The Social Network

Medical societies are creative in delivering the educational goods to their members.

By René Luthe, Senior Associate Editor

Medical societies were founded with the mission of keeping their members on the latest advances in both surgery and drugs, and it's a mission they have not forgotten. All are not only using annual meetings to present up-to-the-moment innovations, but also popular new electronic technologies to get their messages out and keep members interested. And no one could accuse physicians of being indifferent in their efforts to keep up with medical education. According to an informal online survey Ophthalmology Management recently conducted, the majority of participants said that they belonged to three to five groups. Why so many? In conversations with ophthalmologists of various specialties, they express a desire to make sure they don't miss anything, in their specialty or in ophthalmology in general. They also place a high premium on connecting with their ophthalmic brethren, either at meetings or online.

Cataract and refractive surgeon Mitchell Jackson, MD, of Lake Villa, Ill., says that while political advocacy is a key criterion in choosing which societies he joins, educational tools are another critical draw. He feels that the AAO and ASCRS deliver. “The AAO and ASCRS provide the necessary educational tools for me and my practice, such as CME programs, annual meetings, webinars, publications and many other avenues for the administrative and technical staff as well.”

Vitreoretinal specialist Seenu Hariprasad, MD, an associate professor and the director of ophthalmology clinical research at the University of Chicago, concurs with this high opinion of the excellent educational opportunities the ASCRS and AAO meetings provide. Smaller specialty societies also play a critical role in education. Dr. Hariprasad notes that they are a necessity for the information they offer for a specific area.

“The Retina Society and ASRS have incredible educational value for me that is very pertinent to my day-to-day work as a vitreoretinal specialist,” he explains. He belongs to both the Retina Society and ASRS, and plans on applying to the Macula Society as well.

The social opportunities afforded by attending the meetings of medical societies rank as a valuable benefit as well. At the meetings of the general ophthalmic societies, such as AAO and ASCRS, clinicians can network with colleagues in other specialties, Dr. Hariprasad points out.

For networking for the purpose of referrals, Carl Regillo, MD, director of clinical retina research at Wills Eye and professor of ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University, finds regional meetings helpful. “They are a way of getting to know and interface with referring doctors, especially when you are first in practice, to establish relationships,” he says.

Additionally, medical societies earn their pay by helping keep members appraised of the latest technologies and practice management improvements. “Other benefits of large-scale societies are the avenues they provide for selecting the correct EHR/EMR systems and networking,” Dr. Hariprasad explains.

In order to provide their members with the resources they want and need, medical societies report conducting regular surveys of their members. The information they gather translates to the creation of new benefits, they say. Read on for some of the main ophthalmic societies' latest efforts to keep their members informed and efficient.

American Academy of Ophthalmology | Number of members: 30,000 | Membership fee: $875 | www.aao.org

Main benefits: Free registration for annual meeting; the journal Ophthalmology; Eyenet magazine; eligibility to join the Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company; access to the Academy Online Community, a professional network and interactive educational collaboration platform that includes blogs, groups and photo-sharing; the Epocrates Drug and Disease Lookup tool, which provides drug descriptions and interactions, information on diseases, as well as an image library and pill identification tool; CME reporting and transcripts; 30% discount on books and other AAO products.

Star benefit: ONE Network (Ophthalmic News and Education). It is one of the AAO's top benefits, according to Jane Aguirre, the AAO's vice president of Global Alliances. “It's a huge resource, with about 5,000 pages of content. It is interactive and offers assessments, videos, courses, cases and much more. It goes both broadly and deeply by subspecialty area.” She says that international members, who comprise about 30% of AAO members, especially appreciate the access to full-text journal articles. Currently, six journals are open on the ONE Network, Ms. Aguirre reports, including Ophthalmology, AJO and The British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Another of the Academy's greatest benefits is its ability to function as a united front for all ophthalmologists. “The Academy is the professional home for all ophthalmologists. It's very important for ophthalmology to stay united as a profession,” explains Ms. Aguirre. “We are such a small overall percentage of medicine—say, 3%—that if we are fractured, it only makes our voice weaker. It's critical that we stand together. The fact that 93% of practicing US ophthalmologists are Academy members reflects that ophthalmologists understand the importance of that.”

American Medical Association | Number of members: 238,977 | Membership fee: $420 (discounted dues for various groups) | www.ama-assn.org

Main benefits: No admission cost for annual meeting; webinars to instruct physicians how to meet the federal requirements for meaningful use of EHR; access to National Managed Care Contract database, which helps members analyze and negotiate contracts with insurers; a discounted rate for an analysis of practices at risk for an audit that helps them identify the risk they may face; Pathways for Physician Success Under Healthcare Payment and Delivery Reforms, a white paper for physicians considering accountable care organizations, payment bundling, medical homes and gain sharing; support from CPT Network; live support from AMA's Practice Management Center, providing members with assistance via e-mail or telephone with issues including fair contracting, accurate payment, and establishing and updating fee schedules; Journal of the American Medical Association; a discount on AMA books and products.

Star benefit: A new Web-based portal called AMAgine is currently in beta testing. “This will be a one-stop shop that physicians can go to get electronic health records, to get assistance with their practice, get assistance with meeting federal requirements for a variety of the things related to physician bonuses for Medicare and that sort of thing,” AMA president Cecil Watson, MD, explains. The platform will also help physicians qualify for up to $44,000 in HIT incentive payments that will be available over a five-year period beginning next year. Dr. Wilson anticipates the launch of the Web portal later this year.

Yet another star benefit, Dr. Wilson points out, is the size of the AMA. “It has the most resources in terms of staff and funding to do what is necessary in terms of advocating for physicians.”

American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery | Number of members: 9,500 | Membership fee: $485 (discounted dues for various groups) | www.ascrs.org

Main benefits: The annual ASCRS/ASOA Symposium and Congress; ASCRS Glaucoma Day and Cornea Day in conjunction with the Cornea Society; the publications The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, EyeWorld and ASOA Administrative EyeCare; the newsletters EyeWorld Week and ASCRS Washington Watch Weekly; online initiatives including EyeConnections, a “hub for electronic online services for members,” consisting of member communications and resources within a social networking program, and the listserv EyeConnect, which offers four main groups (refractive, cataract, glaucoma and business) as well as a group for new physicians; private social networking “communities,” each with its own resource library where documents may be shared and stored, are offered; the ability to create blogs; podcasts on relevant ophthalmic topics; the ASCRS Find-a-Surgeon service; a private member directory facilitates member communications.

Star benefit: The discussion listserv EyeConnect (formerly called EyeMail) is the benefit “our members are very passionate about,” says ASCRS communications director John Ciccone. “On it, members from around the world post all sorts of clinical questions. Within minutes they will get a half-dozen responses on how to deal with the problem. Often, some real luminaries in our field—Sam Masket, Doug Koch, Dick Lindstrom, Steve Slade—will chime in with advice. It's free-flowing, direct, sometimes controversial, honest and very helpful.”

Additionally, ASCRS's annual Symposium and Congress is a powerful draw. “It is the main reason that ophthalmologists join our society,” Mr. Ciccone says.

American Glaucoma Society | Number of members: 800 | Membership fee: $300 (free membership for fellows in training and doctors less than two years out of fellowship) | www.americanglaucomasociety.net

Main benefits: A free subscription to The Journal of Glaucoma; discounted registration for the annual meeting; early access to meeting registration and meeting room block; access to a members-only e-mail listserv that allows for threaded discussions and access to archived discussions on glaucoma-related topics; additionally, a new Web site is in development that will allow members to search for fellow members and see additional contact information, professional affiliations and AGS committee involvement; option to participate on various committees, the most popular ones being Patient Care, Education and Communication, Research and Program Committees. The new Web site will also give the public more information about glaucoma, finding support for patients and family members of patients with glaucoma as well as an improved Find a Glaucoma Specialist search, according to AGS vice president Kuldev Singh, MD, MPH.

Star benefit: “The AGS listserv is the most popular member benefit, with an average of 25 contributions per day with approximately four discussions happening simultaneously,” says Dr. Singh. The new Web site will allow for more threaded discussion topics with the option for members to choose which discussions they want to participate in.

American Society of Retina Specialists | Number of members: 2,500 | Membership fee: $350 (reduced rate for fellows in training) | www.asrs.org

Main benefits: Electronic access to the Retina Times newsletter; annual participation in the Practices and Trends Survey, as well as access to current and historical results; participation in e-mail discussion threads; CME courses offered at the annual meeting; billing and practices information; access to e-mail discussion archive data; membership directory.

Star benefit: That's in the works, according to ASRS president Suber Huang, MD, MBA. “We have made a major financial commitment to a new Web site and new association-management software,” he says. The site will be launched in mid to late fall and will feature enduring CME materials and up-to-date clinical information.

Additionally, Dr. Huang believes that ASRS's unique vibe is a valued benefit to members. “They really appreciate that this is the place where they can get all of the news; it's all practical, it's all meat and no potatoes. And yet it's in a collegial atmosphere where every member is valued. We don't cap membership or anything like that.”

American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus | Number of members: 1,381 | Membership fee: $375 (discounts available for various groups) | www.aapos.org

Main benefits: Discounted fee for the AAPOS symposium, held at the annual AAO meeting; subscriptions to both print and online editions of the Journal of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology; the AAPOS Newsletter; periodic e-mail updates from AAPOS; listing in AAPOS Membership Directory; access to the Member Resource Library of the AAPOS Web site; participation in AAPOS subspecialty programs; opportunity to submit online abstracts for consideration in the annual meeting.

Star benefit: In addition to educating members with the AAPOS journal, the society strives to educate the non-ophthalmic clinicians, usually pediatricians, who most frequently provide school vision screenings for children. “In pediatricians' offices, they do the screening exams, so we try to educate them on how best to go about screening kids for eye problems in the pediatrician and family-practice settings,” Dr. Sprunger explains. AAPOS also offers education for patients and their families through its Web site. “We have a bank of topics that are discussed and that are relevant to patients' families. They are very easily accessed through our Web site.”

Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery Society | Number of members: 350 facilities | Facility membership fee: $1,500 or $2,500, depending on number of procedures performed per year | www.ooss.org

Main benefits: A range of educational and networking programs for ASC owners, surgeons and staff, available for free at annual AAO/AAOE, ASCRS/ASOE meetings and in the form of enduring content via Webcast and online at www.ooss.org; access to the annual OOSS ASC Bench-marking Initiative, providing comparative financial and clinical measures involving more than 150 facilities; online publications devoted to legislative and regulatory issues and industry news; member initiated “Hot Topics” surveys and roundtable discussions; direct and confidential member access to a roundtable of experts to address specific questions related to clinical and business matters; exposure to industry partners offering advantaged access to products and services for the ophthalmic ASC, including the latest in surgical technologies, electronic medical records, supply chain management, equipment financing, credit card processing and group purchasing.

Star benefit: Online access to Allergan Access for the ASC, which offers articles, management tools and consumer resources available exclusively at ooss.org, along with online educational programs for administrators and staff via the BSM Connection, many of which offer CE credit for certification and licensure. This fall OOSS is launching a series of seminars regarding the integration of vitreoretinal services into the ophthalmic ASC.

“This is an outgrowth of an expressed need on our members' part and it's a real market opportunity for members to expand their business portfolio and clinical portfolios,” explains Michael Romansky, JD, OOSS's Washington counsel and its vice president for corporate development. “Cataract facility payments have been relatively flat, but there are opportunities for enhanced reimbursement in VR, where payments have doubled from $750 to $1,500.”

However, Mr. Romansky cautions that ASCs need to understand that incorporating vitreoretinal procedures in the ASC is not simply a matter of purchasing a new machine.

“It's a different kind of patient, it's a different kind of surgeon.” OOSS says its seminars will instruct ASCs in how to recruit the appropriate kind of surgeon, equip the facility and run an efficient OR. OM