History - 1993

Beginning of discussions regarding using outside help for meeting planning, mailings, dues collection, central phone number and archive keeper.

MGMA indicated its availability to help with state meetings.

I brought to the Board a proposal for hiring a lobbyist.  The Board approved a task force to consider this and formulate the direction and goals for a lobbyist.  Jim Wilkus was appointed to chair the task force and given a budget of $5,000.  I sent out the challenge to our members to get involved with the legislative process on a local level because we were the local experts in the healthcare arena.  This was the beginning of my VISION 2000 program.

I also, as a part of VISION 2000, sought to educate our members on how healthcare is provided in other parts of the world.  We set up study groups at the Winter meeting and reports on the projects were to be presented at the Summer meeting.

We did hire Ted Grindal of Opperman Heins & Paquin to be our lobbyist.  We created a permanent legislative committee to monitor legislation.  Rick Davenport was appointed to chair that committee.

This year we were involved with the MMA in the development of the "Clinic Without Walls" which ultimately never came into being.

Bill Brouwer and Tim Signorelli achieved Fellow Status.

We did decide to use the help of MGMA for the Summer Meeting which ran into several glitches with unconfirmed and no show speakers.  The ultimate theme of the meeting became, "Shit Happens."   Duluth is still a great place to meet though.

We also instituted the idea of long range planning for MMGMA.  Mark Fisher held focus group sessions at the Summer meeting.