Board of Directors Minutes
Ryan’s Restaurant
Lebanon, TN
November 5, 2015
President Reed called the meeting to order at 10:07 am
Board Members present: Andrew Reed, Keith Douglas, Rick Valentine, Stan Clark, Joyce Noles, Ricky Slack, Wallace Elliott, Lis Henley, Shannon Seaton, Doug McQuary, Andrew Hart
Board Members absent: Lynn Thompson, Tommy Crowder, Brad Phillips
Others Present: Tim Booher (Air-Evac), Glynn Mooney (Air-Evac), Phillip Sanderson (AMR) and Andrew Sparks (Decatur County EMS)
- Motion by Andrew Hart – 2nd by Joyce Noles to accept the October TASA Board Minutes as written, motion Passed.
Presentations and Monthly Reports:
Financial Report: Rick Valentine – financial report showing current balance of $99,321.07
- Motion made by Andrew Hart – 2nd by Shannon Seaton to accept the financial report, motion Passed.
NAEMT:
- Discussion about H.R. 1440 (TASA’s federal legislation bill on retirement for EMS). Currently trying to obtain co-sponsors for the bill and reaching out to other state EMS associations.
Committee Reports:
Reimbursement: Discussion about going back to the DoubleTree in Murfreesboro, TN next year.
- Motion made by Andrew Hart – 2nd by Lis Henley to hold the 2016 Reimbursement Conference at the DoubleTree in Murfreesboro, TN, motion passed.
Legislative: President Reed discussed the new committee assignments but he was waiting to confirm appointment with 2 board members. In addition, he discussed adding one representative from each EMS association to the Legislative Committee to help address legislative issues. These representatives must be from a TASA member service (cannot be a TASA Board member) and will report to the Legislative Chairman.
- Motion made by Ricky Slack – 2nd by Shannon Seaton to accept the proposal to add regional representatives (Non-TASA Board Members) to the Legislative Committee, motion passed.
Keith Douglas discussed the state legislation being introduced by Representative Weaver that will prevent MCO’s from taking payments back if the error was discovered 120 days beyond the date of payment and the error was on the part of the MCO. Portion of the draft language is as follows:
- (1) Any managed care organization that participates in TennCare shall not recoup overpayments from a health care provider if more than one hundred twenty (120) business days have passed since the managed care organization reimbursed the provider based on a proper clean claim, as defined in § 56-7-109, for the service rendered by the provider that resulted from a mistake made in the managed care organization’s calculations.
- (2) The managed care organization is also prohibited from reducing future reimbursement or withholding pending payments to the provider in order to recoup any overpayment.
Rick Valentine provided an update regarding the new KKK spec change that effects cot retention systems. There will be an emergency rule-making hearing on Nov. 24th at 10 am CST. The Ambulance committee will take up the issue and draft a new rule to be proposed the Ems Board on Nov. 30th at 10 am CST.
There was lengthy discussion about degreed paramedic as a State requirement. It was reported the 3 states had passed such rules – Oregon, Kansas and Mississippi. Mississippi has since repealed their rule.
According to the TN EMS survey results, 54% of those surveyed were not in favor of a degreed paramedic requirement. 80% said their service would not be able to increase their pay for degreed paramedics.
Suggestion was made for the degreed paramedic be adopted as an optional endorsement on the paramedic license and include critical care as required to obtain this optional endorsement.
Education Committee will meet on December 7th at 1 pm CST.
Mid-Winter: Joyce Noles reports she is waiting on confirmation from 2 speakers. Should have agenda ready by December.
Upper Cumberland Regional Rep.: This is Ricky Slack’s last meeting as a board member. Tim Booher was introduced as the recently appointed representative.
- Motion made by Joyce Noles – 2nd by Wallace Elliott to accept Tim Booher as the new board member for the Upper Cumberland Region, motion passed.
Discussion about current policy of awards winners receiving $100 as part of their award.
- Motion made by Shannon Seaton – 2nd by Joyce Noles to award the $100 to individual awards only, motion passed.
Adjourned at 11:40 am