Legislative Committee Research Articles

Theories of legislative politics and committee action in the postwar U.S. House of Representatives

Scholars of American legislative politics have settled into debating the merits and faults of majoritarian and party theories to explain legislative actions, brushing aside theories that see committees as autonomous. However, all three types of theories have rarely been tested together. This study builds upon an existing game-theoretic model of the legislative process in the U.S. House of Representatives to compare all three simultaneously. Competing hypotheses are generated and tested using observable actions by legislative committees. Support is found for both committee and party theories, conditional on the congressional era and the relative preferences of key institutional actors.

Conventions of Agency Independence

It is often said that the legal touchstone of agency independence is whether the agency head or heads are removable at will, or only for cause. Yet this test does not adequately describe the landscape of agency independence. There are many important agencies who are conventionally treated as independent, yet whose heads lack for-cause tenure protection. Conversely, there are agencies whose heads enjoy for-cause tenure protection, yet are by all accounts thoroughly dependent upon organized interest groups, the White House, legislators and legislative committees, or all of these. Legally enforceable for-cause tenure protection is neither necessary nor sufficient for operational independence. The crucial consideration, largely neglected in the literature, is the role of what Commonwealth lawyers call conventions. Agencies that lack for-cause tenure yet enjoy operative independence are protected by unwritten conventions that constrain political actors from attempting to remove their members, to direct their exercise of discretion, or both. Such conventions may be generated by a variety of mechanisms; the common feature is that norms arising within relevant legal and political communities impose sanctions for violations of agency independence or create beliefs or internalized moral strictures protecting that independence. Conversely, where agencies enjoy statutory independence yet lack operative independence, the reason is that the interaction among relevant political actors has failed to generate any such set of protective conventions. The lens of convention helps resolve a range of puzzles about the behavior of Presidents, legislators, judges and other actors with respect to agency independence – including the Supreme Court’s puzzling treatment of SEC independence in Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB.By bringing the conventional character of agency independence to the surface, U.S. courts may begin to incorporate ideas from the courts of Commonwealth legal systems – such as the United Kingdom and Canada – that are familiar with the promise and problems of conventions and with the methods for harmonizing conventions with written rules of law. My principal suggestion is that U.S. courts interpreting statutes and constitutional rules that bear on agency independence should adopt the leading Commonwealth approach, according to which judges may indirectly “recognize” conventions and incorporate them into their interpretation of written law, although they may not directly enforce conventions as freestanding obligations.

Push for payment for services continues

Those of you on-site at the CPNP Annual Meeting in Tampa will recall numerous discussions regarding CPNP's efforts in the legislative arena. In an effort to ensure that all organizational efforts in the realm of clinical recognition and reimbursement are well coordinated and synergistic, CPNP leadership has formed an oversight group that reports to the Board of Directors. The Comprehensive Medication Management Reimbursement (CMMR) Task Force has been formed to coordinate and oversee the various CPNP committees that are working towards our goals of gaining recognition of psychiatric pharmacists as essential care team members and in gaining reimbursement for services. The CMMR Task Force consists of representatives from the Legislative Committee, the CPNP Executive Leadership team, the CPNP Executive Director and Government Affairs Consultant. As much of the scope of work revolves around legislative issues, a great deal of the effort will be with the CPNP Legislative Committee and Carey Potter, CPNP's Government Affairs Consultant.The CMMR Task Force has the following objectives:The CMMR will not be able to carry the load alone and will be reaching out to CPNP members at various times and sometimes at short notice, to request your assistance. We encourage you to make a commitment to this effort as CPNP has.

CPNP ratcheting up to pursue payment for services

By all reasonable measures, CPNP members have been at work literally around the clock since returning from Tampa. The burst of energy and enthusiasm that is being demonstrated around the broad rubric of the legislative arena is particularly noteworthy. As those of you who attended the annual meeting are aware, from participating in the pre-meeting workshop, the roundtables, town hall, and other venues at the annual meeting, there is a flurry of action going on around defining the next steps from various groups at CPNP to obtain a mechanism for payment for services. To this end, CPNP has retained the services of Carey Potter, our newly contracted legislative consultant with a long work history of pharmacy legislative advocacy, and are working to determine the best use of her expertise to move our agenda forward. In view of these multiple factors, CPNP leadership has convened post-meeting to develop a cohesive, synergistic plan for proceeding forward in the arena of legislative matters (the broad rubric of reimbursement for clinical services to enable sustainability). The Legislative Committee will be the nexus of much of the activity around the reimbursement and recognition issues as we move ahead.CPNP has considered the question of “what's it going to take?” to get us where we want to go. Consistent with the Psychiatric Pharmacist Manifesto and the behavioral health integration white paper which have been crafted in recent months, it is the goal of CPNP to achieve pharmacist recognition as a clinical practitioner along with a reimbursement mechanism for comprehensive medication management services. In order to achieve this end, we will deploy Carey Potter, as the legislative consultant, to assist us and extend the reach of what we are doing as an organization in order to be successful in achieving our objectives. Specifically, Carey will be working with CPNP to streamline government affairs efforts as well as to pursue the association's strategic legislative goals which include:Obtaining payment for pharmacist services.Gaining inclusion of pharmacists as a requirement for primary care medical home certification statusRequiring pharmacist conducted comprehensive medication reviews for all new patients and at least annually for Medicare Part D plans.A “Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice Summit” is being coordinated by the CPNP Foundation which will aim to identify the medication therapy management needs of patients with mental illness and the service gaps that exist between what patients are receiving now and what they should be receiving in the future. The “Summit” will serve as a way to begin conceptualizing: 1) what specific pharmacist services should be delivered to patients with mental illnesses, 2) what knowledge and skill requirements are needed of pharmacists in order to be able to provide these services, and to 3) describe what the standard of pharmacy practice should be for serving these patients. The purpose of the summit will be 4-fold. The summit will describe the current practice of psychiatric pharmacy, determine what service gaps exist and propose; will determine the knowledge and skills that are necessary in order for pharmacists to provide these services (competencies and credentials); will determine if additional research is necessary to prove that a unique service provided by competent pharmacists improves outcomes and reduces costs; and will develop an action plan to begin addressing the current knowledge and skill needs necessary for the development of a standard of psychiatric pharmacy practice.As I stated at the annual meeting, it is a challenging and exciting time as CPNP is committed as an organization to make these goals a reality and pharmacy tries to move to a place where we have long aspired to be. Never before have we seen such an opportunity as is presently before us. I am not yet prepared to say “now or never” but more like, “if not now, when?” It is time to align with our like-minded organizations and do this. Now.In closing, let me say that it has been a distinct privilege to serve as your CPNP president this year. The support of the membership has been both overwhelming and rewarding. I will be turning over the mantle of leadership to Dr. Rex Lott at the end of June and simply ask that you continue to offer him the same support that I was afforded. As for me, I will continue to labor on with you as a psychiatric pharmacist and fellow CPNP member, working for better quality as well as quantity of life for persons with mental illness and their families. It is our collective calling.Until next time, I hope you will be well, remain professionally active, and continue to be energized about what we do.

China-ASEAN Relations, April 2011 to December 2011: Chronology of Events

China-ASEAN Relations, April 2011 to December 2011:Chronology of Events Weng Cuifen (bio) APRIL 2011 13th Zhou Yongkang, member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP Central Committee and head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, meets with the Minister of Public Security of Vietnam, Lê Hồng Anh, in Beijing. Zhou conveyed the CCP Central Committee's congratulations to the new central leadership of the Vietnam Communist Party. Lê stated that Vietnam-China relations are a priority for the Vietnam Communist Party. 14th-16th Yang Jiechi, Foreign Affairs Minister of the People's Republic of China, and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, meet during the Boao Forum of the Asia Annual Conference 2011 in Hainan. This year marks the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. Under the theme "ASEAN-China: Mutually Beneficial and Win-Win Partners", ASEAN and China will be implementing a series of activities to promote good-neighbourly relations, deepen cooperation and consolidate people-to-people friendship. Yang underscored the fact that practical cooperation between ASEAN and China has entered a new phase. During the meeting, Yang also welcomed the participation of the United States and Russia in the East Asia Summit (EAS). However, China believes that ASEAN should continue to play a central role in the expanded EAS. [End Page 136] 20th A workshop on the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, located in the Beibuwan area of Guangxi Province, is launched in Beijing. It will be the first industrial park built by Malaysia in China. General planning of the project has been finished. China has become Malaysia's biggest trading partner and largest market for Malaysian palm oil, while Malaysia is China's top trading partner in ASEAN. Bilateral trade rose to a record high of USD74.2 billion in 2010. 25th Shortly before his official visits to Malaysia and Indonesia, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gives a joint interview to journalists from the China National News Agency, Star of Malaysia, SCTV, Kompass and the Jakarta Post of Indonesia, and answered their questions at Zhongnanhai. Regarding the South China Sea, Wen stated that China remains committed to the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. He also pointed out that although China and Malaysia have some territorial disputes over some islands and reefs in the South China Sea, this has not prevented the two countries from peaceful coexistence. Wen also claimed that the countries concerned should and can carry out joint development in the South China Sea. 27th-28th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pays a two-day official visit to Malaysia. He held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Najib in Kuala Lumpur. Both sides exchanged views on how to enhance China-Malaysia strategic cooperation as well as international and regional issues of common concern. Wen and Najib also addressed the China-Malaysia Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum in Kuala Lumpur. Wen put forward a five-point proposal for the promotion of trade and cooperation between China and Malaysia. 29th-30th Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao makes a two-day official visit to Indonesia. He met with ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan in Jakarta. Both sides vowed to enhance bilateral cooperation and ties. Wen also met with Indonesian Vice President Boediono in Jakarta to boost economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Wen said he reached a broad consensus with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the two sides set a new target for a two-way trade volume of USD80 billion by 2015. MAY 2011 4th The 14th ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers' Meeting opens in Hanoi. The meeting was also attended by the newly appointed Director of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office and the President of the Asia Development Bank. During the meeting, participants discussed the recent macroeconomic [End Page 137] situation in the East Asian region. Chinese Deputy Minister of Finance Li Yong briefed the meeting on China's current macroeconomic situation and the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, and put forward five suggestions for consolidating the economic recovery of the region. 16th Visiting Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister Liang Guanglie meets with his Singaporean counterpart Teo Chee Hean in Singapore. Teo, who is...

Women's Right Protection in Cultural and Environmental Sector

The Indonesian society is a patriarchy society, where female’s roles in society, national, and country life are not apparent because they have always been dominated by men. This is reflected in almost all laws products passed by the legislative committee. Furthermore, the summary of female rights protection in Human Rights Law that includes 7 life sectors , does not regulate protection of female rights in culture and environment. This might be a threat to society life, especially to female in culture and environmental sector.

LONG HISTORY OF U.S. ENERGY SUBSIDIES

U.S. GOVERNMENT subsidies for energy are as old as the nation, says Nancy Pfund, a managing partner at DBL Investors, a venture capital firm, and an anthropologist. In a recent study for DBL Investors , Pfund and coauthor Ben Healey, a Yale University economics graduate student and former Massachusetts legislative committee director, trace U.S. government energy incentives back to 1789, when leaders of the new nation slapped a tariff on the sale of British coal slipped into U.S. ports as ship ballast. Using government documents, academic papers, and a mix of other data and reports, Pfund and Healey offer a historical perspective on today’s debate over energy subsidies. Their study finds a paucity of government support for renewable energy sources compared with past government investment in coal, gas, oil, or nuclear energy sources, which helped the country transition to new energy technologies and infrastructures. The study comes as President Barack Obama continues to ...

House Committee on Natural Resources Holds Hearing on National Ocean Policy

FisheriesVolume 36, Issue 12 p. 582-582 Update: Legislation & Policy House Committee on Natural Resources Holds Hearing on National Ocean Policy Elden W. Hawkes Jr., Elden W. Hawkes Jr. Policy Coordinator ehawkes@fisheries.org Search for more papers by this author Elden W. Hawkes Jr., Elden W. Hawkes Jr. Policy Coordinator ehawkes@fisheries.org Search for more papers by this author First published: 19 December 2011 https://doi.org/10.1080/03632415.2011.633468Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume36, Issue12December 2011Pages 582-582 RelatedInformation

Impacting on Intimacy: Negotiating the Marriage Equality Debate

Impacting on Intimacy: Negotiating the Marriage Equality Debate

The Enduring Power of Coase

By many measures, Ronald Coase has been among the most influential economists of the past 60 years. Why is this so? We suggest that Coase’s work has enduring appeal to and insight for social scientists in part because it addresses the biggest and most important social problems: How do we solve governance and coordination problems when limited information, common resource issues, and public good issues produce conflicts among several people at once? Any scholar who works on issues of corporate or common-pool governance, pollution, allocation of seats on legislative committees, regulation of systemic risk in financial markets, provision of military forces, patent thickets, creation of optimal communications networks, regulation of decreasing cost industries, or compensation of corporate officers can see his or her work stemming from several of Coase’s original insights. Just as John Nash’s work reshaped economic theory, almost every field of economics and political science is shaped by Coasean insights.

How we are progressing towards the goals of the manifesto

With the establishment of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) manifesto and Dr. Stimmel's vision, our members need to evaluate how we as a profession are progressing toward or away from the goals and mission statement of the manifesto. The manifesto correctly states that the public and most health care providers view pharmacists in a dispensing role. However, polling the CPNP Past Presidents' Council, the majority believe the manifesto will become obsolete and in need of revision in ten years. The ability to make the manifesto "obsolete" and "commonplace" rests on how our profession navigates the legislature that governs our laws and ability to provide favorable patient outcomes and expand our role within the health care team.

Our vision for the future

Carla Cobb, PharmD, BCPPWith Positioning, Advancement, Awareness and Development have become key words in my vocabulary in my daily life as a psychiatric pharmacist and in my work as CPNP Legislative Committee Chair, member of the Behavioral Health Care Pharmacist Integration into Primary Care Task Force, and CPNP Foundation Board Member.Although the key words included in the CPNP Psychiatric Pharmacy Manifesto may not use these exact key words, the same theme is evident throughout the manifesto. The manifesto envisions a future we should all should be striving toward, both as a member of CPNP and as an individual practitioner. Although we can each impact our practices and the daily lives of our patients, we have the great benefit of our membership in CPNP and other pharmacy associations where we can work together in large numbers to craft this future. CPNP is making progress towards Positioning, Advancing, Increasing Awareness and Developing but much more can be done.Let's make our future together by:Together as CPNP members, we can accomplish much.Ashley E. Little, PharmDJose A. Rey, PharmD, BCPP“Bath As a psychiatric pharmacy practice resident and residency coordinator, we ponder what our roles within the health care system may be ten years from now. Our primary goal is to improve the overall care for patients with psychiatric and neurologic illnesses. We would like our profession to function independently and collaboratively as practitioners to improve medication treatment outcomes for patients with mental diseases. Also, we will be participating in the development and training of future psychiatric pharmacists by being engaged and competent preceptors to students of pharmacy and the other healthcare disciplines. All healthcare students should have an increased understanding of mental illness and the use of psychotherapeutic medications. It is important to educate students regarding this underserved patient population, and demonstrate how they can positively influence the care for these patients. We envision the majority of us becoming board certified psychiatric pharmacists and continuing the endless pursuit for knowledge.It is very important for patients with psychiatric and neurologic illnesses to be given proper and evidence-based care. To achieve this, we will actively work within the health care multi-disciplinary team. This will include active assessment, interpretation, and evaluation of the patient's medication history, laboratory parameters, current clinical status, and how they are responding to and tolerating their current medication regimen. We will work diligently to elucidate potentially negative outcomes that can be avoided or better tolerated. Ten years from now, our specialized skill set and abilities will be globally recognized, and sought after, by other types of health care providers, including the general medical community. It will not be uncommon for a facility or healthcare system to have a psychiatric pharmacist on their treatment teams, and patients will be able to get the proper and more immediate care that they need through our interventions resulting in optimal drug therapy outcomes.In a decade, the quality of research in neuropsychiatric pharmacotherapy will be improved. As psychiatric pharmacists, we will actively participate in conducting research to advance the evidence for the appropriate use of psychotherapeutic medication. There will be new (and hopefully not “me too”) medications and guidelines for optimal patient treatment. Future research will allow us to provide the most effective treatment based on the patient's psychiatric or neurologic illness, social status, and other co-morbid medical conditions. Having a psychiatric pharmacy practitioner on the treatment team will assist in the appropriate and evidence-based prescribing of neuropsychiatric medications, whether by a psychiatrist or other type of physician, and even other types of prescribers, including pharmacists (e.g., VA clinical pharmacy specialists).Psychiatric and neurologic pharmacists are essentially unknown to the lay public or even the general medical community. In ten years, we will be working closely with community practice pharmacists and other general practitioners to assure the appropriate pharmacotherapeutic care for patients with mental illness. We will also be nationally and globally recognized and reimbursed for the clinical services we provide. The public will be educated about the value of a psychiatric pharmacist due to our interactions with advocacy groups and initiatives locally and nationally. Our employment will be both secure and in high demand since more psychiatric pharmacists will be needed to provide our specialized and unique skills to the care for individuals with mental illness. In conclusion, our future as psychiatric or neurologic pharmacists is bright because we will be able to provide a unique perspective and contribution to the mental health care team and thus ensure optimal treatment outcomes for the person requiring neuropsychiatric care.

Determinants of Access to Legislative and Executive Branch Officials: Business Firms and Trade Policymaking in the U.S.

We examine the characteristics of business firms that gain access to legislative and executive branch officials in the trade policymaking area. Our empirical analysis of over 1200 manufacturers reveals that legislators were most attracted to firms with foreign market expertise, firms which actively participated in politics with outside lobbyists and campaign contributions, and firms with significant employment in the state and/or district. Executive branch officials were responsive to firms with foreign market expertise, firms from industries that had previously received tariff protection, firms using in-house government affairs specialists and outside lobbyists to convey information, and firms making campaign contributions to members of the trade oversight legislative committees. Our results largely support the political market framework and provide insights about the attractiveness of certain demanders to suppliers of trade policies from the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. federal government.

Committee Specialization in U.S. State Legislatures during the 20th Century: Do Legislatures Tap the Talents of Their Members?

AbstractThe authors use an informational-theoretical perspective to examine the appointment of legislative committees, using new measures of knowledge and expertise as well as a unique database. While competing theories (distributive and partisan) do not deny that legislative committees are a source of vital knowledge and expertise necessary for legislative policy making, information theory places the wisdom and expertise needs of collective decision making—that is, specialization—on very complex topics by legislative generalists as the raison d'être for a committee system. Thus, the authors investigate one of the fundamental arguments of information theory—that committees are formed to meet the basic knowledge and expertise needs of a legislative body. The findings from U.S. state legislative data indicate that significant member differences regarding prior knowledge and expertise exist by committee jurisdiction, state, and session, reinforcing the applicability of information theory while also suggesting the impact of setting and organizational factors. The authors also explore implications of these findings.

Hot Topics in Otolaryngology: 2011

Program Description: The executive committee of the Board of Governors is proud to present its annual miniseminar. There are many topics that are at the forefront of the practice of otolaryngology. This miniseminar will present three topics that are exceptionally important at this time. Reimbursement for Emergency Department coverage, hospital/physician joint ventures, and an update on payments for EHR and meaningful use. Many hospitals are now reimbursing for emergency department (ED) coverage, many are not. Rick Love, MD, headed the BOG Legislative Committee task force on pay for ED call that resulted in the Academy position paper on this matter. He will give us recommendations on how to successfully merge the feeling of obligation to care for hospital emergency room patients in light of increasing overhead, liability, and decreasing physician reimbursement. Dr Love will shed light on how to be remunerated for hospital ED coverage and at the same time stay within OIG regulations. Lawrence Geller, vice president of consulting services for the group Medical Management Associates, is a sought after speaker and consultant on topics related to healthcare. As portions of the new healthcare law become implemented, hospital/physician joint ventures will be a common trend. Mr Geller will present on the implications of such alliances. The government has recommended that our country’s healthcare providers adopt electronic healthcare record keeping. There are multiple monetary incentives attached to meaningful use and 2011 is the first year slated for reimbursement. Michael Koriwchak, MD, an Atlanta-based otolaryngologist is a noted lecturer and consultant on matters of EHR design, implementation, and “meaningful use.” He also has a popular blog dedicated to topics related to EHR and physician practices- “The Wired EMR Practice.” Dr Koriwchak will update attendees on the progress of the EHR initiatives, how you can you stay or get compliant, and whether the government is keeping their end of the bargain. Educational Objectives: 1) Learn the current opinion, regulations, and AAO-HNS position regarding pay for emergency department coverage. 2) Understand accountable care organizations and the pros and cons of hospital/physician joint ventures. 3) Learn about implementation of an electronic health record strategy that qualifies for government reimbursement.

Christian Democratic Parties and the Domestic Parliamentary Response to European Integration

While numerous studies demonstrate the critical role Christian Democratic Parties (CDPs) played in the development of the European Union (EU), a less-studied factor is the influence of CDPs on the domestic legislative response to European integration.1 As more policy decisions take place at the European level rather than the national level, domestic legislatures have adjusted their oversight activities to encompass the European decision-making process. One of the ways domestic parliaments have responded to this challenge is by establishing new legislative committees that coordinate the oversight of European affairs (EACs).2 Research has revealed a strong negative correlation between the percentage of a country's population that belongs to the Catholic Church and the strength of that country's legislative oversight of European affairs.3 This correlation has been interpreted to represent general North-South cultural differences; however, the North-South cleavage includes several reinforcing cleavages, such as religious, social, cultural, and societal divisions. It is not immediately clear which of the overlapping cleavages are driving this correlation. In this essay, I argue that a driving force behind the strong correlation between culture and parliamentary oversight of European Affairs is the differing ways that Protestant and Catholic confessional parties interpret European integration. Protestant confessional parties tend to fall on the opposite side of the church-state societal cleavage from Catholic confessional parties.4

Electoral incentives, party discipline, and legislative organization: manipulating legislative committees to win elections and maintain party unity

Political parties are often faced with seemingly opposing goals when trying to secure members’ reelection and maintain party unity. On one hand, a party needs to fulfill members’ diverse electoral needs for their reelection, and on the other hand, the party must force members to vote in unison according to party lines for collective decisions. How does a party influence its members to take unified action while meeting their individual electoral needs? Through an analysis of the Japanese Diet, this study argues that parties attempt to achieve the reelection of their members and maintain party unity by manipulating legislative committee assignments and deliberations. In particular, the study demonstrates that a party shapes committees in a different way according to policy areas over which committees have jurisdiction. A party tends to accept its members’ requests for affiliation and allow their self-management in committees concerned with particularistic benefits so that they can deliver specific benefits to each electoral district. In addition, a party tends to assign members who have average policy positions in the party to committees concerned with general benefits to make policies that satisfy many constituencies.

July 2011 President's Message

For many of us, summer brings thoughts of slowing down a bit and enjoying friends, family, and the great outdoors. Within CPNP, summer is the time when we pause and reflect upon the recently concluded annual meeting, considering the attendee feedback and ways to make it even better next time. July, the traditional midpoint of the summer season, marks the start of CPNP's new fiscal and membership year, along with the transition of officers. The makeup of the board of directors for this year includes:Retiring board members are Mary Borovicka, PharmD, BCPP and Ann Richards, PharmD, BCPP. A special thanks is in order to these dedicated individuals, as CPNP has benefitted tremendously from their contribution of time, leadership, and guidance. With CPNP being a volunteer driven organization, the success of the organization is dependent upon the spirit of volunteerism exhibited by both Ann and Mary.I cannot recall a more exciting time of opportunity and enthusiasm for both pharmacy in general and CPNP in particular. The buzz and energy in Phoenix at the annual meeting was palpable. The concept of pharmacist involvement as a pivotal player in comprehensive medication therapy management has captured the imagination of our members. Specifically for CPNP, it has become increasing clear to healthcare payors that behavioral health issues must be diagnosed and treated appropriately in order to maximize the impact on medical co-morbidities. Therefore the primary care world is hungry for the expertise of psychiatric and neurologic pharmacists. The window of opportunity to realize the full potential of this concept is open for what is expected to be a short time. CPNP is aggressively representing our interests in this regard through the Legislative Committee and the Comprehensive Medication Management Task Force.On other fronts, the CPNP Foundation has officially launched and needs your support as they begin fundraising activities. CPNP will be partnering with the CPNP Foundation in supporting efforts to facilitate our impact on the care of those we serve. CPNP has a growing history of excellence with the Board of Pharmacy Specialties as the training resource for pharmacists preparing to take the BCPP exam, as well as those BCPPs who are recertifying via the continuing education route. With new leadership at BPS, there are opportunities to improve and build upon this relationship to market our specialty to those outside of pharmacy. Ongoing communication and marketing of psychiatric pharmacy residency programs and the building of CPNP student chapters offer opportunities to identify and train young, talented professionals to prepare them for leadership positions within pharmacy and CPNP. This month the inaugural edition of the Mental Health Clinician is being released, the result of many months of planning by the editorial board, and another step towards a CPNP journal. Lastly, the program committee is well on their way in preparing for the annual meeting in Tampa, Florida in the spring of 2012. The challenge for them and for the board of directors is to build upon the watershed meeting that just passed in terms of content and attendance.That brings us to your role within CPNP. As noted above, CPNP depends upon member efforts to make the organization successful. I have found that we learn most of what makes us successful from our parents. My dad, an old Navy veteran, always suggested to me that 90 percent of his success in the military was simply due to what he called “showing up”. Oddly enough, I have found this tenet to be true to a surprising degree. In order to position ourselves to win, the first step involves entering the contest. So I am challenging you, on behalf of CPNP, to “show up”, get involved as a CPNP committee member, actively participate on the listserv, reach out to your local NAMI chapter as a resource, mentor Pharm.D. interns, consider starting a residency program, and the list goes on.CPNP is a very open and inviting organization that actively solicits and accepts input from the membership. It is truly a team effort. In that regard, there are multiple opportunities to within CPNP that I believe will be rewarding both to you professionally, to our patients, and to the organization as well. On behalf of the CPNP Board of Directors, I look forward to us all “showing up” this year and jointly building on the success of those who have served us so well in the past.Best Regards-Jerry McKee

Original Research: Tragedy into Policy: A Quantitative Study of Nurses' Attitudes Toward Patient Advocacy Activities

In 2007 and 2008, 115 patients were found to be either certainly or presumptively infected with the hepatitis C virus through the reuse of contaminated medication vials at two southern Nevada endoscopy clinics. A subsequent joint investigation by federal and state agencies found multiple breaches of infection control protocols. There was also strong anecdotal evidence that among clinic staff, unsafe patient care conditions often went unreported because of a general fear of retaliation. At the request of the Nevada legislature's Legislative Committee on Health Care, a study was conducted to examine Nevada RNs' experiences with workplace attitudes toward patient advocacy activities. This article presents the study findings and reviews how one public health tragedy led to the creation of effective health care policy. A study questionnaire was developed and tested for reliability and validity. Questionnaires were then sent to an initial sample of 1,725 Nevada RNs, representing 10% of all RNs in the Nevada State Board of Nursing database with active licenses and current Nevada addresses. The response rate was modest at 33% (564 respondents). Of those who responded, 34% indicated that they'd been aware of a patient care condition that could have caused harm to a patient, yet hadn't reported it. The most common reasons given for nonreporting included fears of workplace retaliation (44%) and a belief that nothing would come of reports that were made (38%). The study findings underscore the need for a shift in organizational culture toward one that encourages clear and open communication when patient safety may be in jeopardy. These findings were ultimately used to support the passage of whistleblower protection legislation in Nevada. Las Vegas hepatitis C outbreak, patient advocacy, whistleblower.

Management Insights

Management Insights