Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service

Health Services Officer Professional Advisory Committee
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HITPAG ByLaws

  1. Name
  2. Purpose
  3. Objectives
  4. Membership
  5. Leadership
  6. Operations and Procedures
  7. Bylaws Update and Approval

Article I
Name

The Health Information Technology Professional Advisory Group shall be referred to as the HITPAG.

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Article II
Purpose

The Health Information Technology Professional Advisory Group (HITPAG) of the Health Services Professional Advisory Committee (HS PAC) shall consider discipline-specific professional issues and advise the Surgeon General through the HS PAC and Chief Heath Services Officer regarding such issues.

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Article III
Objectives

The HITPAG functions in a resource and advisory capacity to assist in the development, coordination, training and evaluation of activities related to the information technology professional discipline in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) with the following specific objectives:

  • Identify issues of interest and facilitate the resolution of concerns as they relate to Commissioned Corps and civilian information technology professionals.
  • Assess personnel needs of the USPHS as related to information technology and assist in meeting the needs relative to recruitment, retention, training, utilization, and professional development.
  • Develop position papers, statistical reports, and/or guidelines where appropriate, in order to advise and comment on matters relating to both the personnel and professional practice issues involving information technology professionals.
  • Improve value to the USPHS by promoting all aspects of information technology throughout the agencies, operating divisions, and programs of the USPHS.
  • Assess the professional development needs of information technology professionals assigned to the USPHS and develop strategies and opportunities to meet them.
  • Promote and assist the placement and advancement of Information Technology Officers throughout all available IT professional duty assignments and billets.
  • Develop and/or review information technology specific USPHS recruitment materials, procedures and programs to ensure support to the USPHS mission and Commissioned Corps deployments.

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Article IV
Membership

Eligibility Requirement: Voting members shall be Commissioned Corps information technology professionals from The Health Services category serving the USPHS IT Community (with a qualifying degree). Members must meet and maintain OFRD basic readiness requirements at the time they are nominated and appointed to the HITPAG and throughout their term or service on the HITPAG.

Size of HITPAG: The HITPAG shall have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 voting members (members herein) who are nominated and appointed by ITPAG.

Terms: Each of the appointed members shall serve a term of up to three years. Elections will be held each year, with no more than approximately one third of the voting members rotating out of the HITPAG each year.

Organizational representation: Participation shall be elicited from each of the DHHS Operating Divisions and other agencies where Commissioned Corps information technology officers are employed to provide the range of experiences and perspectives necessary to address issues before the HITPAG.

Meetings will be open to all voting members and an unlimited at large attendance from all information technology professionals for all USPHS categories and civil service personnel. Any voting and at large member may participate on a committee.

Geographic consideration: Participation shall be promoted from members regardless of geographic location. Members will be actively solicited and provisions such as teleconferencing will be made so that any Commissioned Corps information technology officer can participate regardless of his/her duty station.

Diversity among officers of different cultures, race, ethnicity and gender shall be respected and participation welcomed. Efforts will be made to ensure that voting members of the HITPAG represent the ethnic and gender diversity of its officers.

Members will be solicited through Commissioned Corps publications, the HS listserv, and other appropriate means.

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Article V
Leadership

The leadership of the HITPAG shall be composed of the Chair, a Chair-elect and a Secretary. Each officer shall be elected by the members of the HITPAG prior to the end of the calendar year, for a term of office, as defined in the by-laws, beginning on January 1. In the event of a vacancy of the Chair, the Chair-elect shall assume the responsibilities for the duration of the term. Vacancies in other offices shall be filled by appointment by the Chair for the remainder of the term.

Duties of the officers are the following:
  • Chair: Provides leadership to the HITPAG and provides liaison to the HS PAC. The Chair is considered an ex-officio member of the HS PAC and is expected to attend the HS PAC meetings and any other significant meetings affecting the HITPAG; the Chair may also designate a representative to attend such meetings. The Chair must be a voting member.

    Term of the Chair: The Chair will serve a 1-year term.

  • Chair-elect: Assists the Chair and functions as the Chair when necessary. The Chair-elect must be a voting member.

    Term of the Chair-elect: The Chair-elect serves a 1-year term and then succeeds as the Chair the following year.

  • Secretary: Provides a written record of the activities of the HITPAG. The Secretary shall record the minutes of meetings, maintain reports and official documents of the HITPAG, and assist the Chair and Chair-elect in carrying out the duties associated with their respective offices. It is not mandatory for the secretary to be a voting member.

    Term of the Secretary: The Secretary serves a 1-year term.

  • Resource Liaison: The Resource Liaison shall keep the voting and general membership informed of all HITPAG fiscal matters. He/She shall serve as the HITPAG point of contact to the Commissioned Officers Foundation (COF), where the HITPAG account will be held. The Resource Liaison will oversee all matters directly related to the HITPAG finances, including maintaining a detailed fiscal document. Finally, this position will be the sole point of contact regarding all aspects for the HITPAG merchandise, this includes; handling all orders, pricing, maintain order/shipping roster, accounting of inventory, and overseeing financials for all sales via PayPal. This position and all duties will be accompanied by the current Chair Elect. Any issues and questions must be handled directly with the elected resource liaison and leadership. This position can also be held by a voting member.

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Article VI
Operations and Procedures
The HITPAG operations and procedures shall include the following:
  • Operational Year: The operational year for the HITPAG is the calendar year January 1 – December 31.
  • Frequency of Meeting: Meetings will be held every month with the exception of June and November being administrative month. The Chair may call additional meetings, as needed.
  • Attendance: HITPAG Voting Members are expected to attend by telephone a majority of HITPAG meetings, and provide advance notice to the HITPAG Chair when they anticipate they will not be able to meet this expectation. Any ITPAG Voting member of the ITPAG who misses more than 3 meetings without just cause can, at the discretion of the HITPAG Chairperson and in consultation with the HITPAG Chair-Elect and the HSO Chair be asked to voluntarily resign from the HITPAG. In the event that any member finds he/she cannot fulfill the duties of voting membership due to job constraints or other limiting circumstances, the member may petition the HITPAG Chair in writing to resign with honor. Any vacancy created by the voluntary resignation of a voting member may either be filled immediately by a non-voting member (with no voting privileges extended) at the HITPAG Chair’s discretion to ensure continuity of the position, or it can be filled at a later date by the HITPAG Membership solicitation process.
  • Agenda: A meeting agenda and appropriate background material will be made available to the HITPAG members.

    Recording and Reporting: Minutes of each HITPAG meeting will be recorded, and approved by the HITPAG. Minutes of each HITPAG meeting shall be reviewed and discussed by the HITPAG membership at the beginning of the each subsequent meeting. If no errors or omissions are found, the membership shall vote to approve the minutes as record. If errors are found, then the membership may conditionally approve the minutes, subject to the noted corrections, or the minutes may be corrected and presented at the next meeting. The HITPAG Secretary will maintain a permanent file of official minutes and reports. A meeting agenda shall be made available to the members prior to each meeting. The agenda of each meeting shall be posted to the HITPAG Listserv at least one week in advance of the official HITPAG meeting.

    Voting and By-law Amendments: Members will receive nomination forms for Chair-Elect and Secretary, and will be notified of nominees thirty days prior to voting. An individual selected by the HITPAG who is not running for a HITPAG position will tabulate votes. Where voting is required, action will be determined by the simple majority of those members present, assuming a quorum is met. By-law amendments will be made by a simple majority vote of those members who are present.

  • Quorum: A quorum shall consist of 50 percent of the voting HITPAG membership.

    Voting either in person or by a valid proxy is acceptable by email using rules of time and date of vote submissions. A voting member can be a member of either group, but in no case can hold two votes. Issues requiring an HITPAG member vote but not reaching a quorum shall be brought to the HS PAC for resolution.

  • Operating Subcommittees: The HITPAG may have operating subcommittees to accomplish its objectives. These subcommittees will be organized and conduct business in a manner consistent with the HITPAG. The Chair of the HITPAG will request volunteers to serve as Subcommittee chairs if not enough volunteers, the HITPAG Chair will appoint the Chair of each subcommittee. The operating subcommittees may include but are not limited to: (1) Readiness, (2) recruitment/retention, (3) career opportunities, (4) professional development, (5) membership, (6) awards and (7) HITPAG website/Listserv update.

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Article VII
ByLaws Update and Approval

The HITPAG shall review its by-laws every three years and recommend revisions to update its by-laws as needed. Any revisions to the by-laws must be reviewed and approved by the HS PAC. If in question, the HITPAG by-laws will be superseded by, and not conflict with, the HS PAC charter and by-laws

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Last reviewed in April 2014

Page Last Modified on 1/27/2016

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