February, 2005
The annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) was held in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, October 10, 2004.

1. Report of the Chair, Board of Regents
Dr. Edward Copeland reported that the ACS has created a new Office of Evidence-Based Surgery to be headed by R. Scott Jones. The office will be responsible for the rollout of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to non-federal hospitals. Dr. Copeland reported that ACOSOG (the ACS Oncology Group) had received its site visit from the National Cancer Institute the previous week. The ACS offered a new Practice Management Course for fellows this year. Interest groups have been created for young surgeons, associate surgeons, residents, medical students, and for affiliated health care professionals like nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The Journal of the American College of Surgeons has a new editor, Dr. Timothy Eberlein. The journal will now be published by Elsevier. Finally, Dr. Copeland reported that the Board of Regents reappointed Dr. Thomas Russell to a second five-year term as Executive Director of the ACS.

2. Report of the President, ACS
Dr. Claude Organ reported that the ACS has declared this year as the Year of the Resident and that the ACS is specifically seeking increased resident participation in the activities of the College. Dr. Organ also mentioned that the relationship of the ACS with the American Medical Association (AMA) has improved and the ACS and AMA are working on some joint initiatives (see #7, below). Finally, Dr. Organ encouraged members of the ACS to become politically active in regards to issues important to surgery.

3. Report of the Executive Director
Dr. Thomas Russell reported that the "pay for performance" movement, which advocates tying reimbursement to quality outcomes, is gaining momentum. Likewise, the patient safety movement is gaining strength and Dr. Russell encouraged ACS members to get involved. The Maintenance of Certification initiative of the American Board of Medical Specialties was also discussed as an important new initiative. Dr. Russell reported on several ACS programs. In education, the ACS is developing instructional content in the six competencies developed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. A module on professionalism is one of the first projects. The ACS is developing a system to accredit surgical skill centers around the country. The NSQIP rollout is hoped to include 100 hospitals in the first year. In the Cancer Program of the ACS, there will be improvements made to the national database which should enhance its use. The membership division of ACS is trying hard to recruit members from all surgical specialties. Finally, Dr. Russell indicated that the new president of ACS, Dr. Edward Laws, is focusing on improving the working relationships between the ACS and other major medical organizations.

4. Financial Report
The financial report to the Board of Governors indicated that the ACS is financially sound and received a favorable audit by Deloitte and Touche. The assets of the ACS increased by about 15% in the past year. The ACS is considering offering individual investment services to its fellows. Finally, a new process has been initiated to evaluate the dues structure on an annual basis.

5. Report of the Chair, Board of Governors
Dr. Courtney Townsend, Chair of the Board of Governors, reported that a survey of the Governors revealed that the following four topics were of primary concern: liability, tort reform, reimbursement, and changes in Medicare/Medicaid programs. The ACS is actively involved in representing its members in all of these areas.

6. Report from ACS Political Action Committee (ACSPA-SurgeonsPAC)
Dr. Andrew Warshaw reported on the activities of the ACSPA-Surgeons PAC, which contributes to Congressional campaigns and seeks access to Congressional leaders. Although the PAC has made a successful start, Dr. Warshaw pointed out that only one out of forty fellows of the ACS contribute. If all fellows contributed, we could easily raise as much money as the trial lawyers organization.

7. ACS Activities in the AMA
Dr. Lamar McGinnis reported that the AMA House of Delegates is working on several issues of interest to the ACS. These include principles governing office-based surgery, expert witness qualifications, reimbursement for ultrasound, and specialty hospitals. He also reported that the ACS is now represented on the AMA’s Council on Medical Education.

8. Development
Dr. Richard Reiling reported that the ACS had raised $1.69 million in the past year to support its research and education missions.

Respectfully Submitted,

Richard H. Bell, Jr. M.D.