Standards of professionalism also amended

The ballots are in and the votes have been counted. By an overwhelming majority, AAOS fellows adopted recommendations on seven resolutions, proposed changes to the AAOS Bylaws, and revisions to the Standards of Professionalism (SOPs) on Providing Musculoskeletal Services to Patients.

Background
At the time of the 2008 balloting, the AAOS had 21,728 active, emeritus, and inactive fellows eligible to vote. Ballots and information on voting were delivered by fax and mail.

Votes were tallied by AAOS research department staff. All valid online and fax submissions received prior to midnight on April 24 were included. Mailed ballots that were postmarked by April 24 and received by noon on April 28 were also included.

Response statistics
A total of 5,573 valid ballots were received, for a 26 percent response rate. A minimum 20 percent of the fellowship is required for balloting to be legitimate.

Nearly two thirds (61 percent) of respondents selected the “all yes” option, while the remainder voted on items individually. No measure received less than a 92 percent approval rate (Table 1).

Nominating Committee
As a result of this vote, the AAOS Nominating Committee will announce its slate of nominees at least 60 days before the Annual Meeting (Dec. 28, 2008, for the 2009 Annual Meeting). The slate will be included in the Official Notice of the 2009 Annual Meeting.

In addition, the names of alternate candidates may be submitted to the AAOS. At least 20 fellows must sign the proposal, and the names must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting (Jan. 27, 2009, for the 2009 Annual Meeting).

The composition of the Nominating Committee will not change. The fellowship will continue to elect six of the seven members on the committee; the AAOS Board of Directors will appoint the chair of the committee.

Richard N. Peterson, JD, is the AAOS General Counsel. He can be reached at peterson@aaos.org