Published: July 28, 2016

Board of Governors: ‘And the survey says …’

Over the last few years, the Board of Governors (BOG) has made a concerted effort to obtain Member input on a regular basis regarding a range of issues through surveys distributed by its Socioeconomics and Grassroots (SEGR) Committee.

Hayes H. Wanamaker, MD, Chair, BOG  Socioeconomic & Grassroots Committee

Hayes H. Wanamaker, MD Chair, BOG Socioeconomic & Grassroots CommitteeHayes H. Wanamaker, MD
Chair, BOG Socioeconomic & Grassroots CommitteeOver the last few years, the Board of Governors (BOG) has made a concerted effort to obtain Member input on a regular basis regarding a range of issues through surveys distributed by its Socioeconomics and Grassroots (SEGR) Committee. The survey results are usually presented at the Leadership Forum & BOG Spring Meeting or the Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM.

The information generated from these surveys can be used in a number of ways. A recent survey regarding pediatric sub-certification helped make the American Board of Otolaryngology aware of the sentiment of the membership regarding this issue.

Last year, the survey on Alternative Payment Models (APMs) identified a number of our Members involved in various stages of development of innovative and creative projects.  Their experience can help us all to understand this component of the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) payment structure mandated by MACRA (Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act) and its Quality Payment Program (QPP), which replaced the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) payment formula and consists of a Merit-based Incentive Program (MIPS) and an APM pathway. The models are being tracked and may be used to help develop our own specialty-specific APM programs.

Our most recent survey identified areas of impact and concern as the ACA (Affordable Care Act) has rolled out. Issues identified included difficulties with timely payment, significant increases in administrative burdens and premium costs for patients and physician practices, loss of access due to changes in networks, and problems associated with the failure of a number of exchange co-op insurance programs.

Your BOG member society should have already distributed to its members the current SEGR Committee survey on issues related to emergency room call. Our survey addresses topics including on call requirements; duration and amount of call; age and length of service limits; trauma, pediatric, and subspecialty call; compensation; liability; and issues related to the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA), among other subjects. We hope that the information from this survey will be useful not only to the Academy to better understand the practice and workload issues impacting our Members but also to the Members themselves, allowing them to compare their situation to those of their peers across the nation. Our results will be more robust, more representative, and more useful with broader participation, so please take a few minutes to respond when you receive your survey link from your society representative.

Please remember—the purpose of the BOG’s SEGR Committee is to identify and help address your concerns. There are several ways to bring issues to our attention. Every BOG member society (state/local/regional/national) has a SEGR representative. In addition, there are 10 regional representatives and one specialty society representative available to help field questions. We also monitor posts on ENTConnect. Please share information, concerns, and ideas for future surveys with us, and please attend the BOG sessions at the Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, to hear the survey results and many other important subjects.

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