Richard D. Krugman, dean of the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and vice chancellor for health affairs on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, has introduced a special feature in his weekly e-mail "What's Going on Here?"

The feature is aimed at helping faculty better understand the role of University Physicians Inc. (UPI), which provides business and administrative support to 1,200 faculty members who teach at the School of Medicine and treat patients at University of Colorado Hospital and affiliates such as The Children's Hospital, National Jewish and Denver Health Medical Center.

Krugman and Lilly Marks, senior associate dean for administration and finance at the School of Medicine and executive director of UPI, met recently with a group of 25 faculty members who voiced concerns about a revised UPI member practice agreement. Faculty members worried that the School of Medicine was trying to "unilaterally" revise the agreement without a formal approval process and faculty sign off.

However, Krugman explained that the modifications were an effort to streamline administrative details. In the end, the meeting provided Krugman and Marks with the opportunity to clarify a number of issues.

UPI was simply trying to enable future updates of the document without the administrative burden of having 1,000 members re-sign, Krugman explained in his weekly e-mail.

"Clearly, however, the language created valid concerns that major changes might be made and become binding without appropriate input and process," he said.

In his e-mail, Krugman said an amendment would be drafted that "will clarify that any change that alters the major obligations and responsibilities of faculty relative to the UPI bylaws cannot be made via the MPA without a change to the bylaws, which still requires a vote of the board and the faculty."

The amendment will not require faculty signatures, he said.