LIFE MEMBERSHIP: The Chapter Executive Committee may, from time to time, confer the status of Life Member upon individuals to recognize their outstanding contributions and meritorious services to the Chapter. All persons so designated shall be exempt fro all Chapter dues, fee, or assessments, and the Chapter shall maintain the member’s membership status with the AAHAM through payment of AAHAM dues, fees, or assessments.

AAHAM DUES: The annual dues and other fees to AAIIAM shall be determined by AAHAM ‘s Board of Directors.

Chapter Dues: The annual dues and other fees to the Chapter shall be determined by the Chapter Executive Committee. A full years’ annual membership dues are payable January-June and one half of the annual dues are payable July- December.

Chapter Assessments: In addition to the minimum membership dues payable to AAHAM and the Chapter, the Chapter Executive Committee may levy additional assessments for the Chapter members for the sole benefit of the Chapter, provided such assessments are for the purpose of assisting with the general aims and purposes of the Chapter. A member’s right to vote and hold office in the Chapter shall not be voided or suspended by reason of his/her failure to pay on assessment.

Payment of Annual Dues: The annual dues shall be payable on such date and in such manner as may be prescribed by the Bylaws of AAHAM. State and National dues may be paid by the Chapter for any member of the Executive Board of the Chapter when said member’s healthcare providing employer does not pay the dues.

Delinquency: Members who have not paid the annual dues within the terms provided by AAHAM’ s Bylaws shall cease to be members. The Chapter shall encourage prompt payment of membership dues.

SECTION 1.

Officers: The officers of this Chapter shall be the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Third Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary The term of the office shall commence January 1st. Each of the elective officers shall be elected for and serve a term of three (3) years. Only members possessing the right-to-vote shall be eligible to serve as officers of the Chapter.

SECTION 2.

Chairperson of the Executive Committees: The immediate past President shall serve as the Chairperson of the Executive Committed for the term immediately following his/her Presidential term and until there is a qualified successor. He/she hall have voting privileges during his/her term as Chairperson and preside over all of the meetings of the Executive Committees.

SECTION 3.

Meetings of the Executive Committee: A minimum of four regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held each year. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the Chairperson of the Board, the President or any four other members of the Executive Committee. At all meetings of the Committee, a majority of four voting members shall constitute quorum and the vote of the majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the members present at the meeting shall be necessary for the adoption of any motion. The Secretary shall give at least ten days notice before the date of any regular or special meeting of the Executive Committee.

SECTION 4.

Powers and Duties of the Executive Committee: The Committee shall manage the affairs of the Chapter in accordance with It’s Constitution and Bylaws. It shall be their special duty:

A. To make recommendations at meetings of the membership relative to matters which in their opinion, the membership should decide;

B. To act upon all correspondence and communication;

C. To act upon the expulsion of members;

D. To fill officer vacancies on the Committee;

E. To designate the depository bank or banks and authorize check signers;

F. To approve disbursements of Chapter funds, or to establish guidelines pursuant to which officers shall exercise authority to distribute funds delegated to them by the Executive Committee;

G. To approve all purchases or sales of investments of Chapter funds.

SECTION 5.

Duties of the President: The President shall preside at all general membership meetings. He/she shall be an ex-officio member of all the committees except the Nominating Committee. He/she shall call meetings, executive policy and provide leadership to the members of the Chapter. He/she shall consult with the Executive Committee and keep them fully informed so that the programs and activities of the Chapter may be coordinated and accomplished. He/she shall strive during his/her term of the office to guide the Chapter so as to meet the objective outlined in the Chapter’s Constitution. He/she shall serve as the Chapter representative on AAHAM’s Board of Directors. He/she must be a National member.

SECTION 6.

Duties of the First Vice President: In the absence of the President, or during his/her incapacity, the President’s duties will be performed by the First Vice President. The First Vice President shall serve as the Chairperson of the Education committee. He/she shall perform all such duties and assume all such responsibilities of the President as he/she is assigned from time to time by the President. To be first Vice President, a member must have served at least one(l) term as an office of the Chapter. The First Vice President is responsible for the Education and Constitution and Bylaws Committees.

SECTION 7.

Duties of the Second Vice President: The Second Vice President shall serve as Chairperson of the Membership Committee. He/she shall perform all such duties and assume all such responsibilities as assigned from time to time by the President. The Second Vice President is responsible for the Membership Committee.

SECTION 8.

Duties of the Third Vice President: The Third Vice President shall serve as Chairperson of the legislative updates , chapter development, and vendor relations. He/she shall perform all such duties and assume all such responsibilities as assigned from time to time by the President. The Third Vice President is responsible for the Chapter Development/Legislative/Vendor Relations Committee.

SECTION 9.

Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all Monies of the Chapter and for all income and disbursement of these monies due and payable by the Chapter. He/she shall keep and preserve proper vouchers and books of accounts which shall be open to inspection by the Executive Committee, and subject to audit at any time by an Audit Committee duly appointed by the President. He/she shall be bonded. He/she shall be responsible for budget development. A current financial statement shall be presented at each meeting of the Executive Committee and an annual statement published in the official publication of the Chapter immediately after the close of each fiscal year.

SECTION 10.

Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary shall keep full minutes of all meetings of the membership and Executive Committee. All notices to the membership shall be released by the Secretary with the exception of notices for educational seminars and meeting. He/she shall perform such duties and assume all such responsibilities as assigned from time to time by the President. The Secretary is responsible for the Publication Committee.

SECTION 11.

Duties of the Professional Certification Officer: This non-elected board member position shall promote, encourage and provide direction to Chapter members who wish to sit for the Certified Patient Account Manager(CPAM) and Certified Clinic Account Manager (CCAM), Certified Patient Account Technician (CPAT), Certified Clinic Account Technician (CCAT) examinations. The officer will schedule coaching courses for those Chapter members requesting assistance in exam preparation. This office exists to assist the Chapter in obtaining Certified Members. Only members that have attained the status of CPAM or CCAM are eligible for this appointment and are appointed by the President on elective year basis. This position is a voting member of the Executive Board and is responsible for the Professional Certification Committee.

SECTION 12.

Vacancies and Elective Officers:

A. Should a vacancy occur in the office of the President, the First Vice President shall automatically succeed to that office and perform the duties thereof through the unexpired term. Succession to the office of the President to complete the unexpired term of the prior President shall not prevent a person from serving as President for the next full term, should he/she desire.

B. Should a vacancy occur in the offices of First Vice President, Second Vice President, Third Vice President, Treasurer or Secretary, the unexpired term shall be filled by a qualified member of the Chapter appointed by a majority of the Executive committee to fulfill the duties of the vacant office until the next general election. Voting may be held by mail.

SECTION 13.

Removal of Officers:

A. Any officer may be removed, or any vacancy caused by such removal may be filled, unless the filling thereof is otherwise provided for in the Bylaws, or both, by the affirmative vote of two thirds of the voting members eligible to vote, provided the membership is given written notice on the specific circumstances surrounding the action proposed.

B. Any officer may be removed, and position declared vacant, for non-attendance at three (3) consecutive Executive Committee Meetings unless uncontrollable extenuating circumstances prevail. (i.e. major illness, auto accident resulting in hospitalization and or short term disability from employment.) Under such circumstances the Executive Committee may only appoint a person from the general members as an acting replacement for the interim of the officers’ absence. A two thirds majority vote of the members of the Executive Committee is required for the removal of an officer under this section.

SECTION 1.

Standing Committees: Committees may be established to compliment the Executive Committee efforts in performance of duties. The Committees are formed at the direction of the officer holding the responsibility and report to a member of the Executive Committee or to any officer. The Officer responsible for the duties of the chapter are responsible of the committees and shall select members of the Chapter to help fulfill committee duties.

A. An AUDIT COMMITTEE whose duty’s shall be to audit the books and financial records of the Chapter at the close of each fiscal year. The Audit Committee shall be composed of at least two members of the Chapter and shall meet not less often than once a year. In addition to performing an audit of financial records, the Audit Committee shall, from time to time, review and comment on the adequacy of internal controls and shall perform such duties that may be requested by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer. serves as Chairperson of this committee.

B. A NOMINATING COMITTEE composed of the past two Presidents and three other members shall have the duty to present nominees for office positions on the Executive Committee. Any voting member is eligible for appointment to the Nominating Committee.

C. A PROGRAM COMMITTEE whose duty it shall be to make all arrangements for meetings of the Chapter. The First Vice President shall serve as Chairperson of the Program Committee and the Committee shall consist of at least two (2) members from each of the three technical areas: 1) Hospital Patient Account Management; 2) Clinic Patient Account Management; 3) Non-medical Providers.

D. A PUBLICATION COMMITTEE whose duty it shall be to coordinate and prepare material for all Chapter Publications. The Publications Committee shall develop and promote publication policies in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Chapter. The Secretary shall serve as the Chairperson of this committee.

E. A MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE whose duty it shall be to promote the Chapter membership through active recruiting efforts. The Committee is responsible for billing the annual dues for AGPAM and the Chapter. The Second Vice President is this committee’s Chairperson.

F. A CHAPTER DEVELOPMENTIVENDOR RELATIONS COMMI1TEE whose duty it shall be to develop a cohesive relationship with the vendor community that promotes networking at chapter meetings, and assist in supporting Chapter events. This Third Vice President serves as the Chairperson of this committee.

SECTION 2.

Other Committees: Special committees may be appointed by the President from time to time as the need arises.

SECTION 1.

Regular Meetings: Regular meetings of the Chapter membership shall be held at least four (4) times a year, at such times and places as may be designated by the Executive Committee. Meetings devoted to educational programs, annual meetings, and special business meetings shall all be regular meetings for the purpose of this section.

SECTION 2.

Annual Meetings: The annual meeting of the membership shall be held within the 90 days preceding the end of each fiscal year at such time and place as the Executive Committee shall designate.

SECTION 3.

Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Chapter membership may be called at any time by order of the Executive Committee. Special meetings must be called by the Executive Committee within 30 days following receipt of request in writing of 10% of the membership to the Secretary of the Chapter.

SECTION 4.

Notice of Meetings: At least 20 days before the date of any regular meeting or special meeting, the Secretary shall cause ‘written notice thereof to be delivered to each member, or mailed to him/her.

SECTION 5.

Quorum: Twenty percent of the Chapter members entitled to vote thereat shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Chapter membership. The vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the members present at a meeting shall be necessary for the adoption of any matter voted upon at the meeting unless a different proportion is required by these Bylaws or by the Chapter Constitution.

SECTION 6.

Voting Rights: All members of the Chapter shall have the right to vote on matters submitted to a vote of the members or on any motion raised at a regular or special meeting of the membership. The Executive Committee may, at their discretion, call for an immediate vote or table a motion for further review and a later vote. In the event that the Committee exercises its right to postpone the vote on a motion, such vote shall be by ballot to be mailed to the membership no later than 60 days from the date of the meeting. Each member shall have one vote and no one may vote by proxy.

Any member whose conduct shall be detrimental to the best interest of the Chapter or AAHAM, or who shall willfully violate its code of ethics or other rules or regulations, may be recommended for suspension or expulsion by a vote of the Executive Committee of the Chapter. If such action is contemplated in the case of any member, he/she shall be entitled to receive specific charges in writing from the Executive Committee and shall, if he/she so desires, be afforded a hearing before the Executive Committee or before a special committee thereof, appointed by the President. Final determination shall be made by AAHAM.

SECTION 1.

Fiscal Year : The fiscal year of the Chapter shall be from January 1 through December 31.

SECTION 2.

Titles: Section and Article headings in these Bylaws are for convenience only. They shall not affect the interpretation of any proven herein.

SECTION 3.

Amendments to the Bylaws : The Bylaws may be amended, repealed or added to in the following manner:

A. Any member may propose a change to the Bylaws. It shall be in writing and shall be to the Chapter Secretary who shall place it on the agenda of the next scheduled Executive Committee meeting.

B. The Executive Committee shall, by a majority vote, determine if the proposed change shall be submitted to the membership for vote.

C. Notification to the members shall be in writing and shall inform the members of the articles or sections to be amended.

D. An official ballot shall be delivered or mailed to each Chapter member indicating its return within thirty (30) days from the date shown on the ballot.

E. A two thirds vote of the members voting shall be required to adopt or reject the said change.

F. Amendments to the Bylaws shall become effective immediately, unless otherwise provided in the text of the amendments.