Volunteer Board and Committee Descriptions

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (BOD)

The ESRD Network 13 Board of Directors functions as the Network’s governing body. The BOD is responsible for the performance of the Network’s administrative staff in meeting contract deliverables and requirements (including undertaking personnel actions to correct situations where a Network staff member is not satisfactorily performing duties), responding to CMS requests, and maintaining financial viability. Has the authority to transact all Council activities and recruits for the Executive Director position when vacant.

BOD meets two times each year face-to-face and two times via conference call. Additional business may be conducted by electronic mail or conference calls. On a yearly basis, the BOD submits a report of the Network activities to the Council and Secretary of Health and Human Services.

BOD SUBCOMMITTEES:

Several subcommittees are appointed by the BOD to fulfill Network organizational, fiduciary and oversight activities. Members from the MRB and BOD are appointed to these committees: NOMINATING, BYLAWS, FINANCE, and COMPLIANCE. These committees conduct business by electronic mail or by conference call as necessary.

• PATIENT ADVOCACY COMMITTEE* (PAC) is also a BOD subcommittee. The PAC role is to provide input to the Network and its Boards on the concerns and needs of patients, to recommend activities related to the patient newsletter and other patient specific activities, and to assist in the development of these activities.

MEDICAL REVIEW BOARD (MRB)

The MRB is responsible for evaluating the quality of ESRD medical care; determining norms, criteria and standards of care; assisting in evaluating and planning ESRD health care delivery systems; maintaining a patient grievance process; and, making recommendations for improvements in ESRD care. The MRB through its committees participates in and approves the design, performance and assessment of all quality improvement, patient services, and patient advisory committee projects.

The MRB will meet face-to-face two times each year, and via conference call two times per year. Additional business may be conducted by electronic mail or conference calls.

MRB SUBCOMMITTEES:

The following subcommittees assist in fulfilling the above-mentioned responsibilities. Additional business may be conducted by email or conference calls.

• A PATIENT SERVICES/GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE*, chaired by a social worker, which reviews patient services related activities and trends in complaints, grievances and involuntary discharges, and recommends actions related to complaints and grievance activities in accord with the grievance policies as approved by CMS.
• A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE (QIC) to develop and monitor quality improvement activities (4 times per year in person).
• A PROJECT REVIEW COMMITTEE to review QI projects initiated to determine if they are subject to Internal Review Board (IRB) processing (This role may be fulfilled by the full MRB).

* Committees designated with an asterisk are those that meet twice each year in person and twice each year via conference call or WebEx.

All telephone and travel expenses incurred to attend these meetings are reimbursed by the Network.