Following are key actions taken by the Executive Committee during its Jul. 17 and Sep. 5 teleconferences.
- Ratified the President’s decision to issue a College endorsement of the WAO position paper titled “Testing for IgE Associated Conditions and Interpreting Results” based on the recommendation of the Immunotherapy and Diagnostics Committee and consultation with the College’s officers.
- Allocated $25,000 in the 2018 budget to continue to support the Program Director’s Assembly Meeting scheduled Jan. 12-13, 2018 in Atlanta.
- Ratified the decision to have the College sign onto Senate Bill S 1016 “Connect for Health Act of 2017” which would expand access to telehealth services.
- Approved the proposed agenda for the 2017 HOD Town Hall Meeting.
- Declined the WAO request to conduct a joint annual meeting in 2019.
- Nominated Drs. Lisa Kobrynski, Betty Lew, Jim Wedner and Maureen Petersen for consideration to serve a 6-year term on the ACGME Review Committee for Allergy and Immunology beginning July 1, 2018.
- Approved the formation of a task force to examine how health care reform will impact allergy/immunology and, in its initial stages, propose a recommendation and budget.
- Approved revisions to the 2006 Surveying of Membership Policy.
- Approved the appointment of David Stukus, MD as the vice chair of the 2018 Annual Meeting Program Committee.
- Approved the Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters (JTFPP) draft statement pertaining to oral and sublingual immunotherapy for inhalants and foods.
- Approved questions for use in developing the anaphylaxis, drug allergy and focused food allergy parameters.
- Amended the Publications Committee composition as recommended by the Appointments Committee to add the President-elect as a member and to enable the President to select the chair, vice chair and other committee members.
- Requested the Editor-in-Chief to make a concerted effort to reduce the number of “source articles” in the Annals to help improve the Impact Factor with the understanding that each issue would be no less than 90 pages.
- Approved the President convening a task force to identify and solicit high impact content for Annals.
- Authorized the President to approve the necessary expenses for an Annals readership survey and/or focus groups to be held at the 2017 Annual Meeting after the Publications Committee presents its proposed recommendations.
- Modified the composition of the Annual Meeting Program Committee to include the President, President-Elect and Vice President as voting members.
- Approved a presidential plenary/hot topic session, developed by the current President, for placement in the Annual Meeting program beginning in 2018.
- Ratified the decision to appoint Dr. Myron Zitt to replace Dr. Mike Foggs as chair of the task force assigned to study the cost effectiveness of allergists in the treatment of asthma.
- Ratified the decision to authorize the JTFPP to proceed with the development of a joint guideline on Eosinophilic Esophagitis with the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) and request the JTFPP develop a memorandum of understanding with the AGA regarding the project.
- Approved a College endorsement of Dr. Kira Geraci-Ciardullo in her re-election campaign for a second term on the American Medical Association’s Council on Science and Public Health.
- Ratified the decision to sign onto the AARC letter endorsing H.R. 2550 “The Medicare Telehealth Parity Act” and sending a letter of endorsement from the College and Advocacy Council to the sponsors of the bill.
- Ratified the decision to request the Asthma Committee to review the Cough in Ambulatory Immunocompromised Adults: CHEST Expert Panel Report and Classification of Cough as a Symptom in Adults and Management Algorithms: CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report and authorize the President to provide College endorsement of the document if recommended by the Officers.
- Approved the following candidates for upcoming vacancies on the Advocacy Council’s Board of Directors; terms to begin 10/31/17 and end 11/11/19.
Officers
Stephen A. Imbeau, MD – Chair
James Tracy, DO – Vice Chair
J. Allen Meadows, MD – Immediate Past-Chair
Board Members
Warner Carr, MD
John Seyerle, MD
Alnoor Malick, MD
Erika Gonzalez Reyes, MD
- Approved the appointment of Drs. David Lang and John Routes as the ACAAI representatives to the planning committee for the 2018 Joint Board Certification Review Course.
- Approved presenting the 2017 Gold Headed Cane Award to Dr. Gailen Marshall during the 2017 ACAAI Annual Meeting.
- Approved the College’s participation in a pilot program with Altus Campus, Inc. to host a limited number of College CME programs on the Altus website at the same or greater pricing structure, evaluating the program’s effectiveness after one year.
- Approved the College Position Statement Paper on Telemedicine for Allergists and agreed to submit the paper to the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology for publication.
