Performance review

Tuesday, May 01, 2018 12:20 PM
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CMS Board of Directors reviews Central Line, fulfilling promise to members to ensure its effectiveness in engagement

by Kate Alfano, CMS Communications Coordinator

The Colorado Medical Society Board of Directors requested and conducted a performance review of Central Line, the first-in-the-nation virtual policy forum, at their March 16 meeting. This is the second year of implementation of this member engagement platform. Central Line was launched in November 2016 as a result of an extensive two-year study of CMS governance and communications that revealed that CMS members want more direct and relevant communication, want their voice heard in policy decisions, and want a more balanced approach to governing.

Following a robust discussion in March, the board agreed that ideas generated would be returned to the board for further discussion and possible action at the May 18 meeting. View the graphic on the opposite page for statistics on member participation, geographic participation, interest area participation,  accessibility and use.

“Board members were pleased with Central Line’s first year performance, specifically the number of members that have engaged and how the program has opened new lines of communication with members,” said CMS President M. Robert Yakely, MD.

Points surfaced for discussion in May include application upgrades to allow board members to identify names of physicians and their votes and comments when reviewing votes by district, how to make the platform more mobile-friendly, and how to increase awareness and usage of the Central Line platform.

The CMS Board of Directors encourages all members to use Central Line to submit policy proposals, review and vote on policy proposals submitted by their colleagues, and give feedback to the board before and after board meetings.

Most important, members are encouraged to designate interest areas in their profile section of Central Line. An interest area is a subject matter area that a member is interested in or in which a member has particular expertise. Central Line assigns policy proposals to interest areas and gives physicians in these designated areas the first opportunity to review and provide input on proposed CMS policy. It’s like a committee without any in-person meetings, and there is no requirement for physicians in these groups to respond to each proposal assigned to their interest area.

Interest areas include:

  • Cost Control    
  • Direct Primary Care    
  • Health Care Reform    
  • Health Information Technology and Telemedicine    
  • Medicaid    
  • Opioid-Abuse/Misuse    
  • Patient Safety and Professional Liability    
  • Payment Reform    
  • Physician Wellness    
  • Political Action    
  • Private Payer Issues    
  • Public Health    
  • Quality Improvement, Transparency and Public Reporting    
  • Scope of Practice    
  • Workers Compensation    
  • Workforce

Central Line does not replace in-person meetings, which the board of directors feels are still imperative – particularly during a time when physicians feel isolated and desire peer interaction. The annual meeting has been transformed into a more relevant gathering for a broader demographic of CMS members, and regional forums held throughout the state give members the opportunity to network and discuss critical issues in person. This is in addition to the opportunity to provide input and feedback on policy-making electronically 24/7 through Central Line.

Go to www.cms.org/central-line to submit policies, view current policies under consideration, vote on these proposals or board actions, and adjust profile settings such as interest areas or communication preferences.


Posted in: Colorado Medicine
 

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