Local chapter update: The importance of bylaws

by Molly Siebert, RHIA, CCDS

Every non-profit association and organization I have been associated with had bylaws. The life of any association is centered around bylaws as well as its mission or purpose. For ACDIS, each local chapter is different in size, activity, financial accounts, and not all are officially non-profit organizations. It is my belief, however, that each state association should have bylaws.

Bylaws are the bones of the organization and performs many essential functions, such as defining:

• The mission and purpose of the organization
• Structure and roles for volunteer positions (and/or elected officials) and their respective responsibilities
  
  • Terms of office and board succession processes
  • Policies for board member removal
  • Board meeting requirements
  • Board membership provisions
  • Board voting rights
  • Board decision-making policies and practices
• Transactional processes regarding any accounting or tax-status obligations.
• The conflict of interest policy
• Benefits of membership

Most importantly, bylaws are THE framework for connections between the members and the board. It is a public document and all members have access to it. For ACDIS local chapters, it should contain information regarding the relationship with the national ACDIS organization, as outlined in the official ACDIS Local Chapter Agreement Form. Remember, the members have a say in the local association and the process for member participation is through access to the bylaws, voting rights, and the opportunities provided by the board, for instance, conferences with continuing education credits.

The bylaws keep the board members accountable to their members, federal government, and to the national ACDIS association. A description of the board’s work plan should be incorporated in the bylaws, as well. The work plan should provide volunteers and members with a timeline for board and membership activities. With membership access to the bylaws, the expectations between the board and the membership are known. They can evolve over time to meet the needs of both the board and membership.

For those of you with financial transactions, there are important considerations to keep the board and chapter membership “safe.” A one-time review of your bylaws by a tax attorney is important. There are online board and bylaw webinars you can access but working with a tax attorney in your state can assist in adherence to state as well as federal guidelines. When you pursue federal tax exemption, note that the IRS will ask your chapter to either attest to bylaw adoption or request a copy of the bylaws. Annual review of the bylaws, monthly review of financial statements, and annual financial audits will help keep you and the board protected from potential fraud and abuse allegations and should be delineated in the bylaws.

Editor’s note: Siebert is a CDI specialist at Legacy Health System in Portland, Oregon. She is the past president of the Oregon ACDIS local chapter, a member of the ACDIS CDI Scholarship Committee, and a frequent contributor to ACDIS’ publications.

The following is a list of upcoming events for ACDIS local chapters. If you have an upcoming event you would like to include, please email Melissa Varnavas (mvarnavas@acdis.org) and Linnea Archibald (larchibald@acdis.org).   

• The Central New York ACDIS chapter meets Friday, November 15, 1-4 p.m., at St. Joseph's Health Hospital in Syracuse. Click here to download the event flyer. For information, contact Dawn Burr (dawnburr@crouse.org).
• The Puerto Rico ACDIS local chapter meets Friday, November 15, 1:30-4 p.m., along with the Healthcare Quality Association of Puerto Rico at Hospital Auxilio Mutuo in San Juan. For information, contact Carmen Ibarrondo (carmen.ibarrondo@yahoo.com).
• The California ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, November 20, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., via webinar. For information, contact Rani Stoddard (stoddardrv@henrymayo.com).
• The Arizona ACDIS chapter and the CDI Educators networking group meet Friday, November 22, 12-1 p.m., via webinar. Click here to download the event flyer. For information, contact Jamie Rygiel (JRygiel@yrmc.org).
• The North Carolina ACDIS chapter meets Friday, November 22, 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., for their fall conference at Artrium Health in Charlotte. Click here to read the full agenda. For information, contact the chapter leadership team (ncacdis@gmail.com).

Save-the-date:

• The Kansas City, Missouri, ACDIS chapter meets Wednesday, December 4, 2-3 p.m. central, via webinar. For information, contact Angelica Naylor (angelica.naylor@outlook.com).
• The Pediatric Networking Group (APDIS) meets Thursday, December 5, via webinar. For information, contact Valerie Bica (valerie.bica@nemours.org).
• The Chapter Advisory Board invites chapter leaders and members to join them for a panel discussion on Thursday, December 12, 12-1 p.m., via webinar. Click here to register.