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1. NAVREF Governance Training at the ACHE Meeting. |
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Responses are starting to come in to NAVREF’s
invitation to governance training for medical center directors and
chiefs of staff who serve on NPC boards and will attend the annual
Congress of the American College of Healthcare Executives later this
month. If you have not already done so, please encourage your VAMC
leaders to attend. A list of individuals who as of 4:00 p.m. on March 5
have indicated they will attend is provided at the end of this email.
For details of the session, see the email and flyer posted at
http://www.navref.org/about/ACHE.htm.
A number of deputy directors and associate directors have also responded
to the invitation. Although these individuals are not current NPC board
members, they may be in the future so NAVREF will do its best to
accommodate their attendance. However, when NAVREF has conducted this
training in the past, we have had standing room only. In order to give
current directors priority, we are accepting others on a space available
basis. On March 19 we will notify any deputy and associate directors
interested in attending whether we can accommodate their participation.
Many NPCs are undergoing or have recently
completed audits by independent auditors in anticipation of the June 1
deadline for submitting their annual reports to VA. Please note:
Stamp Audit Reports and Management Letters Confidential.
Private sector organizations generally have the right to control
dissemination of their audit reports and their auditor’s letter to
management. However, the NPC authorizing statute requires NPCs to submit
their audit reports to VA, and the NPC Annual Report Template states “VA
and NPPO cannot assure confidentiality or privacy of any of the
information submitted in this Report.” As a result, NPC audit reports
and management letters may be open to the possibility of public release
under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
NAVREF consulted Renée Szybala, associate general counsel Professional
Staff Group III, for steps an NPC could take to prevent public release.
Ms. Szybala recommended that NPCs should stamp their audit reports and
management letters “Confidential” prior to submission to VA. Ms. Szybala
said doing so would help VA protect these documents from public release
pursuant to a FOIA request by giving VA an additional reason to decline
a FOIA request for them.
Auditor Recommendations. Statement on Auditing
Standards (SAS) 115 provides that auditors should communicate material
weaknesses and significant deficiencies to the client in writing.
However, other deficiencies and recommendations may be communicated
verbally. Organizations may let their auditors know in advance that they
prefer that the auditor should present and discuss any deficiencies or
recommendations verbally, rather than in writing, when the auditor
communicates the audit results to the board.
NPC Administrative Overhead and
Indirect Cost Rates. Thank you for responding to the NAVREF
survey on administrative overhead and IDC rates. We are very pleased
that 78 of the 82 active NPCs responded and appreciate that many
included thoughtful comments.
Overall, more NPCs reported charging higher administrative overhead
rates since the last survey conducted in 2009. Many commented that they
accept voluntary health agency grants from funders that provide no
overhead and that they consider this an investment in supporting the VA
research program and young investigators. For the first time, more than
half of NPCs reported that they are the direct grantees for federal
awards. NPCs accepting federal subawards and subcontracts also continued
to trend upward. Both of these are positive trends since federal funding
seems to be where the opportunity for growth currently lies.
For the survey results, please go to:
http://www.navref.org/newsletter/pdf/Admin_IDC_Survey.pdf.
NAVREF Logo. We were overwhelmed by the responses to
the survey asking for input on designs for a new NAVREF logo! Thank you
for letting us know your preferences and your suggestions for color,
font, etc. We’ll let you know the outcome as soon as the board makes the
final decision.
Technology Transfer Program. TTP
Director Amy Centanni and Technology Transfer Specialist Jeffrey Moore,
PhD, have departed VA. Of particular importance to NPCs, Amy and Jeff
were instrumental to implementation of CRADAs in VA. If you would like
to wish them well, you may send an email to Amy at
acentanni11@gmail.com
and to Jeff at jjmoore1@att.net.
Both regretted that there was no opportunity for them to notify their
NPC colleagues of their departure and would enjoy hearing from you.
Deputy CRADO Holly Birdsall, MD, PhD, is the interim director of TTP.
Contact the TTP administrative officer, Benjamin Henry
(Benjamin.Henry@va.gov
202-443-5641), for any correspondence or issues that require the
director’s attention. For questions/issues regarding CRADAs contact Ken
Levin (Ken.Levin@va.gov).
Office of General Counsel. Staff Attorney Jane Gutcher
has returned to OGC Professional Staff Group III after a nearly
year-long hiatus spent at DOD. Jane will again be focusing on ethics and
looks forward to working with NPC personnel again. Although NPCs are
likely to rely on local Regional Counsel attorneys for matters relating
to ethics, Jane remains available at
Jane.Gutcher@va.gov.
Many thanks to all who commented on various drafts
of the NAVREF S.A.T. as it was updated to reflect the new NPC
authorizing statute and Handbook 1200.17. The final version is available
on the NAVREF web site at
http://www.navref.org/bestpractices/om_main.htm.
For those not familiar with this resource, it is a user-friendly means
for NPCs to assess four main areas of typical operations including
programs, governance, finances and selected management topics.
Mary Jo Brady, executive director of the
Metropolitan Detroit Research and Education Foundation, recently
retired. NAVREF wishes her well. The executive director position for
MDREF, and also for the Westside Institute for Science and Education in
Chicago, will be posted shortly on the NAVREF “jobs” web page listing
open positions.
VA’s 2010 Annual Report to Congress has been
posted on the NAVREF website at
http://www.navref.org/library/Annual_Reports.htm. To facilitate
analysis and benchmarking, a separate Excel version of the tables in the
second part of the report is also available in addition to a table of
contents that makes it easier to find information in the summary and
Excel tabs.
NAVREF members interested in learning more about the clinical research
industry and in networking with industry representatives may wish to
attend the May 2012 MAGI Clinical Research Conference. For details, go
to http://www.magiworld.org/NAV249 NAVREF members are eligible for
a $100 discount off the registration fee. Enter discount code NAV249
when prompted.
Individuals who have responded that they will attend the NAVREF Session
at ACHE as of close of business on Monday, March 5:
Medical Center Directors:
Wood, David, MHA, FACHE - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Adams, Carolyn L. - Charleston, South Carolina
Tyler, Alan J., FACHE - East Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Young, Steven W., FACHE - Salt Lake City, Utah
Battle, Joe - Jackson, Mississippi
Patrick, John E. - Portland, Oregon
Houser-Hanfelder - Sallie, Columbia, Missouri
Mcdivitt, Robert P. - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Anaya, Michael A., Sr., FACHE - Chicago/Westside, Illinois
Croteau, Christine - Bedford, Massachusetts
Wolf, Terry Gerigk - FACHE, Pittsburgh, PA
Smith, Dennis H. - Baltimore, Maryland
Chiefs of Staff:
Kalavar, J., MD - Houston, Texas
Sonel, Ali, MD - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May Attend if Space is Available:
Vasquez, Francisco, Associate Director – Houston, Texas
Krumberger, JoAnn, Deputy Director – Palo Alto, California
Tadych, Mike, Associate Medical Center Director – Reno, Nevada
Smith, Phyllis, Acting Director – Birmingham, Alabama
Feistman, Ann Marie, Deputy Network Director – Northern California
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