Minnesota Neurosurgical Society

The Spring 2009 meeting of the Minnesota State Neurosurgical Society was held at the BANK restaurant in Minneapolis on Friday evening, April 17th at 7 PM.

Agenda items included:

1. 1.Approval of Society Bylaws

a. Incorporation: Our organization will be incorporated this spring. Bylaws were reviewed, minor revisions were discussed, accepted and approved. We will proceed with submitting our appliication to the state and pay appropriate legal and permitting fees.

1. b.Not for Profit Status is pending.

1. 2.Academic Meeting Planning, October 2nd-4th, 2009 Madden’s Resort, Gull Lake, MN

We need help in planning for the Fall, 2009 meeting, the first ever academic meeting for this organization. This three day event is planned for October 2-4th at Madden’s Resort near Brainerd.

1. a.Program development: Members’ assistance in developing the format and program for this meeting would be invaluable. We are planning for coverage of a mix of socioeconomic and academic topics. A variety of prospective speakers were discussed but plans are far from finalized. Members are solicited for contributions regarding socioeconomic and academic topics and speakers. The meeting is only five months away so clearly this planning must proceed without delay.
2. b.CME: This conference will be planned for an approximate 10-12 hour of CME credit for the weekend. CME will likely be certified through the Mayo Clinic. A variety of presentation formats were discussed, including lecture, short topic discussions, walking conferences, etc.
3. c.Presentation collection (CME): The possibility of adding an online CME resource to the Minnesota Neurosurgical Society website was discussed but tabled for further review and development.

1. 3.Issues of concern to neurosurgeons

a. Provider Tax: Current discussions at the state capital have included proposals to raise this tax targeted at physicians alone to a level as high as 3%. Meeting discussion centered around means of expressing our collective opinion to state legislators through a targeted mailing campaign.

b. Other Legislative Issues: Tabled pending completion of our incorporation.

c. Imaging Software, Quality and Safety: One of the issues identified last year by the Society has also caught the interest of the AANS. The chaotic state of imaging software development and the often abysmal images contained on many CD-ROMs have degraded clinical care and raised safety concerns for neurosurgeons. The Society again discussed a statewide survey to identify the best, and the worst, of these imaging programs.

1. 4.MNS Member Issues
2. a.Members at Large, other positions. We have need of two volunteers to serve as members at large on the board of this organization.
3. b.Resident Member recruitment: Residents may join the society without cost. Discussion ensued regarding recruitment efforts for the Society at the state’s two neurosurgical training programs.

Consideration and suggestions for the Society’s issue agenda for the next year.