Update from the California Chapter Executive Director

Greetings. I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. My name is Natalie Kaczur and I am the new Executive Director of the California Chapter of the American College of Physicians Services. Actually, I have been on board since April 2008, when I replaced Kathy Matikonis who retired from the position.

I have worked with the ACP for approximately ten years when I began as the chapter administrator for Governor Donald Balfour, MD, FACP and the Southern California Region III Chapter. During that time, I became involved in the ACP-ASIM merger and assisted Dr. Balfour, who was also the Secretary/Treasurer of the All California Chapter, with the financial transition to the combined organization. It was indeed a busy time that provided me with a valuable understanding of the College and specifically how the California Chapter operates. My experience also encompasses meeting planning for the Region III Annual Scientific Meeting and now as the Program Coordinator of the Annual Southern California Regional Scientific Meeting and Poster Competition. I also currently serve as the Chapter Administrator for Dr. Jacqueline Parthemore, Governor of the Southern California Region III Chapter.

As a Regional Chapter Administrator for the past ten years, and now as Executive Director of the California Chapter, I come with the knowledge of how the regional chapters operate and am able to bring that perspective into my role as Executive Director. It has been my experience that on the regional level, the role of the State Chapter is sometimes unclear to regional chapter members. Although we attempt to distribute as much information as possible to the California general membership, the goals, priorities, and how the Board and other Chapter Committees work for the benefit of all California ACP members is the core of the State Chapter's existence.

First of all, the regional chapters are C(3) non-profit corporations, while the California Chapter is a C(6) non-profit corporation. The benefit of being a C(6) vs. a C(3) is that the C(6) can, by law, participate in and support significantly more advocacy efforts on behalf of our members, while the C(3) is much more restricted when it comes to advocacy. Additionally, a C(3) cannot contribute to political campaigns or PACs so without the C(6) we would have to form a PAC if we wanted to make any contributions. With state and federal policies and regulations threatening to significantly affect general internists and the practice of medicine as a whole, it is important to have a "team" of advocates working for the benefit of all internists and sub-specialists in our state.

In the short time I have been Executive Director, I have witnessed the tremendous amount of work your California State Board of Directors and Committees have accomplished on behalf of the ACP and the California Membership.

  • Key Contact Program – Susan Sprau, MD, FACP, President of the California Chapter, is an enthusiastic proponent of this program. Every ACP event she attends, she speaks about this valuable program and encourages physicians to become a Key Contact. Key Contacts receive selected emails alerting them when there are important issues in the legislature involving physicians (specifically internists and sub-specialists) and/or practice issues. The recipient can then choose to contact their legislator in order to voice an opinion. This has been very successful with issues such as AB 6331, the proposed Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which was passed in July 2008. The passage of this bill thwarted the proposed 10.6% payment cut to physicians and provided improved payments for primary care visits and increased funding for the Medicare Medical Home demonstration project. Both of these provisions will have a lasting, positive impact on primary care and the way health care is delivered in the United States today. This happened largely because of the pressure by physicians on their state legislators.
  • California Medical Association House of Delegates Meeting – This year, the ACP was represented by a Specialty Committee comprised of delegates from all four California regions. Those delegates spent three days in Sacramento presenting resolutions supported by the ACP as well as reviewing resolutions proposed by the CMA. They were very effective in supporting and passing key resolutions that aligned with the policies and goals of the College. This is an important advocacy activity, as the State legislators look to the CMA's position on resolutions that refer to issues that may eventually become introduced as a bill.
  • Sacramento and Washington Leadership Days – The C(6) leadership coordinates participation in these important advocacy events. Last year, many ACP members met with their representatives in Washington and made their voice heard at the national level. At this year's Sacramento Leadership Day, representatives from each of the four California regions will be participating. Medical students are also being encouraged to participate and speak to their legislators about their concerns regarding internal medicine.

Those are just a few examples of what the California Chapter is doing to support the State membership.

During my tenure as your Executive Director, my goals include the following:

  • Working toward establishing a more cohesive relationship among regions and the State Chapter by:
    • Creating and sharing best practice ideas
    • Improving communication among Governors
    • Creating an administrative staff forum to assist new staff personnel and their Governors
    • Adopting a general statewide policy for chapter management
  • Creating a Governor's forum that meets quarterly (via teleconference) to discuss common goals and how the State Chapter can best serve the membership.
  • Creating and maintaining regular communication from the State Chapter to the regions for dissemination to the members and inclusion in the Governor's newsletter.

I appreciate this opportunity to serve the State membership and will do my best to support the goals of the ACP and our Governors.

If you have any questions or would like to share any ideas with me, please feel welcome to contact me at 760-747-0014 (phone/fax) or via email at CalifACP@aol.com.

Natalie Kaczur
Executive Director, ACP California Chapter


Page updated: 01-16-09

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