Bulletin 19-7

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Extension of Amendment Effective Date

The Board of Governors acted on recommendation from the Standards Committee and approved a second six-month extension of the effective date of Section B1.500 Written Agreements/Contracts and B2.210 Qualifications as amended and announced originally on January 31, 2019, in AATB Bulletin #19-1 with a subsequent extension announced on July 9, 2019, in AATB Bulletin #19-5. Specifically, the Standards Committee recommended, and the Board of Governors approved the extension of the effective dates for the aforementioned amendments from January 31, 2020, to July 31, 2020. The amendments have been known among members as “The Medical Director’s Role Amendments.”

Rationale:

Following consultation of stakeholders regarding the implementation of these changes and having regard to the concerns voiced by AATB institutional members about some previously unidentified, unintended consequences associated with the amendments, the Standards Committee recognized that a change of this type and significance may need more time for vetting, analysis, and preparation.

Therefore, the Committee resolved to provide members with additional time to understand the rationale and intent behind the change and provide feedback that may be used to confirm or amend the proposed changes. In addition, the Committee formed a Subgroup to study the concerns expressed by representative stakeholders, assess applicability to TDIs, reach out and obtain suggestions from processors and recovery-only agencies (OPOs) likely to be most impacted, and reevaluate the CEU/CME requirements for Medical Directors.

Due to the complexity of this task, the Standards Committee recognized the Subgroup’s need for additional time and recommended that the BoG extend the effective date of the amendments from January 31 to July 31, 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Roman Hitchev at hitchevr@aatb.org.