Government Affairs Committee Charter

A. Purpose Of The Government Affairs Committee

Primary Functions

The primary function of the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) of the American College of Physician Advisors is to manage the government and regulatory outreach initiatives.

The GAC will monitor and review nationwide regulations, legislation, and the public policy issues impacting our service, and track the status of issues pertinent to ACPA as an organization. A secondary function of the GAC is to monitor and report published comments on nationwide regulations, legislation and public policy by other bodies such as the American Hospital Association to inform ACPA members of parallel work and look for opportunities to leverage influence. The Committee will also provide oversight for the roll-out of project deliverables associated with these activities, to disseminate materials and updates to our members.

The GAC provides a stabilizing influence so that organizational concepts and directions are designed and implemented according to a path-forward vision. The GAC provides insight into long-term strategies, in support of legislative mandates. Members of the Committee ensure that business objectives are being adequately addressed and that the projects remain under control.

In practice, these responsibilities are carried out through the following tasks:

• Monitoring and reviewing recent regulatory and legislative changes, proposals, or news at regular Committee meetings
• Providing assistance to projects related to these activities, as required
• Controlling project scope when emergent issues require that potential changes be addressed
• Ensuring that scope aligns with the business requirements as defined and agreed upon by the project sponsor and the key stakeholder groups
• Resolving project conflicts and disputes, and reconciling differences of opinion and approach
• Securing formal acceptance of all project deliverables.

The GAC will report to the ACPA Board of Directors.

B. GAC Members

Membership

In addition to the Committee Sponsor (ACPA President) as ex-officio member, the GAC will consist of the following stakeholders:

Stakeholders will be identified by the Committee Co-Chairs to direct specific projects at the time of consent. Committee members may be appointed or relieved at the discretion of the Committee Chair. The Committee Co-Chairs are appointed or relieved at the discretion of the ACPA Board of Directors.

Role of a Committee Member

It is intended that the team will leverage the experiences, expertise, and insight of key members, from diverse organizations and backgrounds, committed to building professionalism in ACPA’s Government Affairs Committee.

While a member may be asked to take direct responsibility for managing project activities, all members will also be asked to provide support and guidance to those projects that are spearheaded by his or her peers.

Thus, individually, Committee members should:

• Understand the strategic implications and outcomes of the initiatives pursued;
• Appreciate the significance of the projects for all major stakeholders, and represent their interests;
• Demonstrate genuine interest in the initiatives, and champion for broad support of the outcomes pursued;

In practice, this means that members will:

• Keep abreast of the status of the Committee, by reviewing documentation such as agendas and deliverables;
• Ensure that the Committee’s outputs meet the requirements of the key stakeholders;
• Assist in balancing conflicting priorities and resources;
• Provide guidance to the Board of Directors;
• Consider ideas and issues raised;
• Verify the adherence of project activities to the standards of best practice, both within the organization and in a wider context;
• Foster positive communication outside of the team regarding the Committee’s progress and outcomes.

C. Meeting Cadence, Process, and Objectives

Schedule and Process

The Committee will meet monthly, the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm, or as required, to track the issues and the progress relevant to the Committee, and ultimately, to provide on-going nationwide support to ACPA Members.

The GAC Chair, or designee, will call the Committee to order and will facilitate the meeting.

The team will follow modified Roberts Rules of Order in the conduct of meetings, motions, discussion, and voting.

Meeting Agenda

At each meeting, project status will be reported to the team, by the Project Manager, utilizing an agenda outline such as the following:

• Introductory Items, such as:
• Introductions
• Review Agenda
• Review of minutes from the meeting prior
• Review of actions arising from previous meetings
• Review Project Status
• Overall Status
• Scope status
• Schedule status
• Budget status
• Reason for deviation from green
• New issues arising since the last team meeting
• Review and approval of project Change Orders
• Milestone review
• Formal acceptance of deliverables
• Accomplishments of action items identified in the previous meetings
• Plans for the next reporting period
• Outstanding issues, open topics, and project conflicts
• Specific requests for assistance from the Committee
• Consideration of other items relevant to the project
• Review and summary of any new actions from the current meeting
• Plan logistics for the upcoming meeting (dates, locations, etc)

Approved By:

Carolyn Dutton, MD, FACEP, FACP, CHCQM-PHYADV
Co-Chair, ACPA Government Affairs Committee

Juliet B. Ugarte Hopkins, MD, CHCQM-PHYADV
President, ACPA