Board of Governors (BOG)

Background

The Board of Governors (BOG) was established in 1982 as a grassroots member network within the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.

The BOG is made up of local, state, regional, and national otolaryngology—head and neck surgery societies from around the United States and Canada.

Members within this grassroots network are primarily community practitioners in the field of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery.

What purpose does the BOG serve?

The BOG functions as an advisory body for the grassroots to the Board of Directors in order to:

• Act as an avenue of communication between the Board of Directors and the local, state, regional, and national otolaryngology - head and neck surgery organizations and residents;
• Make recommendations regarding the programs and policies of the AAO-HNS;
• Seek out and involve practitioners of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery in academic, social, economic, and political issues relative to otolaryngology - head and neck surgery in the U.S.;
• Strengthen the AAO-HNS and otolaryngology societies; and
• Support the general good of patients, the specialty, and the medical profession.

What is the role of the BOG?

The BOG plays a vital role in the Academy and within the specialty to:

• Identify issues affecting the specialty;
• Research and recommend solutions; and
• Advocate for action and member involvement. 

Virtual Society Resources

Instruction on How to Join a Virtual Society Meeting

For more information on scheduling a Virtual Society Meeting, please contact [email protected]. 

Resolutions Help Shape the Future of the Specialty

As a member of the Board of Governors (BOG) Executive Committee I am often asked how an individual member or BOG society can make a difference or communicate local issues, concerns, or trends to the AAO-HNS Board of Directors (BOD).  Every member of the BOG has the opportunity to participate in and shape the future of the specialty.  Submitting a resolution to the Board of Governors is the key to getting your issue to the BOG and BOD.

Board of Governors’ resolutions provide an opportunity for the membership to raise issues affecting the specialty and recommend solutions to the Board of Directors.  A resolution is a request for the AAO-HNS Board of Directors to take action, consider an idea or strategy, and adopt policy or take a position. 

Follow the Process

Understanding the resolution process is crucial to submitting an effective and approvable resolution.  Missing a step or a piece of information can prevent or delay the resolution and approval. 

Any AAO-HNS member who is a member of a BOG society may introduce a resolution via one of the BOG society representatives.  All resolutions are submitted to the BOG Secretary who forwards them to the appropriate BOG committee for consideration.
List of BOG Societies and representatives

The BOG Secretary issues a call for resolutions twice a year, prior to the Annual Meeting and the AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum. Resolutions must be submitted 30 days prior to each of these meetings.  For example resolutions to be considered at the BOG General Assembly meeting on Monday, March 16, 2015 must be submitted no later than Friday, February 13, 2015.

Crafting Your Resolution 

There have been many great ideas that come forward in resolutions that are not considered or approved because they are not actionable or lack adequate information. When writing a resolution the following items need to be considered.

Is the resolution:

• Actionable
• Affordable and within the limits of the resources of the organization
• Within the core mission of the organization (Working for the Best Ear, Nose, and Throat Care)
• Within the scope of influence of the organization
• Within the scope of strategic activity of the organization
• Reasonable, ethical, and legal

When writing a resolution include all background information (do the research), address issues of strategic importance, include an appropriate preamble (whereas—background information), include a “resolved” statement that is the call to action, and include a fiscal note and impact on staff resources (the BOG Department can assist in identifying financial and human resources).

Sample model resolution:

Whereas, more than 100 individual Pay for Performance efforts are currently underway in the U.S. Healthcare sector.

Whereas, otolaryngologists across the country will soon be asked and encouraged to participate in these programs.

Whereas, there is little agreement to measure or reward quality in otolaryngology Pay for Performance programs.

Be it therefore resolved, that the Academy create a commission to evaluate already existing or developing Pay for Performance programs and grant or deny endorsement/approval.

It is also important to consider the timeliness of the resolution and the resources needed for the AAO-HNS BOD to take action.  While criteria have been established to respond to emergency requests, most resolutions are not emergencies.  Resolutions brought forward at the September meeting will be included in the strategic planning and budgeting process for the following year.    

Your BOG Executive Committee works on behalf of the grassroots members. We are here to bring your issues to the attention of the AAO-HNS Board of Directors.  However, you must make your resolutions thoughtful, actionable, and timely.  Submit your resolutions by Friday, February 13, 2015 to be considered during the 2015 AAO-HNS/F Leadership Forum. Please see below for a link to the Resolution Form. The BOG Staff and members of your BOG Executive Committee are available to help you identify the resources necessary to complete your resolution. Contact the BOG department at 1-703-535-3726 or [email protected]. 

Jerry Schreibstein, MD

Chair (2008-2009), Board of Governors

Submit your BOG Resolution Form here

Payer Advocacy:  3P/BOG SEGR Joint Efforts

To better assist members with state and regional payer issues, the Academy’s Physician Payment Policy (3P) Workgroup is collaborating with Board of Governors (BOG) Socioeconomic Grassroots Committee Representatives to regionalize outreach and advocacy efforts. The new regionalization model was implemented January 1, 2014 in an effort to ensure members are represented on multiple levels, including addressing national, state, and local reimbursement issues.  The regionalization plan divides the country into ten regions following the division used by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), so that a regional representative from each region is charged with keeping the BOG up-to-date on Socioeconomic and Grassroots issues affecting that area of the country.  This will be done primarily through regional reports at the fall and spring BOG meetings, conference calls and direct communication with the BOG Executive Committee. This new structure also requires that the BOG SEGR Regional representatives and leaders have an ongoing dialogue with the Academy’s Physician Payment Policy Workgroup (3P) leaders, whose primary focus and charge is to address national socioeconomic issues impacting the membership.  It is the Academy’s hope that this new model will improve the flow of information at the various levels, as well as utilize Academy support resources more efficiently and effectively to better serve our members.

3P/BOG Communication Flow Chart

For an overview of how the 3P / BOG SEGR collaboration will work, view the Communication Flow Chart.  This chart outlines the socioeconomic issues that will be tackled by the BOG at the local level, or by 3P and the Health Policy team at the national level. 

Health Policy E-Care Package

To streamline communication between the two groups, and to support the BOG transition to a regional representative structure for Socioeconomic and grassroots issues, the Academy Health Policy team prepared a socioeconomic e-care package, which can be accessed here. This document outlines the wealth of practice management resources the Academy provides to members on our website.  Resources include information related to common member inquiries such as: requests for coding clarification related to changes to CPT codes, national reimbursement rates, payer denials, transitioning to ICD-10 and more.  These materials are intended to support the BOG SEGR representatives in responding to member’s local and state inquiries, as well as to assist members in furthering their relationships with payers and state OTO and medical societies in their regions and states.