American Academy of Ophthalmology

“Public trustees and international trustees-at-large are not entitled to vote on matters involving governance, rules, or procedures of aao.”

“Each of the following members of the board of directors has a business relationship with one another: christopher j. Rapuano, md and gregory l. Skuta, md.”

“Aao is a membership organization with the following classes of members entitled to vote on any matter or to attend any annual or special business meeting: active fellows, life fellows, active members, and life members. Only active fellows and life fellows shall be eligible for nomination, election, or appointment to a position on the board of trustees; only international members, or those fellows and members who practice exclusively outside of the united states, shall be eligible for appointment as an international trustee.”

“The voting fellows and members (active fellows, life fellows, active members, and life members) elect the members of the board of trustees.”

“Any amendment or revision to the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, and the academy's code of ethics must be ratified by the voting fellows or members.”

“The form 990 is prepared by an independent tax preparer in conjunction with the organization's internal finance and accounting department. The coo / cfo / chief legal & risk officer and director of finance then completely review the form 990; adjustments are made as necessary. Upon approval with the coo / cfo / chief legal & risk officer and director of finance, the form 990 is then distributed to each member of the board of directors at least one week prior to filing with the internal revenue service, who were invited to ask questions.”

“Aao has a profound duty to its members, the larger medical community, and the public to ensure the integrity of all of its scientific, educational, advocacy, and consumer information activities and materials. Thus, each academy trustee and aao staff are responsible for disclosing interactions with companies and manage conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest that affect this integrity. Aao leaders and persons in a position to influence (including trustees, officers, and key employees) must submit an annual disclosure form of all financial relationships in any amount and uncompensated interactions with companies within the previous 12 months prior to their participation in the activity. In the event a conflict of interest is identified, the academy leader who discloses a conflict or potential conflict, or to whom a fellow leader identifies a perceived conflict, prepares a statement describing the conflict and suggesting ways of resolving or managing it. This statement of conflict management is submitted to the executive committee of the board; if a chairperson or executive committee member is submitting the statement, two independent members will be appointed to review the statement. If there is a consensus that a conflict exists, methods for resolution include: highly specific confidentiality agreements; recusal from specific discussions, activities, or votes; or a requirement that the leader step-down from a particular position of leadership.”

“The aao compensation committee is made up of the president, president-elect, past president, and the most recent past president no longer serving on the board. The committee annually reviews the stipend and contract payments for all physician positions and is responsible for the initial contract negotiation with a new ceo/evp, with the advice and assistance of a professional compensation analyst who provides comparative data and consultation. In its work, the committee uses comparative data from other comparable organizations in their analyses. Finally, the compensation committee annually reviews the performance of the ceo/evp in june of each year to determine the annual performance bonus - which is limited to a maximum of 20% of his salary per the employment contract. For other officers and key employees of the organization, the organization contracts with an outside compensation consultant who uses comparative data from other comparable organizations in their analysis, to determine reasonable compensation for each job classification; these salaries are then approved by the ceo/evp.”

“The conflict of interest policy, bylaws, as well as other policy statements for academy leaders are available on the aao website. The consolidated audited financial statements are published every fall in the journal of ophthalmology and are available to the general public upon request.”

“Consulting fees 450,711. Contractual services 5,074,286. Physician services 697,182. Temporary help 35,597. Security 8,208. Editorial & publishing services 225,543. Fulfillment services 41,530. Sales commissions 16,292. Payroll processing 391,886.”