College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAAA)
Minutes for
Annual General Meeting
April 27, 2014
Red Deer Lodge (4311-49th Ave., Red Deer)
Present:
Council members: Peggy Yu, David James, Lowell Ask, Jiulin Wang, Xia
Cheng, Frank Du, Veronica Lee.
Registrar: Paul Hu
Members: 81
Call to Order: 1:00pm
Chair:
Peggy Yu
Recorder:
Eleanor van Gunst
1. Opening Remarks/President Report:
Peggy welcomed all members and introduced and thanked council members,
committee members, registrar and support staff.
Members all reviewed the agenda. Don Montgomery made a motion to approve the
agenda and Lin Duan seconded. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed.
Lowell Ask briefed & members read the minutes of AGM in April 28, 2013 and then
opened the floor to questions or corrections.
Lorraine Schlotter made a motion to approve the 2013 AGM minutes and Anthony
Yong seconded. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed.
Peggy outlined the successful 2013 year and thanked Paul for his steady operation
of the CAAA team and his guidance of the many committees.
In 2013 we saw the development of a Code of Professional Conduct to help guide
members in their professional practice and the adoption of the Pan-Canadian
Examination for TCM Acupuncturists,
Continuing Education seminars and lecture began to be offered at the Edmonton
office and the Calgary seminars through the AATCMD continue to be accessible to
CAAA members.
Alberta Health has given the CAAA its support to the formation of an Ad Hoc
committee to review and amend the Acupuncture Regulation Policies which is a step
towards gaining full status as a Health Profession in about 2-5 years. Also an Ad
Hoc committee was formed to establish minimum standards for all acupuncture
programs in Alberta using the previous program criteria used by HDB.
A new website was launched at the end of 2013 to maintain effective communication
with all stakeholders.
After the flood in Southern Alberta the Chair of MSC Andrea took a lead in the YARP
Project that offered stress relief treatments. The project was well received and was
great to promote public awareness. MSC was also a huge help in the successful
GST exemption for acupuncture services announced in the 2014 Budget Action Plan
on February 11, 2014.
Peggy then thanked the HDB and AHW for their continued support in the four years
since acupuncture became self-regulated and encouraged all members to volunteer
as we work on transitioning from HDB to HPA. She also encouraged members to
ask questions and share ideas with each of the committees.
2. Financial report
Jiulin Wang, Treasurer of CAAA, gave 2013 Financial report as follows.
The financial statements for 2013 have been prepared by Donald Mah Professional
Corporation.
The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the treasurer’s activities for the
year 2013 to date.
2013 Financial Report
The financial statements for 2013 have been prepared by Donald Mah Professional
Corporation and were posted on CAAA website prior to the AGM for members
Wei Hua Yan made a motion to approve the financial report, Grace Zhuang seconded
the motion. Majority in favor with no objection, motion passed.
Budget, Finance & Audit Committee (BFAC) update
Veronica Lee, Committee Chair gave the report for the BFAC.
Veronica opened the floor to questions.
3. Registrar’s Report
Paul Hu welcomed all members and thanked them for their attendance.
He also thanked all members who have volunteered to further our profession, and
his colleagues for their assistance.
Paul outlined that his report would focus on three areas: first, major achievements
over last year; second, our goals for next year; third, areas that you should be
mindful in your practice.
Three Major achievements this last year were:
1. preparing for the transition from Health Disciplines Act (HDA) to Health
Professions Act (HPA). After two years operation, the government agreed to
work with us to start the process. The new set of Acupuncture Regulation
Policies will be sent for legal drafting, and then needs Order of the Lieutenant
Governor, and proclamation by the Minister of Alberta Health. If our
profession continues to be under the HDA, it would not correctly reflect the
role played by acupuncture in healthcare system, and would not serve further
development of the profession;
2. developing the Code of Professional Conduct. We realized areas of concern
with public protection and guidance to members in their practice were not
covered in the HDA, Acupuncture Regulation or Standards of Competency
and Practice. The Code is needed for the transition from HDA to HPA to
demonstrate to the government and the public that our profession is well
regulated and was based on the best practice in the field and core values
shared by other health professions. A draft was sent to Conduct and
Competency Committee for input as well as reviewed by our legal counsel. It
has already been approved by the Council and the HDB. After it has received
approval by the membership today, it will come into force on May 1st, 2014.
Thank you to all members for their input and support. We acknowledge that it
is not exhaustive and perfect, but we are confident that it is comprehensive
and justifiable to start with;
3. new format of Alberta Acupuncture Registration Examination. To facilitate
labour mobility, in 2012, the federal government funded a project to develop a
national examination for TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists. The funding
recipient is Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies, which was formed in
2008 and Alberta is one of the founding members. The national exam has two
parts: Written Exam and Clinical Case-study Exam. The CAAA insisted on the
addition of a practical exam as part of the Registration Examination, which
was approved by the HDB. Thank you to Lowell Ask, Don Fan, and Yucheng
Chen for their commitment and contribution to redesigning the CAAA Safety
Examination.
Paul briefly addressed many other achievements, such as Flood Relief Project, GST
exemption project, Occupational Health & Safety Project, new CAAA website, and
many others and expressed. He then expressed thanks to all volunteers for their
commitment to our profession.
Two Major Goals for the future:
1. continuing the transition from HDA to HPA. It has been the priority of CAAA and will
continue to be a priority until we succeed.
2. partial coverage by government for acupuncture treatments. Some members had
voiced their hope for the profession and that one day government will cover
acupuncture treatments, even partial coverage. Each health profession has its own
strengths and limitations; however, they complement each other, so an integrated
approach would better serve public’s health needs. This is the primary reason why
the CAAA is willing to work in this direction. There are advantages of a more
integrated approach by the government, such as reducing over-reliance on the
western medicine, potential savings to the current healthcare system, and many
more. Favorable conditions include: partial coverage precedence in BC; regulation of
TCM in more provinces increasing our recognition; a collaborative approach
between health professions advocated by Alberta Health; and GST exemption for
acupuncture treatment. However, we must admit the fact that TCM acupuncture is
still considered alternative medicine in Canada. It takes time for the public and the
government to understand and accept it. Paul expressed his confidence that the
profession being well regulated and every patient getting positive results from their
treatments provided by members, partial coverage will be achievable at an earlier
date.
The last topic Paul addressed was areas where our members should be mindful in
their practice.
First, scope of practice. Under current Acupuncture Regulation, permitted modes of
practice are acupuncture, electronic acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping and
acupressure. Most of our members also provide other treatments, such as ear
seeding, guasha, etc., which is fine because they are not restricted activities.
However, if the activities are restricted, please remember proper licensing is
required. Even if the activity is not yet regulated, such as herbal prescription,
members still need make sure you have proper training to provide such services.
Second, overstatement of the effect of acupuncture treatment. Members need to
realize their own individual limitations. When taking patients, we should not give
them unrealistic promises. After providing a certain number of treatments or after
providing treatments for a certain period, if the patient’s condition fails to improve,
make a referral in a timely manner. Business is important, but more important is
patient’s health and wellness.
Third, fraudulent claims submitted to insurance companies. The CAAA has received
a complaint from an insurance company where a clinic made fraudulent claims for
treatments not provided. Since the amount involved is over $5,000, the police are
investigating into this incident as a criminal charge.
Fourth, treatments provided to family members. Paul acknowledged that many
members provided treatments to their family members. However, depending on
insurance company, such treatments are not always eligible for reimbursements.
Before submitting claims, check with your insurance company to figure out whether it
is acceptable for reimbursement.
4. Presentation of Code Of Professional Conduct
Introduction by Frank Du explains the need for the adoption of this code and its
development.
Code presented by David James.
Suggestion was made to amend “family Member” to “direct family member” in the
Conflict of Interest section.
After much debate a request was made to the membership that they email questions
or comments to the CAAA office to help improve the code.
Vince Holden made a motion to approve the Code of Professional Conduct
presented by David James in principal with written inputs for amendments by the
members as of May 1st, 2014, Don Montgomery seconded the motion. Majority in
favor with no objection, motion passed.
5. Nomination and Election Committee
Victor Wong advised that there were 8 nominations received, but one was later
removed. The 7 remaining candidates are to be elected by acclamation; they are
Peggy Yu, Lowell Ask, Xia Cheng, Jiulin Wang, Frank Du, Veronica Lee and Yang
Su.
Yang Su gave a few words to the membership as the newest board member.
6. Registration and Program Review
Marjorie Copithorn, Committee Chair, reviewed the roles of RPRC as well as the
work they have assisted in and then opened the floor for questions.
7. Examination Committee
Lowell Ask, Committee Chair, gave the report for the Examination Committee (EC).
Adoption of the Pan-Canadian exam led to the creation of the new Safety/Clinical
exam which was presented November 2013.
He extended thanks to Dr. Zhao and Dr. Yang Su for all their contributions through
their years of service.
Lowell also thanked the current EC members, Council, Paul Hu/Registrar, examiners,
exam support staff and all the members for their continuing support.
8. Member Services Committee
Andrea Hejtmanek, Committee Chair, thanked Darren Tellier and Amanda Roth for
their past work. She also thanked the current members as well as made a call for
more volunteers.
CEU events will continue in Calgary and the Ad Hoc committee in Edmonton will
also be continuing in the coming year.
The Flood Relief program (YYC) in southern Alberta was a great success and a
thank you goes out to all the membership for offering their time and knowledge.
Heather provided a more detailed overview of the program and its continuing need
for volunteers. The YYC acupuncture program has been a huge boost of free press
for the industry and if members do not have time to volunteer then donations are
very welcome.
Royal Assent for the removal of GST should be coming soon.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) grant will help strengthen the industry and
profession of acupuncture.
Any and all suggestions for the website improvement are welcomed and please
contact MSC with comments.
CAAA has a Facebook page and Andrea will send a mass email to the members to
inform everyone.
9. Closing Remarks
David James gave a short closing remark and congratulated all in attendance that
we had a very successful AGM.
Heather McLeod made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mike
McFarlane... All in favor. Meeting adjourned at 3:58pm