AAO-HNS Bulletin | Special Edition | January 2021

ENTNET.ORG/BULLETIN AAO-HNS BULLETIN SPECIAL EDITION: 125TH ANNIVERSARY 5 A s I reflect on the significance of our upcoming 125th anniversary as a specialty organization, I am thankful for my good fortune to have been involved in virtually every Academy activity at one time or the other over the last 40 years. This commemorative issue of the Bulletin contains a great deal of historical information concerning memorable and significant activities and contributions presented by our volunteer guest authors. For those interested in a comprehensive history, I refer you to the Century of Excellence published in 1996. We will be releasing the sequel to that publication that covers 1997- 2021 at our eagerly awaited 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting & OTO Experience in Los Angeles, California, this October. Our founders included a small group of about 50 otolaryngologists and ophthalmologists who met together in Kansas City, Missouri, to share experiences through in-person meetings and discussions and promote the advancement of care in the two specialties. Subsequently, ophthalmology first and otolaryngology second, formed the first specialty society boards of their time. The organizations’ dedication to improving patient care and focus on education in their respective specialties set them apart through good and bad times. This allowed them to progress as specialties through World War I and the Spanish flu, the Great Depression followed by World War II and the Cold War. Advances in technology and patient care led to the splitting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (AAOO) into the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO). Otolaryngology then united with the merger of the AAO and the American Council of Otolaryngology and held their first annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1982, which I attended. The continued growth in the specialty and the organization can be directly linked to scientific and clinical advances and the application of innovative technology disseminated to otolaryngologists through continually improving residency training programs and education offerings available widely to the community. As the healthcare payment system became more complex in the 1980s, particularly after adoption of the resource-based relative value scale payment methodology by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Academy’s role in legislative and regulatory advocacy dramatically increased and joined education and research as a pillar of the organization and today remains one of the most valued services by our members. Over the years, the Academy has expanded from primarily an education and research organization that fostered a collegial community of U.S. otolaryngologists to a full- service association with significant international presence and collaborative relationships in order to meet the needs and preferences of otolaryngologists around the globe. The discipline to focus both talents and resources on factors directly related to improving patient care and meeting members’ needs has allowed our organization to thrive in changing environmental and political situations. The immediate future promises to challenge all of us at many levels as we traverse the second decade of the 21st century, a decade in each century that has historically produced change, disruption, and upheaval. Healthcare reform will be just one of many areas experiencing meaningful debate and potential game-changing evolution. It will be critical that the Academy works closely with the specialty societies within otolaryngology, physician organizations representing all areas of practice, and other healthcare providers to comprehensively represent the needs of our patients and members to those making the legislative and regulatory changes necessary to improve the delivery system and to equitably provide first-rate care to those in need at an affordable cost both here in the U.S. as well as globally. There has been an accelerating recognition of the continuum of physician needs based on stage of career, type of practice, gender, race, Our Rich History: Advancing the Specialty and Improving Patient Care James C. Denneny III, MD AAO-HNS/F EVP/CEO ethnicity, and other demographic factors over the last decade. The progressive increase in administrative burden, the continued frustration with electronic medical records, the recent COVID-19 pandemic experience, and a host of other stressors have taken their toll on the physician community at a much greater rate than the rest of the population. All of these areas demand attention and constructive action along with our traditional services related to advocacy, education, quality, and research. It is imperative that we continue our sharp focus on member and patient-related issues through collaborative specialty-wide activities, particularly during the upcoming time when there will be increasing pressure and opportunity to expand into areas outside of our influence and expertise. Usually that results in loss of influence and ability to positively affect areas of concern that need improvement that are of higher priority to our members and the specialty. Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and the associations representing it has a rich history and has established itself as an essential highly respected specialty within the medical community. Just like the past 125 years, our specialty and association will rise to the challenges that confront us, advancing the specialty and improving patient care around the world thanks to the extraordinary dedication and leadership of our members.