MIEC holds the first remote Annual Meeting of the Policyholders!

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MIEC is committed to the health and safety of our policyholders, executive board, and staff. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a variety of challenges across the healthcare spectrum, as well as some unique challenges to business operations. As a business owned by and operated for the benefit its policyholders, MIEC convenes an annual meeting of the policyholders to conduct board elections and various governance activities. While many members choose to exercise their voting rights via proxy, MIEC has always provided a forum to which members may choose to attend in person. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting such a meeting posed a variety of challenges.   

For the first time in MIEC’s 45-year history, the Annual Meeting of the Policyholders was held virtually on September 11th, 2020. More than 1,200 members chose to vote on board elections by proxy, and several policyholders chose to attend the live meeting virtually via Zoom. Policyholders in attendance received an operational update including key financial projections, strategic planning updates, and some historical perspectives that clearly illustrated MIEC’s superior attention to operating for the benefit of its member policyholders. Importantly, the membership voted on four (4) board nominations and elected the following four physicians for a three-year term. 

The nominations confirmed each of the following four (4) physicians  

 

Scott Hoffinger, MD – Director 

Business Locations: Moraga, CA 

Medical Specialty: Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery 

2020 Committees: Claims, Finance & Investment 

Dr. Hoffinger has been a member of the MIEC Board of Governors since 2006, and has been an advisor to the MIEC Board since 2002. He is a member of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA), for which he currently serves on the Professional Liability Committee. He was also the ACCMA representative for District 10. In the past, Dr. Hoffinger served as President of Children’s Hospital Medical Staff.   

From 2012 until 2019 Dr. Hoffinger was a Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine.  

Dr. Hoffinger has been active as a Board Member for the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy, for which he held the offices of Treasurer and President. Professional memberships include the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.  

Currently, Dr. Hoffinger is pursuing a master’s degree at the London School of Economics.  

 

Lamont Paxton, MD – Vice Chairman  

Business Location: San Leandro, CA 

Medical Specialty: Vascular Surgery 

2020 Committees: Executive (Vice-Chair) / Claims (Chair) 

Doctor Paxton has been a member of the MIEC Board of Governors since 2005. He has served as Vice Chairman of the MIEC Board of Governors since 2009. He was President of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) in 2005. He serves as the Chairman of the Professional Liability Committee B of the ACCMA. Doctor Paxton is Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Eden Medical Center. He is Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Eden Hospital 

Medical Center. He has served as President of the Northern California Vascular Society, the East Bay Surgical Society, and the San Francisco Surgical Society. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and Chairman of the Committee on Applicants for the American College of Surgeons. Professional memberships include the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery, the American Association of Vascular Surgery, the San Francisco Surgical Society, the Pacific Coast Surgical Society, the Northern California Vascular Society, the Peripheral Vascular Surgical Society and the Western Vascular Society. 

 

Vin Sawhney, MD – Director  

Business Location: San Leandro, CA 

Medical Specialties: Internist and Specialist in Gastroenterology 

2020 Committees: Claims / Government Affairs / Finance & Investment / MIEC PAC CA Advisory 

Doctor Sawhney has been a member of the MIEC Board of Governors since 2008 and was an Advisor to the Board for two years prior to that. He was President of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) in 2004, and has served in numerous other medical leadership positions including: Chief of the Medical Staff at Physicians Community Hospital in San Leandro; member and Chair of the Board of Trustees of San Leandro Hospital; President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPIO), representing 26,000 physicians of Indian heritage; President of AAPIO’s Northern California chapter; member of the House of Delegates of both the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association; and a member of the Governing Council for the International Medical Graduate Section at the AMA. Doctor 

Sawhney served as President of the Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation, helped to organize local health fairs, and spearheaded fundraising efforts for victims of the Loma Prieta earthquake and the Bhopal gas disaster. 

 

Ann Vercoutere, MD – Director  

Business Location: Greenbrae, CA 

Medical Specialty: General, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery 

2020 Committees: Patient Safety and Risk Management / Claims 

Dr. Vercoutere has been a member of the MIEC Board of Governors since 2006 and has served MIEC as an advisor to its Claims Committee since 2002. Dr. Vercoutere is a board-certified general surgeon who has practiced in Marin for thirty years. She is a member and a past President of the Marin County Medical Society and served as Chief of General and Thoracic Surgery from 2003-2009, and Chief of Surgery from 2009-2013 at Marin General Hospital. She worked as a surgical hospitalist in Albuquerque from March 2013 to December 2014. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Marin Individual Practice Association for more than fifteen years. Memberships include the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association. 

 

For more information on MIEC Leadership, please visit https://www.miec.com/leadership/  

As a member-owned exchange, policyholder participation in governance is fundamental to the successful operation of the organization.  MIEC encourages all members to participate in the annual meeting of the membership either in person or by proxy.  We will continue to find innovative ways to keep our membership involved and engaged in the execution of the organization’s mission.   

For more information on MIEC governance, and/or how you can get involved, please contact our office at 800.227.4527, or email info@miec.com