February 6, 2004
New Orleans, LA
3:00 pm
Ronald Fox, PhD, President
Jeffrey Barnett, PsyD, President Elect
Jean Carter, PhD, Past President
Michael Murphy, PhD, Secretary
APA Council Representatives
J Benedict, PhD
Stanley Moldawsky, PhD
Stanley Graham, PhD
Melba Vasquez, PhD
Rita Dudley Grant, PhD
Tommy Stigall, PhD
Members at Large
Doug Haldeman, PhD
Josephine Johnson, PhD
Laura Barbanel, EdD
Carol Goodheart, EdD
Jack Wiggins, PhD
Sally Horwatt, PhD
Miguel Gallardo, PsyD, Student/Early Career Representative
Committee Chairs
Lisa Grossman, PhD, Resource Development
Katherine Nordal, PhD, Finance
Rona LoPresti, PhD 42 Online Editor
Martin Williams, PhD, IP Editor
Guests
Russ Newman, PhD, JD, APA Practice Directorate
Stephen Pfeiffer, PhD, Executive Director AAP
President Fox welcomed the board and committee members and the guests. He opened the retreat with background information. He provided a history and overview of the development of APA, the Division, the Practice Directorate, and the APA Practice organization.
Next he clarified the role and limits on groups organized as 501-C3 and 501 C6 according to the tax code and similar entities. He outlined what each kind of entity can do and cannot do particularly in the area of advocacy and political giving. He also discussed AAP’s changed relationship to APAPO and the implications for soliciting funds.
He then turned to discussion of factors that affect the current effectiveness of organizations that advocate for processional psychology. These include:
- The graying population within APA and AAP
- The manner in which psychologists compared to other professions train graduate students regarding advocacy and participation in the profession?
- Students go into survival mode – can’t afford to give to other things.
- Politician giving is given a negative connotation in graduate school.
- Concern that younger practitioners not getting involved in political giving.
- Small amount of money given annually, small number of people giving that money
He discussed responses to these concerns including:
- Supervisors seeing as their role making sure young practitioners see “giving” as part of profession’s business.
- Using the word advocacy instead of political giving.
- Concentrate on activating the middle group who are not students or older psychologists.
- Provide a practitioner who serves as an advocacy mentor at each graduate program.
- Examine how the leaders of us got on the track of involvement in order to understand how to best help others to follow.
- Possible chapters within Division 42 that can be C-6 oriented.
Fox began setting the stage for what will happen at the retreat tomorrow.
He wants to focus on advocacy and political giving.
He outlined a process in which we would:
- Identify the top three issues for practice.
- Rank them.
- Assess how they map to what we are doing.
- Determine where the money going to come from.
Ron called the voting board into executive session to consider old and initial fellows as presented by the Fellows Committee.
Motion: By Stigall – Board approves the old fellows as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion: By Stigall - Board approves the initial fellows as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
Board Adjourned until the following morning
Saturday, February 7, 2004
Retreat reconvened at 9:10 am
Fox led the retreat though a series of activities aimed at identifying the critical issues, grouping them and ranking them.
Critical issues: each person at the retreat was asked to name an issue that they felt was important and provided that a person could support a previously identified issue. The members were polled three times. The items identified were as follows:
- True licensure mobility – national license. x5 (telehealth)
- True mental health parity. x2
- Classification system of our own based functionality
- E and M codes/health &behavior codes
- Health care finance reform x2
- Rx Privileges x7
- Expansion of Medicaid particularly for children
- Public education for practitioners x3 (social issues)
- Practitioner education(healthcare component) (infiltrate academics) x2
- Better access for internships for graduate students
- Differentiating doctoral and non doctoral providers x2
- Increase representation of psychologists in elected and policy – making positions
- Insurance counter measurers x3
- More federal money for psychology trainingx2
- Include psychology as a (primary) healthcare profession (APA Mission statement) –(destigmatise) x6
- Increase revenues and reimbursement rates x8
- Licensing board reform
- Eligibility for licensure upon receipt of degree
- Improve environment for psych assessment(enhancing value) x2
- Single payor systemx3
- Enhance political giving
- Loan forgiveness program for graduates
- Education campaign for legislatures
- Appropriate reimbursement for appropriate substance abuse treatment
- Direct marketing
- Resources for the business of practice/marketingx2
- Meaningful illicit drug policy reform
- Enhancing scope of practice for institutional or public practice
- Greater involvement of psychologists in political process x2
- Protection of court appointed evaluators
- Expansion of mental health court legislation
- Destigmatization
- Support of collective bargaining/unionization
- Increase opportunities in school system
- Manpower studies
- Inclusion of psychologists in school-based healthcare delivery
Grouping of items and Assignment of priorities: Fox led the group in grouping the items and five categories were identified. He then asked each member to assume that they had $150 and could give money in blocks of $50 to the categories. The results of the exercise are as follows:
A. licensure Issues ($150.00)
- True licensure mobility – national license x5
- Eligibility for licensure upon receipt of degree
B. Prescription privileges ($500.00)
- Rx Privileges x7
C. Include psychology as a healthcare profession ($700.00)
- Include psychology as a (primary) healthcare profession (APA Mission statement) x6
- E and M codes/health &behavior codes
- True mental health parity x2
- Classification system of our own based on functionality
- Appropriate reimbursement for appropriate substance abuse treatment
D. Increase revenues and reimbursement rates ($1700.00)
- Insurance counter measurers x3
- Increase revenues and reimbursement rates x8
- E and M codes/health &behavior codes
- Health care finance reformx2
- True mental health parity x2
- Expansion of Medicaid particularly for children
- Appropriate reimbursement for appropriate substance abuse treatment
E. Pipeline ($250.00)
- More federal money for psychology training x2
- Loan forgiveness program
- Eligibility for licensure upon receipt of degree
- Better access for internships for graduate students
The group discussed the above items until the lunch break.
Ron re-convened the meeting at 1:20 pm.
Russ Newman of the Practice Directorate and Stephen Pfeiffer each outlined their organizations structure, goals, budgets, projects.
Ron pointed out that the Division has $250,000 that comes in annually from member dues and there is approximately $250,000 in the reserve account. He asked the board to brainstorm about what the Division can do with these resources and pointed out that many of the issues that were identified earlier would require examination of the organization of the Division.
Several Board members asserted that it was important for the Division to a C-6 organization in order to achieve its goals. The board discussed many facets of this topic
Fox discussed the process for moving forward with the development of a C-6 and outlined the following steps:
1. Development of a Strategic Plan
2. Development of an organizational structure
3. Clarification of financial issues including:
- Income sources
- Savings
- Investment
The retreat adjorned until the next morning
Sunday, February 8, 2004
Retreat reconvened at 8:50 am
Present: Miguel Gallardo, Russ Newman, Stanley Moldawsky, Katherine Nordal, Stanley Graham, Tommy Stigall, J Benedict, Jeff Barnett, Jean Carter, Ron Fox, Mike Murphy, Jeannie Beeaff, Carol Goodheart, Rita Dudley Grant, Lisa Grossman, Doug Haldeman, Jo Johnson, Rona LoPresti, Stephen Pfeiffer, Laura Barbanel
Ron discussed the process of the previous day and recommended that the EC is the best group to assess how to address the issues identified by the process of the retreat and particularly examine the issues of development of a C-6organization. He stated that the EC could examine the details of a C-6 such as income stream, membership, nuts and bolts, and how it might interface with the current Division structure.
Fox also indicated that there would need to be a process where by the items identified would be clarified and made more concrete.
Fox indicated that provisions would be made to document the process of the EC in researching this project. As part of the effort the EC would also consider other issues and directions to address the advocacy goals including:
- Adopting or facilitating a special assessment,
- Undertaking a capital campaign, and
- Assessing if development of a C-6 is the best way to accomplish our goals.
Fox indicated that the work group would be added to if needed, to draw on the expertise and contributions of consultants, board members, etc.
He also identified other issues that would need to be addressed including:
- Is it viable to ask other divisions to help with development of a C-6?
- Would membership in a c-6 be open to non-APA members?
- Would like to know what other models may be open to us other than c-6, perhaps a foundation?
- Would it be possible to contact licensed psychologists who are not being billed the PO assessment
- Ensuring that the C-3 will always be available to our members and noted that the C-6 can be the same, different, have other members.
- Income stream for a C-6
Adjourned the meeting at 10:00 am