College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAAA) Minutes for. Annual General Meeting. April 27, 2014

Transcription

1 College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAAA) Minutes for Annual General Meeting April 27, 2014 Red Deer Lodge ( th Ave., Red Deer) Present: Council members: Peggy Yu, David James, Lowell Ask, Jiulin Wang, Xia Cheng, Frank Du, Veronica Lee. Registrar: Paul Hu Members: 81 Call to Order: 1:00pm Chair: Recorder: Peggy Yu Eleanor van Gunst 1. Opening Remarks/President Report: Peggy welcomed all members and introduced and thanked council members, committee members, registrar and support staff. Members all reviewed the agenda. Don Montgomery made a motion to approve the agenda and Lin Duan seconded. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed. Lowell Ask briefed & members read the minutes of AGM in April 28, 2013 and then opened the floor to questions or corrections. Lorraine Schlotter made a motion to approve the 2013 AGM minutes and Anthony Yong seconded. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed. Peggy outlined the successful 2013 year and thanked Paul for his steady operation of the CAAA team and his guidance of the many committees.

2 In 2013 we saw the development of a Code of Professional Conduct to help guide members in their professional practice and the adoption of the Pan-Canadian Examination for TCM Acupuncturists, Continuing Education seminars and lecture began to be offered at the Edmonton office and the Calgary seminars through the AATCMD continue to be accessible to CAAA members. Alberta Health has given the CAAA its support to the formation of an Ad Hoc committee to review and amend the Acupuncture Regulation Policies which is a step towards gaining full status as a Health Profession in about 2-5 years. Also an Ad Hoc committee was formed to establish minimum standards for all acupuncture programs in Alberta using the previous program criteria used by HDB. A new website was launched at the end of 2013 to maintain effective communication with all stakeholders. After the flood in Southern Alberta the Chair of MSC Andrea took a lead in the YARP Project that offered stress relief treatments. The project was well received and was great to promote public awareness. MSC was also a huge help in the successful GST exemption for acupuncture services announced in the 2014 Budget Action Plan on February 11, Peggy then thanked the HDB and AHW for their continued support in the four years since acupuncture became self-regulated and encouraged all members to volunteer as we work on transitioning from HDB to HPA. She also encouraged members to ask questions and share ideas with each of the committees. 2. Financial report Jiulin Wang, Treasurer of CAAA, gave 2013 Financial report as follows. The financial statements for 2013 have been prepared by Donald Mah Professional Corporation. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the treasurer s activities for the year 2013 to date Financial Report

3 The financial statements for 2013 have been prepared by Donald Mah Professional Corporation and were posted on CAAA website prior to the AGM for members Wei Hua Yan made a motion to approve the financial report, Grace Zhuang seconded the motion. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed. Budget, Finance & Audit Committee (BFAC) update Veronica Lee, Committee Chair gave the report for the BFAC. Veronica opened the floor to questions. 3. Registrar s Report Paul Hu welcomed all members and thanked them for their attendance. He also thanked all members who have volunteered to further our profession, and his colleagues for their assistance. Paul outlined that his report would focus on three areas: first, major achievements over last year; second, our goals for next year; third, areas that you should be mindful in your practice. Three Major achievements this last year were: 1. preparing for the transition from Health Disciplines Act (HDA) to Health Professions Act (HPA). After two years operation, the government agreed to work with us to start the process. The new set of Acupuncture Regulation Policies will be sent for legal drafting, and then needs Order of the Lieutenant Governor, and proclamation by the Minister of Alberta Health. If our profession continues to be under the HDA, it would not correctly reflect the role played by acupuncture in healthcare system, and would not serve further development of the profession; 2. developing the Code of Professional Conduct. We realized areas of concern with public protection and guidance to members in their practice were not covered in the HDA, Acupuncture Regulation or Standards of Competency

4 and Practice. The Code is needed for the transition from HDA to HPA to demonstrate to the government and the public that our profession is well regulated and was based on the best practice in the field and core values shared by other health professions. A draft was sent to Conduct and Competency Committee for input as well as reviewed by our legal counsel. It has already been approved by the Council and the HDB. After it has received approval by the membership today, it will come into force on May 1 st, Thank you to all members for their input and support. We acknowledge that it is not exhaustive and perfect, but we are confident that it is comprehensive and justifiable to start with; 3. new format of Alberta Acupuncture Registration Examination. To facilitate labour mobility, in 2012, the federal government funded a project to develop a national examination for TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists. The funding recipient is Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies, which was formed in 2008 and Alberta is one of the founding members. The national exam has two parts: Written Exam and Clinical Case-study Exam. The CAAA insisted on the addition of a practical exam as part of the Registration Examination, which was approved by the HDB. Thank you to Lowell Ask, Don Fan, and Yucheng Chen for their commitment and contribution to redesigning the CAAA Safety Examination. Paul briefly addressed many other achievements, such as Flood Relief Project, GST exemption project, Occupational Health & Safety Project, new CAAA website, and many others and expressed. He then expressed thanks to all volunteers for their commitment to our profession. Two Major Goals for the future: 1. continuing the transition from HDA to HPA. It has been the priority of CAAA and will continue to be a priority until we succeed. 2. partial coverage by government for acupuncture treatments. Some members had voiced their hope for the profession and that one day government will cover acupuncture treatments, even partial coverage. Each health profession has its own strengths and limitations; however, they complement each other, so an integrated approach would better serve public s health needs. This is the primary reason why the CAAA is willing to work in this direction. There are advantages of a more integrated approach by the government, such as reducing over-reliance on the

5 western medicine, potential savings to the current healthcare system, and many more. Favorable conditions include: partial coverage precedence in BC; regulation of TCM in more provinces increasing our recognition; a collaborative approach between health professions advocated by Alberta Health; and GST exemption for acupuncture treatment. However, we must admit the fact that TCM acupuncture is still considered alternative medicine in Canada. It takes time for the public and the government to understand and accept it. Paul expressed his confidence that the profession being well regulated and every patient getting positive results from their treatments provided by members, partial coverage will be achievable at an earlier date. The last topic Paul addressed was areas where our members should be mindful in their practice. First, scope of practice. Under current Acupuncture Regulation, permitted modes of practice are acupuncture, electronic acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping and acupressure. Most of our members also provide other treatments, such as ear seeding, guasha, etc., which is fine because they are not restricted activities. However, if the activities are restricted, please remember proper licensing is required. Even if the activity is not yet regulated, such as herbal prescription, members still need make sure you have proper training to provide such services. Second, overstatement of the effect of acupuncture treatment. Members need to realize their own individual limitations. When taking patients, we should not give them unrealistic promises. After providing a certain number of treatments or after providing treatments for a certain period, if the patient s condition fails to improve, make a referral in a timely manner. Business is important, but more important is patient s health and wellness. Third, fraudulent claims submitted to insurance companies. The CAAA has received a complaint from an insurance company where a clinic made fraudulent claims for treatments not provided. Since the amount involved is over $5,000, the police are investigating into this incident as a criminal charge. Fourth, treatments provided to family members. Paul acknowledged that many members provided treatments to their family members. However, depending on insurance company, such treatments are not always eligible for reimbursements. Before submitting claims, check with your insurance company to figure out whether it is acceptable for reimbursement.

6 4. Presentation of Code Of Professional Conduct Introduction by Frank Du explains the need for the adoption of this code and its development. Code presented by David James. Suggestion was made to amend family Member to direct family member in the Conflict of Interest section. After much debate a request was made to the membership that they questions or comments to the CAAA office to help improve the code. Vince Holden made a motion to approve the Code of Professional Conduct presented by David James in principal with written inputs for amendments by the members as of May 1 st, 2014, Don Montgomery seconded the motion. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed. 5. Nomination and Election Committee Victor Wong advised that there were 8 nominations received, but one was later removed. The 7 remaining candidates are to be elected by acclamation; they are Peggy Yu, Lowell Ask, Xia Cheng, Jiulin Wang, Frank Du, Veronica Lee and Yang Su. Yang Su gave a few words to the membership as the newest board member. 6. Registration and Program Review Marjorie Copithorn, Committee Chair, reviewed the roles of RPRC as well as the work they have assisted in and then opened the floor for questions. 7. Examination Committee Lowell Ask, Committee Chair, gave the report for the Examination Committee (EC).

7 Adoption of the Pan-Canadian exam led to the creation of the new Safety/Clinical exam which was presented November He extended thanks to Dr. Zhao and Dr. Yang Su for all their contributions through their years of service. Lowell also thanked the current EC members, Council, Paul Hu/Registrar, examiners, exam support staff and all the members for their continuing support. 8. Member Services Committee Andrea Hejtmanek, Committee Chair, thanked Darren Tellier and Amanda Roth for their past work. She also thanked the current members as well as made a call for more volunteers. CEU events will continue in Calgary and the Ad Hoc committee in Edmonton will also be continuing in the coming year. The Flood Relief program (YYC) in southern Alberta was a great success and a thank you goes out to all the membership for offering their time and knowledge. Heather provided a more detailed overview of the program and its continuing need for volunteers. The YYC acupuncture program has been a huge boost of free press for the industry and if members do not have time to volunteer then donations are very welcome. Royal Assent for the removal of GST should be coming soon. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) grant will help strengthen the industry and profession of acupuncture. Any and all suggestions for the website improvement are welcomed and please contact MSC with comments. CAAA has a Facebook page and Andrea will send a mass to the members to inform everyone. 9. Closing Remarks

8 David James gave a short closing remark and congratulated all in attendance that we had a very successful AGM. Heather McLeod made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mike McFarlane... All in favor. Meeting adjourned at 3:58pm