Rocky Mountain Neurosurgical Society
2023 Summer Executive Board Meeting
June 17th, 2023
Alyeska Resort, Girdwood Alaska

The meeting was called to order by RMNS President, Dr. Brad Duhon at 1302. Dr. Brad Duhon, Dr. Joel MacDonald, Dr. Kelly Schmidt, Dr. Erik Parker, Dr. Justin Davis, Dr. Mark Mahan, Dr. John Clough, Dr. Salah Aoun, Allie Whipple and Jessie Tarnow were present in person. Dr. Brad Lega was present via phone.

Dr. Duhon proposed an approval of the Winter meeting minutes, which was approved unanimously.

Report of the President: Dr. Duhon reported that everything is running smoothly for this year’s meeting. Dr. Ganesh Rao and Dr. Fessler will be arriving today and will be attending all meeting events.

Report of the Vice President: Dr. Parker reported 17 Vendor packages were secured for this year’s meeting. Three packages were purchased by Medtronic. Given the logistical difficulties hosting the meeting in Alaska, the vendor turnout was reasonable. Qventus sponsored the opening reception exclusively, they did not purchase a vendor table. The company representative plans to attend all of the events of the meeting as well. A question was raised if this should be allowed in the future, or if purchasing a vendor table is necessary and hosting an event is allowed as an add on only. The website allows registering for an add on without registering for a vendor table. Dr. MacDonald will look in to this option through the Eventleaf website. Concerns were expressed for options to continue vendor support for the meeting. It was decided that RMNS members should lean on their vendors for support and involvement with supporting the meeting. Dr. Schmidt questioned whether the prices for the vendor tables and sponsorships should be increased next year due to the increased cost of hosting the meeting and events. It was suggested, and unanimously agreed upon, that the VP should start communication with vendors earlier to promote less last minute finalization and planning. Ideally, vendor communications will begin in September by the VP. Several vendors have budget meetings in January and the goal would be to have RMNS presented for approval at the January meetings, which would allow for earlier planning and vendor commitment. Medexus sent a $2500 check to sponsor this year’s meeting, however, have been unreachable since initial communication and did not officially register for the meeting. Cerapedics also made a request to host a private presentation. A donation to the resident fund was requested. There was some back and forth, but eventually they purchased two additional badges for $1750. The VP will continue to address requests outside of the tiered program on a case by case situation.

Report of the Treasurer:
1. Current Account Balances
a. Checking accounts
i. Wells Fargo $91,419.14 ($81,335.47)
1. Resident Fund $6,163 ($6,163) – only by donation on registrations.
b. PayPal ? – not using – get rid of?
c. Total Assets $91,419.14 ($83,508.16)
2. Membership Dues
a. 68 Active Members (70)
b. Moved out of Rocky Mountain Region
i. Paul Arnold
c. Retired – Converted to Senior Status
i. Timothy Wirt
d. 11 Members 3+ years behind in dues
e. 5 members still owe for 2022
f. 52 (47) members paid dues
i. 3 members owe $25 new member fee
g. Invoices for 2023 dues yet to be sent out
3. Resident Fund – No donations in 2023 as of yet
4. 2023 Annual Meeting
a. Attendees
i. Members 20 (17)
ii. Non-members 6 (3)
iii. Residents 7 (4)
iv. Allied Health Professionals 4 (4)
v. Exhibitors 16 (25)
1. Gold Sponsors 1
2. Silver Sponsors 3 (All Medtronic)
3. Bronze Sponsors 11
4. Welcome Reception 1
b. Revenue: $109,869.00
c. Expenses: TBD
5. Overall Financials
a. Jan 2023: $83,508.16
b. June 2023: $91,419.14
c. Net: $7,910.98
6. Miscellaneous
a. AANS NREF funding
i. $2500 annually x 10 years (paid 2017-2022)
b. Non-Profit Corporation Status:
i. Filed in Texas in 1974
ii. Reinstated in 2021
iii. Periodic Report Filing: (One filing per Treasurer term)
c. Liability Insurance:
i. USLI (United States Liability Insurance Company)
1. Annual Premium $1,615 paid for 2023
d. Taxes
i. Taxes filed through 2022 fiscal year

Dr. MacDonald suggested the consideration of a money market account. The current account is a standard checking/business account in Wells Fargo. Dr. Davis will inquire about changing the bank account to capture additional interest or other money market options.

Report of the Secretary: The need for documentation of an active member list was discussed. The member list has not been printed in the program in several years and it was agreed by all present members that the member list is currently on the RMNS website and this would be sufficient for an accessible public list. The active member list will not be printed in future programs. The continuation of sending out the spring newsletter and save the date postcard was also discussed. The majority of the executive committee felt these mailers were helpful and we will plan to continue sending them per usual. A suggestion was made to send out the newsletter and save the date earlier and this will be attempted for next year’s meeting. There were troubles getting a response from the AANS representative regarding approval of the program, disclosures and CME credit. The program was printed without the disclosures and CME credit listed to meet the printing deadline. A separate flier was printed and will be placed in attendee’s folders regarding the AANS approved additional information. Proposals were made to possibly sell vendor ad space on the website, or allowing a vendor to sponsor the save the date flier as potential options for future meetings. The earlier the disclosures and CME approval are completed, the earlier these flier can be distributed.

Report of the Website Administrator: Dr. MacDonald did not bring the RMNS historical archives due to weight and cost of transportation. The book is almost completely digitized now. Dr. Schmidt suggested purchasing an I-pad to use as the digital book for future meetings. It was suggested to have a QR code or another digital format for attendees to submit and share photos from the meeting. Dr. MacDonald continues to have some difficulties with the current website manager, Diana Rudolph. He plans to obtain passwords from all of the sites and will continue to try and locate a different website manager who would be more responsive. The current contract cost is $1500 annually. Dr. MacDonald has spent quite a bit of time working on the website and updating data. His goal is to have the meeting information and registration available on the website by Christmas. There was a glitch in the Eventleaf site that did not allow the admin to manipulate registrations if an individual signed up for the early bird rate. Eventleaf was notified and are working to correct this glitch. Dr. MacDonald asked to receive the meeting information as early as possible for the room cost, group block code, airport information, etc. He also mentioned that it is important for the VP to ensure that vendors are aware of the exhibitor and exhibitor staff registrations. These are separate registrations and both types of registrations need to be completed to ensure an accurate head count for the meeting, food and events. A question was raised about having vendors pay to attend the opening reception due to rising costs of hosting the meeting. It was discussed that this event has always been included to all attendees and serves as a thank you for the vendor support.

Report of the Historian: Dr. Paul Elliott is taking time off as the historian. Dr. MacDonald will serve as the historian at this time.

Report of the Membership Committee: The membership should comprise of the past 3 presidents. After the passing of the gavel at this year’s meeting, this will consist of Dr. Seiff, Dr. Sramek and Dr. Duhon. There are two new member applications that have been submitted; Dr. Randall Zane Allison and Dr. Glen Pollack. Dr. Duhon vetted Dr. Allison. More background information needs to be obtained regarding Dr. Pollack. Voting of the new members will take place at the Tuesday morning annual business meeting. It was recommended that current members promote consideration of membership with their partners and other neurosurgery contacts to try and increase membership numbers for RMNS.

2023 Annual Meeting: Dr. Schmidt wanted to ensure notation was made that her assistant, Jennifer Skinner, was crucial in assisting with the coordination of this year’s meeting. The cost of the 2023 meeting will not be as much of a loss as anticipated – estimating $10,000-$15,000. Beverage charges, gratuities, etc. will still need to be paid for events. 37 providers are signed up for the meeting. Payment from Stryker is still pending ($7000). There were several last minute registrations for the glacier cruise and a 3rd shuttle bus was obtained. The opening reception will be hosted from 6-9pm on the Columbia Patio. The rooming list was crucial to determine breakfast numbers. We were able to save costs by reserving boxed lunches for the wildlife event. The Iditarod local speakers will bring their dogs and merchandise for a meet and greet after their presentation. RMNS is hosting a light lunch on the patio for attendees during the meet and greet. It was agreed that a $500 donation will be made to the local guest speakers. Dr. Schmidt has secured a pianist for tonight’s opening reception and a band for the closing reception. For the glacier cruise, shuttles will board at 4:10 and depart the resort at 4:30. It is crucial that no one be late for the bus departure. Tuesday’s event is hosted at the Wildlife Conservation Center. The lunches will need to be transported to the venue by Allie and Jessie. An animal presentation (porcupine or reindeer) will be included and then attendees are able to explore on their own. Breakfast will be served daily in the Kahiltna Court.

Scientific Program Report: A suggestion was made for future meetings to notify all residents and physicians that their abstracts were approved and provide details for their presentation information as soon as possible. Abstracts need to be collected as early as possible and a push for earlier submission will be made for next year’s meeting. Due to multiple scheduling conflicts for academic centers, Dr. Mahan recommended virtual abstract presentation continue to be offered at future meetings. Consideration of inviting program directors was also suggested to encourage and promote continued resident support of the meeting.

CME Accreditation Report: CME paperwork for the meeting needs to be completed in December to avoid a late fee from the AANS. The 2023 meeting has been approved for 13 CME hours.

Future Sites:
1. 2024: La Cantera, San Antonio, TX. Dr Brad Lega is the local arrangements chair for the 2024 meeting and he has been working on securing preliminary meeting and social event details. Rooms and Villas will be available at the resort and it was suggested to get room block rates for both room types to accommodate larger families. Currently, the room block release date is 5/9/2024. It was recommended to try and negotiate getting this date closer to 30 days prior to the meeting date if possible. The vendor room has been secured from Saturday to Tuesday. Vendors will need to be notified in advance that they will need to tear down Tuesday after the completion of the scientific session. The Sunday social activity will include a family BBQ picnic. Suggestions were made to start the event later in the evening to accommodate the Texas heat. A suggestion was also made to host the BBQ as a pool party event, or inquire with the resort about misters and shade options. The executive dinner will take place at the Jewel Box, a fine dining restaurant close to the golf course. The golf tournament will take place on Monday afternoon with plans for boxed lunches. Tuesday evening will host the annual awards banquet in the Palo Duro ballroom. A proposal was made to change the tennis tournament to a pickleball tournament and Dr. Lega will check into the availability of pickleball at the resort. If pickleball is a possibility, the plan would be to trial a pickleball tournament instead of a tennis tournament next meeting.
2. Dr. Macdonald has been looking in to Puerta Vallarta as a site for the 2025 meeting. There is a 2 tiered pricing system available. The all-inclusive rate would be very cost beneficial. A single occupancy room is $373/night, a double occupancy is $273/night, kids 5-11 are $50/night and kids 12-17 are $80/night. All services charges are included in these rates. The resort would only commit to 1500 feet of meeting space, which is a concern for size capacity. Dr. MacDonald has worked in a large cancellation clause in case we are unable to secure enough meeting space. He plans to make a site visit in February. Concerns for safety in Mexico were raised. Members of the committee felt this was a safe area that is only 2 miles from the airport. A recommendation was made to involve the Mexico Neurosurgeons in the meeting.
3. A proposal was made to host an add on event at a future meeting for providers to complete the required 8 hours of opioid CME to meet the federally mandated requirements for license renewal. Dr. Mahan will check with the AANS to confirm the opioid track. Ideas were raised to bring in guest speakers to complete the talks vs RMNS executive committee members completing the talks. A question was raised if a curriculum already exists and is available to purchase. This idea will also be explored. If this additional curriculum is possible to add on for the 2024 meeting, that would be ideal. If not, continued efforts will be made to have this option available as an add on for the 2025 meeting.
4. Dr. Parker has explored options for the 2026 meeting at several sites, including Canyons and Snow Bird. Several sites would not book out into 2025. Canyons would not commit unless 125 rooms/night were guaranteed. The Snow Bird proposal was $250/night. The total meeting space rental is $7200, which does not include the President’s dinner or the closing banquet. Golden Cliff would be the location for the daily breakfast and opening reception. There is an event center at the top of the mountain, which costs $4000 for the rental with a $7500 food/beverage minimum. The resort would like a commitment by 6/27/2023. Other sites of interest included Big Sky and Beaver Creek, however, these sites will be out of budget. Dr. Clough made a suggestion for Big White, Kelowna British Columbia. He recently visited with his family and was pleased with the resort, ease of flights and transportation in the area. There are vineyards, a lake and lots of activities in the area. A proposal was made to consider this for the 2026 meeting, or possibly the 2025 meeting if Puerto Vallarta does not work out. Dr. Schmidt also recommended exploring Solitude and she will check into options at this facility. Further discussion will take place at the Winter meeting.

Old/New Business:
1. A discussion of new executive board members was discussed and the following members are proposed for voting at the annual business meeting Tuesday.
President: Mark Mahano President Elect: Erik Parker
Vice President: Salah Aoun
Member at Large: TBD (suggested to invite a new member in attendance at this year’s meeting).
CME: Wissam Asfahani
Secretary: John Clough (2 more years in term)
Treasurer: Justin Davis (2 more years in term)
Scientific Program: TBD (Dr. Mahan will recruit a new member from his partners to fill this role).
Membership Committee: Dr. Duhon, Dr. Sramek and Dr. Seiff
2. A suggestion was made to host the winter executive committee meeting in Puerto Vallarta and also complete the site visit at the same time. Dr. MacDonald will look in to these options with the event coordination.

Dr. Duhon made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 3:57 pm and this was agreed upon unanimously.