General
For all questions of rules and procedures, the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall prevail.
Membership
The current membership list is posted on the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP) website. Increasing or decreasing the number of members requires approval of the Council.
Liaison Member – Non voting Delegate
A Liaison Member shall be entitled to the rights and privileges of other Members except that, at the discretion of their Federal Agencies/Department/Organization, the Member may not vote. Each Liaison Member may appoint one Delegate and one Alternate Delegate.
Patient Representative Member
The Council may invite a patient representative(s) to serve on the Council. The Patient Representative Member shall be entitled to the rights and privileges of other members.
Individual Member
The Council may invite an individual with significant expertise in medication-use safety to become an Individual Member. Each Individual Member shall be entitled to the rights and privileges of other Members.
Member Characteristics
Delegates from member organizations, patient representatives and individual members are expected to meet the following characteristics:
- Share the vision of the Council
- Demonstrate ability to affect healthcare standards or practices
- Contribute to council activities, and
- Represent a membership base of either individuals and/or organizations that is involved with or contribute to the medication use process.
Delegates and Alternate Delegates
Each member organization, patient representative, and individual member holds one full-voting seat at the Council table (virtually or physically). Each organizational member may appoint one Delegate and one Alternate Delegate. Individual and Patient Representative members are Delegates and may not appoint an Alternate Delegate. Alternate Delegates may attend and participate at council meetings.
Attendance
Any member that is not present by means of a Delegate or Alternate Delegate for more than two successive meetings shall be notified, and the Council will reassess their continued participation on the Council.
Observers
An attendee/guest who is not a Delegate or Alternate Delegate may observe the Council meetings. The Council may invite an organization to become an observer to allow limited participation by organizations that collaborate, assist, and share in the Council's Mission and Vision. Observers may also be guests of Delegates and/or attending from member organizations. Observers will not receive member communications but will have access to meeting minutes after they are approved by the council and posted on the NCCMERP website. Observers may not vote.
Election of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson
Call for Nominations
Every two years, the Secretary will issue a call for nomination of candidates in writing for the offices of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson NCCMERP.
Chairperson
Candidates for Chairperson may be nominated from the pool of voting Delegates or Alternate Delegates to the Council. Only one representative (Delegate or Alternate Delegate) from a member organization may be nominated. The responsibilities of the chairperson include, but are not limited to, preparing the meeting agenda, conducting regular meetings of the NCCMERP, providing interviews to the media on behalf of the Council, and making formal presentations on the Council and its work. The Chairperson will be elected to serve a two-year term.
Vice Chairperson
The Vice Chairperson will be elected to serve a two-year term concurrent with the term of the Chairperson. The Vice Chairperson and the Chairperson must be from different member organizations/agencies. The Vice Chairperson will perform the functions of the Chairperson if the Chairperson is unable to carry out such functions.
Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy of the Chairperson's seat, the Vice Chairperson shall become the Chairperson; a new Vice-Chairperson will be elected and both will serve for the remainder of the term. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice Chairperson seat, a new Vice Chairperson will be elected.
Voting
The council will make decisions regarding management and rules and procedures governing operation of the council, membership, and recommendations and statements related to the reporting, understanding, and prevention of medication errors. When voting, the Council must have a quorum (simple majority) of its members present. The issue being voted upon will be decided with a majority of votes. In the case of more than two voting options, a plurality of votes will determine the outcome.
Nominating Ballots
A blank ballot will be distributed to the Delegate of each voting member organization/agency and to Patient Representative and Individual Members The name of the nominee will be submitted on the ballot and the ballot returned to the Secretary by the required date. The nominee must accept the nomination prior to submission by Delegates. Only one nomination per organization may be submitted.
Balloting
A slate of candidates, listed alphabetically by candidate’s last name, will be prepared and then distributed to the official Delegates for voting. The winner will be determined by majority vote based on the official membership of the Council at the time of election. If there are more than two candidates for the office, a plurality of votes will determine the winner.
Each voting organization/agency has a single vote. Ballots will be counted by the Secretary and validated independently by the USP Legal Department. If the Alternate Delegate of a voting organization/agency should win the election, he/she becomes the delegate for that voting organization/agency.
In the event of a tie, the candidates will participate in a run-off election. The candidates will present a statement of their vision for helping the Council reach its goals. The winner will then be determined by a majority vote.
Term of Office
The term of office for both the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson shall be two years beginning immediately following the election.
Subcommittees and Expert Advisory Panels
To carry out the work of the Council, Subcommittees and/or Advisory Panels may be established for specific charges. Such Subcommittees and Advisory Panels shall be appointed by the Council, and their membership shall be determined by the Council. Each Subcommittee shall be chaired by a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Council subject to the approval of the Council. An Advisory Panel may be established for a specific continuing purpose or with a view to being discharged when the work has been completed and reported. An Advisory Panel shall serve in a fact finding, advisory capacity and shall report its recommendations to the Council or Subcommittee. A Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Council shall be appointed as a liaison to each Advisory Panel.
Meetings
A meeting agenda summarizing topics for discussion shall be prepared by the Secretary with the input of the Advisory Committee and shall be made available to the public. Topics for the agenda may be introduced through the Chairperson or the Secretary or by any of the members of the Council prior to each meeting.
The minutes of each meeting shall be made available on the NCCMERP website following council approval.
NAN ALERT Procedure
The minutes of each meeting shall be made available on the NCCMERP website following council approval. ISMP initiates NAN Alerts for critical safety issues. They are intended to warn healthcare providers broadly about the risk of medication and vaccine errors that have caused or may cause serious harm or death, or to warn them about new findings that could cause harm and/ or are being reported with unusual frequency.
As appropriate, NCCMERP and its members should report medication errors and hazards, especially those that they believe are urgent, to ISMP.
ISMP reviews all reported medication and vaccine errors and hazards it receives and determines whether an issue warrants development of a NAN alert.
ISMP develops the NAN alert with input from others as appropriate (e.g., ASHP). Once developed, ISMP sends NCCMERP (and others) the NAN Alert.
NCCMERP publishes the NAN alert on its website and forwards the NAN alert to all NCCMERP members.
As appropriate, NCCMERP members should promptly share the NAN alert with their organizations' members.
Quality Control of NCCMERP
Review Website Integrity
To maintain the integrity of the NCCMERP website (the primary platform used by the NCCMERP to communicate information to public), it is important that all website links be operational and accurately convey the information detailed in their respective descriptions. The Chairperson, with assistance from other Council members, is responsible for ensure that website contents are current and that links referenced on the website are functioning properly. This review shall occur during the first quarter of each calendar year. The outcomes and recommendations stemming from this review shall be reported and deliberated at a subsequent Council meeting.
Review of Rules and Regulations
The council shall review its Rules and Regulations at a minimum interval of every four years to ensure they remain current and relevant.
Meeting Cancellation Notification Policy and Procedures
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to assure that the Council has a structured and standardized process for notifying members of a meeting cancellation in the event of an unanticipated emergency situation (e.g., weather, national security).
A determination of whether or not to cancel a meeting of the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention for any reason will be handled as follows:
- The Council Secretary will identify whether a situation or potential situation exists that threatens or compromises the ability of the Council to conduct a productive meeting and/or jeopardizes the safety and well-being of Council members.
- The Secretary will notify the Council's Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the facts respecting the situation of concern and, together, they will make the decision whether to cancel the meeting.
- A decision to cancel a Council meeting must be made at the earliest possible time to minimize inconvenience to members;
- An e-mail will be sent to the NCC MERP distribution list. The subject line will read: NCC MERP Meeting Cancelled.
- The Council cannot be responsible for any "lost" travel expenses incurred as the result of a meeting cancellation.
Press Releases
Press releases to the public from NCC MERP shall only be provided by the Secretary in conjunction with the Chairperson. Prior to issuing the press release, input regarding the proposed press release will be solicited via email from all Council members at least 48 hours prior to release.
version 5/26/2026