The History and Importance of the Resolution Process

The History and Importance of the Resolution Process NYACP Leadership Conference December 2-3, 2005 Robert E Westlake MD FACP

History • American Society of Internal Medicine • New York State Society of Internal Medicine • American Medical Association • Medical Society of the State of New York • Conceived as grassroots organizations with both state and national components guided by and responsive to the needs of the rank-and-file.

History • The Resolution process was devised to: • Identify local issues. • Evaluate relevance to the membership at large. • Enlist state and/or national component support for action. • Establish or alter organization policies.

History • Each year the New York State Society of Internal Medicine dealt with 30 to 40 resolutions during its Annual House of Delegates meeting. • The American Society of Internal Medicine addressed 200 or more at its annual meeting.

History • With the merger of the American College of Physicians and the American Society of Internal Medicine the adoption of the ACP top-down structure was perceived as an impediment to identifying and addressing the needs of individual members through the resolution process.

History • The Solution: • The Health and Public Policy Committee • The Annual Health and Public Policy Conference

The Resolution Process • Resolutions are generated in response to concerns identified during our day-to-day activities: • Providing medical care • Educating colleagues • Conducting research • Getting paid

The Resolution Process • Many potential resolutions are stillborn because: • We fail to recognize that the issue before us represents a problem facing many of our colleagues and/or patients. • We craft work-arounds that address the issue without seeking institutional change. • We forget to pursue a solution.

The Resolution Process • Members must identify and capture issues amenable to correction by organizational advocacy. • NYACP must facilitate the generation of resolutions.

Crafting a Resolution • Guidelines for writing resolutions are included in section 4 of the meeting manual. • A standard format allows resolutions to be forwarded to other organizations for consideration and action.

Crafting a Resolution Keep in mind the following questions: • What do I want to change? • Is there an existing policy, statute or regulation? • Who can effect the desired change? • Are there potential allies? • What are the financial consequences?

E-consultation • Whereas, e-consultation has been shown to be a service desired by a significant proportion of patients and • Whereas, e-consultation has been shown to reduce healthcare costs by 3 dollars per member per month in managed care demonstrations and • Whereas, e-consultation has been shown to reduce hospitalizations of patients with chronic disease and • Whereas, e-mail addresses for patients would facilitate advocacy objectives

E-consultation • Therefore, be it resolved, that NYACP and ACP encourage and facilitate the adoption of e-consultation by their membership and • Be it further resolved, that mechanisms be developed for adequate payment for this service. • Fiscal Note: Negligible • Prior Policy: None

The History and Importance of the Resolution Process