BYLAWS
ARTICLE I – NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Kentucky Association of Medical Staff Services (KAMSS). KAMSS will be governed by these Bylaws and those of the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS)
ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this State
Association shall be to provide the opportunity for continuing education, to
promote the improvement of professional knowledge and skills by uniting persons
who are engaged in medical staff activity, credentialing/verification, and
healthcare activities through this State association, and to support the
mission statement of the National Association of Medical Staff Services
ARTICLE
III – STRUCTURE
The State Association shall be
non-profit, non-union, non-partisan, and non-sectarian and shall have the right
to establish and control its activities through its elected officers
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Active - Active members
shall be those individuals having direct responsibility in medical staff
activities, healthcare activities, provider credentialing and/or verification
and regulatory or quality compliance activities. Active members shall pay dues and shall be
eligible to vote and hold office. Active
members shall be encouraged to join the National Association Medical Staff
Services. If an active member obtains
new employment that no longer includes medical staff activities, healthcare
activities, provider credentialing and/or verification and regulatory or
quality compliance activities; the member should notify the association of such
changes. At that time the member’s
status shall be changed to associate.
Section 2. Associate - Associate
members shall be those individuals interested in the overall goals and objectives
of the Association. Associate members
shall pay dues but shall not be eligible to vote or hold office.
Section.3. Honorary - Honorary membership may be awarded at the discretion of the Board of Directors to those individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the goals and objectives of the Association. Honorary members shall not pay dues and shall not be eligible to vote or hold office. Any active member may submit written nominations to this category to the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE V - DUES AND FEES
Annual
dues for membership shall be billed by January 1 and shall be due and payable
no later than April 30 at an amount set by the Board of Directors (not to be
set higher than National Association dues). Members shall be notified of dues
change by way of posting on the website.
Those members without Internet service will be notified via
ARTICLE VII - REGIONAL CHAPTER
The State Association shall
encourage the formation of regional chapters throughout the state, the purpose
of which shall be to provide a forum for educational activities at a regional
level. Such regional chapters shall
petition the Board of Directors of the State Association for recognition and
approval of their organizational structure. Each Chapter may adopt their own
bylaws. The chapter bylaws shall be
forwarded to the KAMSS Board of Directors for final approval. The Chapter bylaws will become an attachment
to the KAMSS bylaws. Please refer to
attachment B of these bylaws for further information about establishing a
regional chapter.
ARTICLE VIII - OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers The officers of this Association shall be President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer and regional presidents or their representative. These officers shall serve as the Board of Directors. The President-Elect shall automatically succeed to the office of the President.
Section 2. Qualifications A candidate for office must be a member in good standing of the State Association and an active member of the NAMSS. It is recommended that at least one of the candidates be a Certified Medical Staff Coordinator (CMSC) or Certified Provider Credentialing Specialist (CPCS) or have five years experience as a medical staff services professional with direct responsibility in healthcare activities, provider credentialing and/or verification and regulatory or quality compliance activities. A candidate should be able to exercise good judgment and possess the ability to work toward the common good of the association as a statewide organization.
Section 3. Election of Officers
Election of officers shall be held annually in the month of October and shall
take place by mail ballot. Installation
of officers will be held at the January Meeting.
1. The
Nominating Committee shall have their initial meeting in July.
2. This
Committee shall make nominations for officers.
All candidates nominated must consent to serve prior to the ballots
being mailed. This Committee in addition
will also accept nominations from the floor at the August Sate and Chapter
meetings for State officers.
3. Inability
to nominate a candidate to fill vacant office shall be brought to the attention
of the Board of Directors prior to the October meeting by the Nominating Committee
Chair (Immediate Past President)
4. This
Committee will present the final slate to membership at the regularly scheduled
October meeting.
5. Official
ballots will be mailed the first week of November with ballots to be returned
to the Nominating Committee Chair within fifteen (15) days of the mailing. The Nominating Committee Chair shall prepare
a report for presentation at the November meeting.
6. Election
shall be by a simple majority of the ballots returned. Terms of office shall be as follows:
Treasurer, two years (being elected to office in even years) Secretary two
years (being elected to office in odd years).
President-Elect, one year, President, one year; Immediate Past
President, one year.
Section 4. Vacancies in Office The Board of Directors may fill vacancies in office for the remainder of the un-expired term, with the exception of the office of President, which shall be assumed by the President-Elect. Vacancy of the office of the President-Elect shall be filled by mail ballot of the active membership.
Section 5. Removal of Officers Removal
of a State Association Officer may be initiated by petition of an active member
in writing to the Board of Directors. An
adverse recommendation must be approved by a two-thirds vote of all active
members by written ballot.
ARTICLE IX - DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS & APPOINTED POSITIONS
All officers shall act/perform as outlined in these Bylaws
Section 1. President The President shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the State Association, shall preside at all meetings, and shall serve as Chair of the Board of Directors. The President shall represent the Association in all official matters. It shall be the duty of the President to supervise the activities of the Association, to present a report at the annual meeting, to appoint Chairs and members of Committees upon approval of the Board of Directors, enforce the Association Bylaws, serve as a resource to all members, continually assess Association activities, develop and implement policies/procedure which guide Association activities, perform such other duties as authorized by the Board, and serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall be the spokesperson for the Association in external professional and public relations. The President shall, in collaboration with the secretary, prepare meeting agendas.
Section 2. President-Elect The
President-Elect shall assume all duties and authority of the President in the
absence of the President. The
President-Elect shall serve as Chair of the Continuing Education
Committee. Responsibilities include
obtaining information sufficient for submission to the National Association for
continuing education credit approval (must be performed two weeks prior to
offering) contact and work collaboratively with the hosting facility regarding
the continuing education program, preparing continuing education certificates
for members, and developing the program for the Association’s annual
meeting. The President-Elect shall
participate in special committees and projects as needed. The President-Elect’s responsibility for the
Annual Education Program will continue after assuming the office of President
with assistance form the Continuing Education Committee. The one-year term shall prepare the President-Elect
for the transition into the office of the President.
Section 3. Immediate Past President The Immediate Past President shall assume
all of the duties and authority of the President Elect in the absence of the
President Elect. The Immediate Past
President shall serve as chair of the nominating committee and assist in
development of continuing education offerings.
Section 4. Secretary The Secretary shall maintain accurate minutes of all meetings of the State Association as well as any special meetings in an easily retrievable format and shall be custodian of all Association records. The Secretary shall assure that copies of the previous meeting and upcoming agenda are available to the Webmaster for posting on the website prior to the next meeting. In addition, the secretary shall perform other duties as necessary. When necessary the Secretary will gather information to forward to the hosting facility, update revised bylaws, and type other correspondence as needed. The Secretary, in collaboration with the President, shall prepare the agenda for the monthly meetings. The term of the Secretary is two years to be elected for odd number years beginning in 2007. The current Secretary will transfer Association records to the incoming Secretary at the Association meeting immediately following the election and will serve as a resource to the incoming Secretary.
Section 5. Treasurer The Treasurer is the custodian of any funds collected or received by the state association and is responsible for the payment of expenses incurred by the state association. The treasurer is responsible for the collection of membership dues and keeps a record of the payment of dues. The Treasurer is responsible for maintenance of the membership roster and providing updates to the Webmaster at least monthly (members should send address corrections to the attention of the Treasurer). The treasurer prepares a report for presentation to the membership at the scheduled meetings and an annual report for presentation to the membership at the annual meeting. The treasurer may be bonded in an amount to be determined by the Board of Directors. The term of the office of treasurer is two years to be elected for even number years. The current Treasurer will transfer Association records to the incoming Secretary at the Association meeting immediately following the election and will serve as a resource to the incoming Treasurer.
Section 6. Board of Directors The Board of Directors shall consist of the following: President, Secretary, Treasurer, President-Elect, Immediate Past President and Presidents of the Regional Chapters. The Board of Directors have the authority to make policy decisions for the State Association and may act on any matters for the association with the exception of amending these bylaws. The actions of the Board of Directors shall be final except on appeal by the association membership. A quorum shall be a simple majority
Section 7. Webmaster The Webmaster is
appointed by the Board of Directors and therefore is not a member of the Board
of Directors. The Webmaster is the custodian of the official KAMSS
website. The address of the website
shall be http:/www.kamss.com The Webmaster is responsible for including,
adding, deleting, and revising any pertinent information relating to the
Association; with approval by two Board members. Approval may be obtained via email/internet,
phone or fax. The Webmaster will work
closely with the Treasurer in maintaining the membership roster. Any issues regarding the website shall be
brought to the attention of the membership by the Webmaster. (The webmaster does not have to be a member
of the Association).
ARTICLE X
– MEETINGS
Meetings of the State Association shall be held at a date and time established by the membership (meeting guidelines shall be followed. See attachment A of the bylaws). The meeting notices shall be posted on the Website, including date and location of the meeting at least one week prior to the meeting date. Membership shall be notified by email (notices will be mailed to members without email service). The annual meeting shall be held in January. Special meetings may be called by the President, the Board of Directors or on the request of at least four (4) members of the association. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call.
ARTICLE XI – QUORUM
A quorum at any State Association
meeting shall be five (5) active members present who are in good standing.
ARTICLE XII - COMMITTEES
Section 1. Continuing Education Committee The duties shall be to determine educational needs of the membership, plan, obtain continuing education credit, and oversee the educational content of programs at all State Association meetings, including the annual conference. It is expected that at least ten continuing education credit hours will be offered through the continuing education programs annually. This Committee shall consist of the President-Elect of the State Association, who shall serve as Chair, and the President-Elects of the Regional Chapters and a minimum of three other Active members that have demonstrated a high interest in continuing education activities for the Association. These members may be appointed or filled by members that volunteer to serve on the Committee.
Section 2. Membership Committee The President may appoint a membership committee to promote the growth of the Association. This committee shall consist of the Treasurer and three other active members who have demonstrated a high interest in the Association. The term shall be two years; with no more than two members leaving the committee in the same year.
Section 3. Bylaws Committee The duties shall be to review the bylaws at least annually to determine needs and submit recommendations for revisions necessary to meet the goals and objectives of the State Association and to conform with the bylaws of the National Association. This Committee will be composed of four Active members. The Board of Directors will appoint three members with one member nominated from the floor. The committee members will select the committee chair. This committee shall also include a Past President. Members of this committee shall have a minimum of three years Active membership and have a working knowledge of bylaws development and amendment.
Section 4. Nominating Committee The nominating
committee shall be composed of four active members including the Immediate Past
President who shall serve as chair. The
Board of Directors will appoint two members with one member nominated from the
floor. Members of this committee shall
have a minimum of three years active membership. No member of the nominating committee is
eligible for nomination to serve as an officer.
This committee shall conduct its business in conformance with Article
VIII Section 3 of these bylaws.
Section 5. Special Ad Hoc Committees shall be
appointed by the President as needed
ARTICLE XIII - Membership Year
The membership year of the State
Association shall be January 1 through December 31 each year.
ARTICLE XIV – SEAL
The official seal shall be the
words “Kentucky Association Medical Staff Services”.
ARTICLE XV - AMENDMENTS/REVISIONS
These bylaws may be amended by a
simple majority vote of returned ballots.
Proposed changes in the bylaws may be submitted, by any active member,
to the bylaws chair. The proposed
changes and suggestions will be submitted to the Board of Directors for their
review. After the Board of Directors has
had an opportunity to review the proposed changes they will be posted on the
Website for fifteen (15) days and will be presented at the next monthly
meeting. (In addition to being posted on the website, those members without
email service will be mailed a copy of the proposed changes) Members should review the proposed changes
during this fifteen-day period and send any additional comments or suggestions
to the chair of the bylaws committee.
All amendments and suggestions will be reviewed and the final document
will be posted on the website for approval by the active membership. In addition to being posted on the website
Ballots will be sent, via broadcast email (
ARTICLE XVI - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Parliamentary authority shall be
according to Roberts Rules of Order (newly Revised Edition).
ARTICLE XVII - RULES AND REGULATIONS
The Board of Directors may adopt
such rules and regulation for the Association as may be necessary for the
efficient management of the Association.
APPROVALS:
Robert Bronke, CPCS
President,
Donna Goestenkors,
CPMSM
President, National Association Medical Staff Services