Message from the AMIA Board Chair, Gilad J. Kuperman, MD, PhD

AMIA’s Commitment to Transparency and Good Governance

AMIA members have high expectations of leaders within the organization. Leaders carry responsibility for public trust and must meet standards of personal conduct that reflect accountability, fidelity, and loyalty to the organization, its mission, and its members. In practice, this responsibility is carried out by disclosure of conflicts and adherence to AMIA’s conflict of interest policy (COI) and maintaining a bias-free, decision-making process.

AMIA is a member of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS). In March 2010 AMIA Board of Directors reviewed the CMSS Code for Interactions with Companies. AMIA adopted the code along with 26 CMSS member societies and 11 non-member societies. AMIA’s official policy is compliant with the CMSS policy and includes a several directives specific to AMIA operations.

• All AMIA leaders’ COI Disclosures are available online to AMIA members. Member log in is required to view the disclosures.
• COI Disclosures may be updated online via www.amia.org/coi-disclosure-form

The AMIA COI policy covers AMIA employees, members of the Board of Directors, Committee Chairs, Task Force Chairs, and Members of Policy-setting Committees and Task Forces. An initial determination as to whether a particular outside transaction or relationship may constitute an actual, potential, or apparent conflict of interest shall be made by AMIA’s Executive Committee. The areas leaders must address include:

• Conflicts of Interest
• Financial Disclosure
• Independent Program Development
• Independent Leadership

AMIA President and CEO, Kevin Fickenscher, MD, was selected as chairman of an advisory board for Intelligent InSites, an HIT software company. This information was disclosed to the AMIA Board of Directors prior to his appointment to AMIA and Dr. Fickenscher also completed a conflict of interest disclosure available online. Recent news coverage of the advisory board position included an article in the May issue of Modern Healthcare.

Dr. Chris Lehmann, AMIA Board of Directors Secretary and Ombudsman representing AMIA members, said, “The AMIA leadership is confident that the interests of AMIA’s 4000 members are well-represented through the consistent adherence to the conflict of interest policy. The executive search committee was aware of Kevin’s appointment and concluded that it would not interfere with his ability to perform his duties as president and CEO. His disclosure is an excellent example of AMIA’s commitment to transparency and good governance.”