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March 2010 council Currents

NHC Updates

 

Inside the NHC

 

2010 Voluntary Health Leadership Conference

Neither wind, nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow kept the National Health Council from putting on its 23rd Annual Voluntary Health Leadership Conference! In spite of the inclement weather and cancelled flights, representatives from 29 organizations were able to get to the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona, for the February 10-12 conference.

 

This unique event offered organization CEOs and their volunteer leaders unprecedented access to high-level national health care thought leaders to discuss the top issues of the day.

 

  • The lead-off speaker, Carolyn Clancy, MD, Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, discussed comparative effectiveness research and patient-focused care.
  • The Honorable Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and former governor of Wisconsin, was the keynote speaker and provided a comprehensive view on health care reform.
  • Jan Berger, MD, is the founder of Health Intelligence Partners, a health care consulting firm. She spoke on the concept of a value-based benefit design and what it means for patients with chronic conditions.
  • Jim Yunker, Vice Chair of the Giving USA Foundation and Chair of its Editorial Review Board, provided a review of the trends in giving and the impact of the economy on giving patterns.
  • Following Dr. Yunker’s presentation, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin, PhD, led a panel discussion on how patient advocacy groups dealt with the impact of the economic downturn. Seffrin and CEOs from four other organizations shared lessons learned that can form the basis of crisis management strategies for the next unforeseen event.
  • Art Taylor, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, outlined his organization’s new program – the Charity Effectiveness Project. The project is guided by a Charity Effectiveness Advisory Panel, and several patient advocacy organizations, including the NHC, have representatives on the panel. The project will create a database of reports from charities. From this database the Wise Giving Alliance will be able to draw a report on charity effectiveness, and donors will be able to use the report to make informed-giving decisions.
  • A unique feature of the NHC Voluntary Health Leadership Conference is the ability to share like experiences and to learn from case studies. The American Kidney Fund led attendees in a discussion about how its board and staff went through the planning process to diversity it funding stream.
  • NHC’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Marc Boutin gave a presentation about an exciting new project with WebMD.

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NHC Website: Special Opportunities for Members

The NHC has recently launched a number of special opportunities for NHC members to showcase jobs, events, and announcements on the NHC website!

 

  • Job Bank: The idea of the job bank is to foster the unique talent pool among NHC member organizations. The NHC views the job bank as a way to help members connect with talented and experienced people – and vice versa. The NHC Job Bank has proven to be a top landing page for the website, with more than 700 direct hits to the page since launch. To submit a job opening, use the form on the NHC website.
  • Calendar: The NHC is now adding member organization events to our web calendar. Click here for instructions on how to get our organization’s event listed!
  • Member Announcements: We are now offering NHC member organizations the opportunity to share recent announcements about their CEOs for listing in the quarterly Council Currents newsletter. For more information click here.

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Health Groups in Washington

The 2009 the edition of Health Groups in Washington directory is just off the press and ready for purchase! This comprehensive directory is larger than ever and contains up-to-date contact information for approximately 900 nongovernmental health and health-related organizations in the Washington, DC, area. Since its first printing in 1975, Health Groups in Washington has been recognized as the single most useful resource for identifying and locating health groups in the nation’s Capital.

 

Health Groups in Washington is available for the low price of $55; $40 for members of the National Health Council (NHC). It is also available as a mailing list in a variety of electronic formats, or as pressure-sensitive labels. To order your own copy, please complete the order form found on line and fax, e-mail or mail it back to the NHC. To order the mailing list or bulk copies of the book, please contact the National Health Council at info@nhcouncil.org or 202-785-3910.

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Management Compensation Report

To help member voluntary health agencies better hone their recruiting and retention efforts, the National Health Council and the National Human Services Assembly annually conduct a benchmarking survey of compensation practices across a spectrum of more than 80 mid-level and executive positions. The survey report helps to fulfill a question on the new IRS 990 form to determine whether an organization uses comparability data for determining the compensation of staff.

 

Last year, 34 NHC member organizations participated in the report. The data collection process for this year’s report will begin on May 1. If you have any questions or would like to make sure you receive information for participation in the survey, please contact Kelly Clapp at kclapp@nhcouncil.org.

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BoardSource Partnership

BoardSource membership provides everything a nonprofit association needs to build a high-performing board. Members use its resources and services to find solutions, leadership tips, and governance knowledge about board-related issues.

 

Organizations receive a 33% discount if they enroll their board members and key staff at the national and chapter levels through the NHC. In addition, if 100 individuals are enrolled through the NHC, the cost per member is discounted by 40%.

 

This year’s membership enrollment process will begin on May 1. If you have any questions or would like to make sure you receive information on membership, please contact Kelly Clapp at kclapp@nhcouncil.org. To learn more about BoardSource, visit www.boardsource.org.

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Presentations by NHC Staff

  • On December 10, 2009, Marc Boutin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, was a panelist on evidence utilization at the AstraZeneca-sponsored meeting titled Impact of Data and Methods on Comparative Effectiveness Research Conclusions, Information Dissemination & Stakeholder Decisions
  • On January 19, 2010, Boutin also presented with NHC President Myrl Weinberg on the NHC’s 2010 priorities at a meeting of the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Research Advocacy and Molecular Diagnostics Working Group.

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International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO)

IAPO is a unique global alliance representing patients of all nationalities across all disease areas and promoting patient-centered health care around the world.

 

The 4th Global Patients Congress was held February 23-25, 2010, in Istanbul, Turkey, and NHC President Myrl Weinberg and Executive Vice President and COO Marc Boutin were presenters. The theme of the conference was Strengthening Healthcare Systems Globally: The Value of Patient Engagement, giving participants programs and workshops where they developed their skills and shared best practices. This unique international event was structured around a multi-disciplinary, participatory, and supportive environment.

 

Weinberg serves as immediate past chair of IAPO. She chaired and Boutin presented a session on patient engagement. Boutin also conducted a session on practical media skills and a session on how patients’ organizations can engage with and influence the decisions that affect how health care is designed and delivered.

 

IAPO’s Congress provides a unique opportunity for patient advocates, across diseases and across borders, to come together and participate in an exciting agenda which will help to foster global networks, develop practical skills, and enable engagement and understanding of key policy issues affecting patients in the international arena.

 

For more information about IAPO please visit http://www.patientsorganizations.org/index.pl.

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The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP)

Participation in clinical research really matters. This is why the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation just released its new book The Gift of Participation: A Guide to Making Informed Decisions About Volunteering for a Clinical Trial. This book addresses what clinical participation means and how it helps to advance medical science. Practical information on subjects like insurance coverage, compensation, and tax ramifications for clinical research volunteers also is included.

 

To learn more about CISCRP and its new publication The Gift of Participation, go to http://www.ciscrp.org. The National Health Council is a proud supporter of CISCRP.

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