Bylaws

ARTICLE VIII - OFFICERS

8.1             OFFICERS OF THE MEDICAL STAFF

8.1-1 IDENTIFICATION

The officers of the medical staff shall be the Chief of Staff. Chief of Staff-elect, Immediate Past Chief of Staff, and 'Secretary/Treasurer.

8.1-2 QUALIFICATIONS

Officers must be members of the active medical staff at the time of their nominations and election, and must remain active members in good standing during their term of office. Failure to maintain such status shall create a vacancy in the office involved.

8.1-3 ELECTION OF OFFICERS

(a)               The Chief of Staff-elect and Secretary/Treasurer shall be elected and seated every two years and the results of the election shall be announced at the annual meeting of the medical staff. Only members of the active staff shall be eligible to vote.

(b)               The Nominating Committee shall consist of the current Chief of Staff, the Immediate Past Chief of Staff, and a member elected by each clinical department (Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Ob/Gyn, Pathology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Radiological Health Sciences, and Surgery). The Immediate Past Chief of Staff shall serve as Chairman. This committee shall nominate one or more members from the active category of the medical staff for the office of Chief of Staff-elect and Secretary/Treasurer. The chairman shall prepare a slate of candidates composed of the nominees to be presented to the Secretary of the Staff no later than eight (8) weeks prior to the annual meeting in December. Additional nominations shall be made by petition in the following manner: The nominee, who shall be a member in good standing of the active staff, shall indicate in writing his/her willingness to be a candidate on a signed petition of at least fifteen (15) members of the active staff. The petition shall then be presented to the Secretary of the Staff for validation no later than six (6) weeks prior to the December meeting. If the petition is validated by the Secretary, the nominee's name shall appear on the ballot as an additional candidate for that office.

(c)               The Secretary shall prepare and mail a complete list of nominees for medical staff office to all members of the active medical staff no later than seven (7) weeks prior to the December meeting. This notice shall quote the procedures to follow for making additional nominations for any office of the Medical Staff. (Article VIII, Section 8.1-3 Election of Officers).

(d)               The Secretary shall prepare a ballot indicating the candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee and those nominated by valid petition as described in Section 8.1-3 (b) of this Article. This ballot shall be mailed to all members of the active staff no later than four (4) weeks prior to the December meeting.

8.1-4 TERM OF ELECTED OFFICE

Each officer shall serve a two-year term, commencing on the first day of the medical staff year following the election. Each officer shall serve in each office until the end of that officer's term, or until a successor is elected, unless that officer shall sooner resign or be removed from office. The Chief of Staff shall automatically assume the office of Immediate Past Chief of Staff and the Chief of Staff-elect shall automatically assume the office of Chief of Staff.

8.1-5 RECALL OF OFFICERS

Any officer whose election is subject to these bylaws may be removed from office for valid cause, including, but not limited to, gross neglect or misfeasance in office, or serious acts of moral turpitude or loss of active staff membership. Recall of a medical staff officer may be initiated by the Medical Executive Committee or shall be initiated by a petition signed by at least one-third of the members of the medical staff eligible to vote for officers. Recall shall be considered at a special meeting called for that purpose. Recall shall require a two-thirds vote of the medical staff members eligible to vote for medical staff officers who actually cast votes at the special meeting in person or by mail ballot.

8.1-6 VACANCIES IN ELECTED OFFICE

Vacancies in office occur upon the death or disability, resignation, or removal of the officer, or such officer's loss of membership in the medical staff. Vacancies, other than that of the Chief of Staff, shall be filled by appointment by the Medical Executive Committee until the next regular election. If there is a vacancy in the office of Chief of Staff, then the Chief of Staff-elect shall serve out that remaining term and shall immediately appoint an ad hoc Nominating Committee to decide promptly upon nominees for the office of Chief of Staff-elect. Such nominees shall be reported to the Medical Executive Committee and to the medical staff. A special election to fill the position shall occur at the next regular staff meeting. If there is a vacancy in the office of Chief of Staff-elect, that office need not be filled by election, but the Medical Executive Committee shall appoint an interim officer to fill this office until the next regular election, at which time the election shall also include the office of Chief of Staff.

8.2             DUTIES OF OFFICERS

8.2-1 CHIEF OF STAFF

The Chief of Staff shall serve as the Chief Officer of the medical staff. The duties of the Chief of Staff shall include, but not be limited to:

(a)               enforcing the medical staff bylaws and rules and regulations, implementing sanctions where indicated, and promoting compliance with procedural safeguards where corrective action been requested or initiated;

(b)               calling, presiding at, and being responsible for the agenda of all meetings of the medical staff;

(c)               serving as Chair of the Medical Executive Committee;

(d)               serving as an ex-officio member of all other staff committees without vote, unless Chief of Staff membership in a particular committee is required by these bylaws;

(e)               interacting with the administrator and Board of Directors in all matters of mutual concern within the hospital;

(f)                 appointing, in consultation with the Medical Executive Committee, committee members for all standing and special medical staff, liaison, or multi-disciplinary committees, except where otherwise provided by these bylaws and, except where otherwise indicated, designating the chairs of these committees;

(g)               representing the views and policies of the medical staff to the Board of Directors and to the administrator;

(h)               being a spokesperson for the medical staff in external professional and public relations;

(i)                 performing such other functions as may be assigned to the Chief of Staff by these bylaws, the medical staff, or by the Medical Executive Committee;

(j)                  serving on liaison committees with the Board of Directors and administration, as well as outside licensing or accreditation agencies;

8.2-2 CHIEF OF STAFF-ELECT

The Chief of Staff-elect assumes all duties and authority of the Chief of Staff in the absence of the Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff-elect shall be a member of the Medical Executive Committee and of the Joint Conference Committee, and shall perform such other duties as the Chief of Staff may assign or as may be delegated by these bylaws, or by the Medical Executive Committee.

8.2-3 IMMEDIATE PAST CHIEF OF STAFF

The Immediate Past Chief of Staff shall be a member of the Medical Executive Committee and a member of the Joint Conference Committee and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chief of Staff or delegated by these bylaws, or by the Medical Executive Committee.

8.2-4 SECRETARY/TREASURER

The Secretary/Treasurer shall be a member of the Executive Committee. The duties shall include, but not be limited to:

(a)               maintaining a roster of members;

(b)               keeping accurate and complete minutes of all Medical Executive Committee and General Medical Staff meetings;

(c)               calling meetings on the order of the Chief of Staff or Medical Executive Committee;

(d)               attending to all appropriate correspondence and notices on behalf of the medical staff;

(e)               receiving and safeguarding all funds of the medical staff;

(f)                 excusing absences from meetings on behalf of the Medical Executive Committee; and

(g)               performing such other duties as ordinarily pertain to the office or as may be assigned from time to time by the Chief of Staff or Medical Executive Committee.