primary certificate hlders are exposed to during training, but require additional exposure in a fellowship setting for mastery
• Advanced management and decisin making fr cmon tlarynglgic disrders in children with multiple chrnic cnditins r cmorbidities
• Practice in advanced pediatric care settings, such as a children’s hspital, PICU/NICU/CICU/neuro - unit, r specialized pediatric care setting in a large general hspital
• Advanced pediatric knwledge and participatin in specialized multidisciplinary care teams

4.   Development Committee Report- Dr Rosenfeld

     The Sustaining Our Future campaign is now at almost $300,000 in pledges. This is remarkable considering that the Legacy campaign (completed in 2004) netted about $240,000. Prior to the Legacy fold increase in 10 years.

     The financial contributions of our members to the campaigns have made it possible for ASPO to sponsor two new grants through the AAO-HNS CORE: a career development grant ($40,000 for 1-2 years) and a grant to support research in RRP.  Members are invited to provide the Development Committee with additional suggestions of how to use our increased funds to add to the value of ASPO membership.

5.   Nominations for new Nominating Committee – Dr Kerschner

     The 7 nominees are Max April, Kay Chang, Deepak Mehta, Marly Kenna, Blake Papsin, Diego Preciado, and Carlton Zdanski.

6.   Member vote on Bylaws change- Dr Koltai

VOTE: The Bylaws changes were approved (see Appendix 1) .

7.   Membership Committee report and Approval of new members- Dr Thomsen

     There are 3 proposed International Members, 18 Members, and 26 Fellow Members (see Appendix 2). Fellowship directors were notified of the new Fellow Member category, and there was a great response. Fellow membership status lasts a maximum of 3 years, at which point an individual will need to apply for full Membership in the usual fashion.

     Changes for next year will include implementing an online process with the assistance of the American College of Surgeons staff. In addition, the committee is working on a nicer membership certificate that members will be able to purchase. The committee is considering creation of a new membership category for advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners and physician assistants).

VOTE:  The candidates for ASPO membership were approved.

8.   Treasurer’s report-Dr Maddern

     The generosity of ASPO members and the degree of participation in the fund-raising campaign is very impressive for a small society that was established in 1985. Currently, there are 357 members in the dues-paying category. At this time, 113 are deficient, and members have until the end of the meeting to pay dues without incurring the late penalty. ASPO continues to have a robust balance sheet. Cash on hand is about $120-$150,000. We have transferred out about $60,000 from the operating account to the endowment.  The breakout meeting always entails more expenses than meeting with COSM.  Currently, there are over 460 registered which is a record turnout.

9.   Secretary’s report-Dr Lesperance

The COSM Secretaries Liaison Council met 2 weeks ago and approved the 2014 meeting footprint. ASPO will continue to have 4 sessions (Friday pm, Saturday am and pm, and Sunday am) for 2014. Footprints for 2015 and beyond have yet to be negotiated. It is likely that COSM will be compressed into a 4 day meeting with more societies interested in meeting over the weekend.  The SLC also agreed to distribute the profits of COSM to the participating societies. ASPO is expected to receive about $15,000 for this first distribution.

10. Quality and Safety Committee- Dr Derkay

     The effort to define tympanostomy tubes as overused was successfully defended by Craig Derkay, Ron Mitchell and Rich Rosenfeld at the “Overuse” summit.  The Joint Commission has decided NOT to pursue any further recommendations with respect to monitoring overuse of tympanostomy tubes. Participants were persuaded to evaluate otolaryngologists based on the new guidelines on tympanostomy tubes rather than on past practices based on 2004 guidelines. The “Choosing Wisely” campaign sponsored by Consumer Reports included two topics suggested by ASPO: avoid routine use of oral antibiotics for uncomplicated tube otorrhea or external otitis.

     The FDA and CDC issued a black box warning regarding codeine, based on 13 case reports from the past 11 years. Testing to identify ultrametabolizers is expensive and not widely available. There are no case reports of issues with oxycodone although the pharmacokinetics are similar.

11. Ad-hoc Young Members Committee (Dr Richter)

     The Young Members Committee has developed a mentorship program.  An email just went out this week and already 20-30 members have volunteered to be mentors. The YMC carried out a survey and found that young members are interested in leadership opportunities. The committee developed a process by which members can apply to indicate their interest in joining a committee. These applications were then forwarded to the President-Elect. There is a new tab on the website “Get Involved” and there will also be a Mentorship tab.

12. Scott Schoem, AAP Advocacy update    (appendix 3)

     Dr Schoem presented a brief update on the advocacy done by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Since about half of Medicaid enrollees are children, they are affected disproportionately by spending cuts.  The Affordable Care Act has a provision to pay the higher Medicare rate for Medicaid patients for pediatric subspecialists for whom E&M codes constitute 60% of Medicaid services. The higher rate is also available for physicians who are board-certified or subcertified in a pediatric specialty. The full presentation from Mark Del Monte, JD, director of Federal Affairs for the AAP, is available from Dr Schoem.

 

Saturday, April 27, 2013 8:15-8:45am 

1.   Election of 2013-2014 Nominating Committee

     Drs Marly Kenna, Diego Preciado, Kay Chang, and Blake Papsin were elected.

2.   Fellowship Committee (Dr Preciado)

     The fellowship match this year featured the highest ever number of registrants (71). There has been essentially linear growth in the number of applicants. The application process was centralized through the SF match. The committee continues to oversee the schedule for fellowship interviews to avoid conflicting dates.

     A survey of graduating fellows indicates that about 60% practice in a tertiary academic center, 20% are in private practice tertiary care settings, and 20% are in community-based private practice. 20/31 fellowships are accredited (ACGME or Canadian equivalent). The Next Accreditation System (NAS) will become effective in July 2014.

3.   Finance (Dr Chang)

     The ASPO endowment has grown from about $1.2 to $1.4 million. However, account performance has lagged indices. Drs Chang and Kerschner will reevaluate the strategy for managing the portfolio.

4.   Research Committee (Dr Kerschner for Dr Park)

     The Research Committee has recommended funding of two grants through the CORE: 

          Erin Kirkham, MD Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA

          Jordan M. Virbalas, MD Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY

          Project: Evaluation of the CYP2D6 gene in a diverse urban population ($19,990)

 5.   Long Range/Strategic Planning (Dr Carvalho)

     The minimentorship program is in its third year. 2 awards were made. There were fewer applications this year.  The committee has also created a database of programs willing to take international observers.  This will be posted on the website. The committee is also working with ACS staff to identify a site for the 2017 breakout meeting. Locations currently under consideration include Philadelphia, Chicago or Austin. LRP is also working with the Young Members Committee on the mentorship program.

6.   Education (Dr Messner)

     The committee will hold a Pediatric Otolaryngology seminar on Saturday, September 28, 2013, prior to the AAO-HNS meeting in Vancouver, BC. The Education Committee will also provide the pediatric otolaryngology content for the “Frontiers of Otolaryngology” maxi-seminar at AAO-HNS, featuring cutting-edge topics from all subspecialties.

7.   GME/CME Task Force (Dr Chan)

     The CME product featuring webinars on Pediatric Otolaryngology topics is co-sponsored by AAO- HNS.  There are some technical issues to be worked out.  The GME product (fellow webinars) fell behind schedule but will resume shortly.

8.   Program (Dr Hartnick)

     The program features exciting guest speakers, several lunch breakouts,  and dual sessions for the podium sessions. Genigraphics was contracted to support electronic submissions for posters. Please give feedback to the committee regarding this process. In future programs, there will be more use of technology, for example interactive sessions with the audience and allowing all participants to grade the posters.

9.   BOG (Dr Cunningham)

     The chief news from the BOG was covered in Dr Rosenfeld’s report.  Spring advocacy meeting is in early May.

10. IT (Dr White for Dr Rothschild)

     Dr White is the new committee chair. Most of the day to day website management will be handled by the ACS.

11.  Audit (Dr McMurray)

     The audit committee reviewed the report from the accountant, Dolce and Dolce, and there were no areas of concern.

12. Newsletter (Dr Wei)

     The ASPO Board decided not to print and mail out hard copies of the newsletter. The newsletter will continue to be distributed electronically to all ASPO members.

Respectfully submitted,

Marci Lesperance, MD, ASPO Secretary

 

Appendix 1: Proposed changes to the ASPO Bylaws, which have been approved by the Bylaws Committee and by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors.

Summary of changes (indicated in bold and/or yellow highlighting)

1.   Add to the end of Article V, Meetings of the Board of Directors, to Section 3, Manner of

      Acting:  In the event of a tie vote, the Chairperson shall be entitled to cast a second vote.

2.   Add to Article III, Membership: An Associate Member desiring to change status to Member must initiate a new membership application.

     [An Associate Member otherwise fulfills the requirements for admission to the Society as a Member, as defined in Section 5, but who is not a Diplomat of the American Board of    Otolaryngology or a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada)].

3.   Modify Article III, Membership, for International Members, to allow alternative pathway for International applicants who have not completed a pediatric otolaryngology

fellowship:

International Members shall:

          (a) have successfully completed a fellowship program in pediatric otolaryngology, OR

          (b) have historically exhibited a special expertise in the field of pediatric otolaryngology as determined by:

            i  The number of years in practice in pediatric otolaryngology, ii. Contributions to the literature in pediatric otolaryngology,

          iii  Academic appointments, e.g., a children’s hospital faculty appointment in pediatric otolaryngology,

          iv  Recognized past or present teaching contributions in the field of pediatric otolaryngology.

4.    Specify that a recent graduate of a fellowship (completed less than 3 years from the time of application) is eligible for Fellow Membership.

5.    Correction of typo in Article XVI: Members not attending the Annual Meeting may cast their vote by a qualified proxy delivered to the Secretary of the meeting in accordance with Article III, Section  15(b) of these Bylaws.

6.    The entire ASPO bylaws may be found on the ASPO website  ASPO/bylawswww.aspo.us/About.

ARTICLE V

MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 3.  Manner of Acting.  The affirmative vote of four (4) Directors at which a quorum is  in attendance shall be the act of the Board of Directors unless the act of a greater number is required by law, or by the Articles of Incorporation, or the Bylaws. In the event of a tie vote, the Chairperson shall be entitled to cast a second vote.

ARTICLE III   MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.        Categories  of  Members.  There  shall  be  the  following categories of membership in this Society.  Members of each category shall be referred to as “Member”:

                         (a)        Charter Member

                         (b)        Member

                         (c)        Associate Member

                         (d)       Member Emeritus

                         (e)        International Member

                          (f)        Honorary Member

                         (g)        Fellow Member

Section 2.     License Requirement. A Charter Member, Member, Fellow Member, and an Associate Member must be licensed to practice medicine and surgery in one or more states of the United States or in Canada.

Section 3.    Charter  Member.  The  list  of  Charter  Members  shall  be established and closed at the organizational meeting.

Section 4.     Member.  A  Member  shall  mean  a  Diplomat  of  the American Board of Otolaryngology or a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada) whose “major professional activities” are devoted to teaching, research, or patient care in the field of pediatric otolaryngology as defined by the purpose of the Society as set forth in Article II hereof and, with the exception of Fellow Members and International Members, who satisfies the eligibility  requirements  as  set  forth  in  Section  5  hereafter.    The  Board  of  Directors  shall determine who is eligible for membership in the society but “membership” shall be determined by a vote of the Members entitled to vote as set forth in these Bylaws.   For purposes of this section, ‘major professional activities’ shall mean a medical and and/or surgical practice predominantly involving management of a wide range of otolaryngologic disorders in neonates, infants, and children less than eighteen years of age.  The Membership Committee shall provide and disseminate to applicants the following criteria that are used to evaluate suitability of applicants for Society membership:

Section 5.     Eligibility for Membership (all categories other than Fellow Member).To be eligible to be a member of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, a candidate must:

                           (a)      Have  attended  at  least  one  ASPO  meeting  in  the  2  years  prior  to application;

                           (b)      Be board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  Applicants are encouraged but not required to be a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery or the Canadian Otolaryngology Society;

                           (c)      Be recognized and identified by peers as a pediatric otolaryngologist.  A substantial majority (80%) of the applicant’s medical and surgical practice must involve  pediatric patients.  The individual’s practice setting must be appropriate for specialized pediatric care;

                           (d)     Shall  have  successfully  completed  a  fellowship  program  in  pediatric otolaryngology; (Not required for International Members)

                           (e)     Demonstrated  professional  activities  in  the  field  of  pediatric otolaryngology for a minimum of two years following completion of a full year of pediatric  otolaryngology fellowship training and prior to submitting the application;

                           (f)       Authored a minimum of two (2) peer reviewed publications in the field of pediatric otolaryngology published in major journals or editor-reviewed textbooks; and

                           (g)      Furnished letters of recommendation from two (2) active ASPO members.

Section 6.     Dues. A Member shall be required to pay dues as specified by the Board of Directors. Members who have not paid their annual dues by the opening date of the annual meeting will be assessed a fifty dollar ($50.00) late fee.  Members who fail to timely pay their dues for two consecutive years shall be dropped from the membership roll.  To be re- instated, a Member must pay his/her “past due” account plus late fees.

 A Member in good standing who has satisfied the requirements for same as set forth herein shall be eligible to vote, to serve on committees, and to hold office.

Section 7.     Associate Member. An Associate Member shall mean an otolaryngologist who practices in the United States or Canada who otherwise fulfills the requirements for admission to the Society as a Member, as defined in Section 5, but who is not a Diplomat  of  the  American  Board  of  Otolaryngology or  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of

Surgeons (Canada).   An Associate Member shall be required to pay dues, shall be eligible to vote, shall be eligible to serve on committees but shall not be eligible to hold office.   An Associate Member desiring to change status to Member must initiate a new membership application.

Section 8.     Member  Emeritus.  A  Member  shall  have  the  option  of becoming a Member Emeritus upon reaching the age of sixty-five (65) years, or upon retiring from the active practice of pediatric otolaryngology.  A Member Emeritus shall not be required to pay dues, shall not be eligible to vote, and shall not be eligible to hold office.

Section 9.     International  Member.  An  International  Member  shall mean an otolaryngologist who practices outside of the United States or Canada who otherwise fulfills the requirements for admission to the Society as a Member, as defined in Section 5 but who is not a Diplomat of the American Board of Otolaryngology or a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada).  An International Member shall not be required to pay dues, shall not be eligible to vote, shall not be eligible to hold office but is eligible to serve on committees. International Members shall:

                           (a)      have successfully completed a fellowship program in pediatric otolaryngology, OR

                           (b)      have historically exhibited a special expertise in the field of pediatric otolaryngology as determined by:

                                      i     The number of years in practice in pediatric otolaryngology, ii. Contributions to the literature in pediatric otolaryngology, iii.  Academic appointments, e.g., 

                                            a children’s hospital faculty appointment in pediatric otolaryngology,

                                      iv.   Recognized past or present teaching contributions in the field of pediatric otolaryngology.

Section 10.     Honorary Member.  An  individual  of  outstanding  caliber who has made a major contribution to pediatric otolaryngology who is not eligible for another category of membership, may be awarded the status of Honorary Member by the Board of Directors as provided in these Bylaws.  An Honorary Member shall not be required to pay dues, shall not be eligible to vote, and shall not be eligible to hold office.

Section 11.      Fellow Member. An enrollee of a pediatric otolaryngology fellowship, or recent graduate of a fellowship (completed less than 3 years from the time of application)  who is board-eligible or board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  A Fellow Member shall not be required to pay dues, shall not be able to vote, and shall not be eligible to serve on committees or to hold office.  The maximum duration of Fellow Membership shall be three years.

ARTICLE XVI: AMENDMENTS

The Bylaws may be changed or amended by submitting a written resolution to the Board of Directors who, in turn, will present the suggested change or amendment to the membership at least sixty (60) days prior to the next Annual Meeting, provided the unanimity requirement of Article XVII is satisfied at the Board level.  A two-thirds majority vote of the voting Members at a meeting at which a quorum is in attendance will be necessary for adoption of a change or amendment to the Bylaws of the Society. Members not attending the Annual Meeting may cast their vote by a qualified proxy delivered to the Secretary of the meeting in accordance with Article III, Section 15(b) of these Bylaws.

Appendix 2:    Proposed candidates for ASPO membership. These individuals have been approved by the Membership Committee and the ASPO Board of Directors.


Proposed candidates for MEMBER:

Baldassari, Cristina M.
Chandy, Binoy Mathew
Chennupati, Sri Kiran
Cushing, Sharon Lynn
Dunham, Brian P.
Green, Glenn Edward
Jaryszak, Eric M.
Jatana, Kris R.
Jiang, Wen
Lin, Aaron
Merz, Meredith Nicole
Nelson, Marc
Nguyen, Lily Ha-NamPhan
Owczarzak, Vicki Propst, Evan Jon Reilly, Brian K. Rickert, Scott Michael
Simon, Lawrence Mariano

Proposed Candidates for INTERNATIONAL MEMBER:

Hsu, We-Chung
Katona, Gabor
Pellicer, Marc

Proposed Candidates for FELLOW MEMBER:

Adil, Eelam Aalia
Andreoli, Steven Michael
Baranano, Cristopher Fenn
Berg, Eric Edward
Black, Angela Prevatt
Brinkmeier, Jennifer Veraldi
Cheng, Jeffrey
Cote, Valerie
DaCosta, Victor Manuel
Dobbie, Allison
Gallagher, Thomas Quinn
King, Ericka Francine
Kwong, Kelvin Ming-Tak
Lam, Derek Jeremy
Maturo, Stephen
Murray, Ryan
Nath, Andrea Ellen
Neidich, Marci Jill
Newton, Stephen Sean
Powitzky, Rosser
Provenzano, Matthew Joseph
Robison, Jacob Gee
Roehm, Corrie Elizabeth
Rogers, Derek J.
Shah, Jay
Sherman, Jonathan Marino
Wine, Todd