Your membership and value expectations
Do you value your membership in the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) as much as I do? The clinical practice of medicine has become enormously complicated, and we live in an era of constant flux in the provision of healthcare—especially as it relates to regulatory requirements, socioeconomic and reimbursement challenges, and a plethora of other interjected patient care paradigm burdens.
Gavin Setzen, MD
AAO-HNS/F Past President
The clinical practice of medicine has become enormously complicated, and we live in an era of constant flux in the provision of healthcare—especially as it relates to regulatory requirements, socioeconomic and reimbursement challenges, and a plethora of other interjected patient care paradigm burdens. These burdens deleteriously impact provision of care and indeed the essence of the doctor-patient relationship every day.
The Academy is your partner and advocate in meeting these challenges head-on!
We recognize these challenges and are making adjustments to optimize the “Value 4U.” Our commitment to you is not only to continuously challenge the status quo, but to respond appropriately in changing it!
I have been a proud Academy member since beginning residency approximately 25 years ago. AAO-HNS has always provided a strong sense of identity and pride and remains a forum for camaraderie, fellowship, and “belonging.” In addition, it is my connection, and your connection, to the long and proud Academy legacy as one of the oldest surgical specialties in the United States.
I also see Academy membership as a defense against fragmentation in an era of subspecialization and practice consolidation. Specialty unity is critical going forward, and your Academy membership is the twine that helps to bind us so strongly together.
We all have come to expect membership value, especially with higher time demands and more choices for how and from whom we obtain information due to rapid advances in technology, competition, and social networking. As an organization, AAO-HNS strives to deliver a board of directors, Foundation, and committee structure with diverse representation that will continuously monitor, measure, and optimize activities for effective decision-making on your behalf, focusing on skillful, creative, and disciplined use of the Academy’s resources to help achieve these objectives.
We will continue to zero-in on products and services that reflect the mission and strategic plan of the Academy so that we can deliver consistent and effective valued member services, including:
- Instruction Courses included in registration and free education session webcasts for full AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience attendees.
- OTO Open, the AAO-HNSF’s peer-reviewed gold open access journal.
- Physician Wellness and Future Task Forces—Leadership initiatives addressing physician well-being and preparing for future practice through personal health, education, and technology.
- Member+, a program offering access to more than 200 online education activities.
- Reg-entSM [CMS Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) and Qualified Registry QR Designations], supporting Quality Performance, Advancing Care Information (ACI), and Improvement Activities (IA) reporting categories of MIPS and developing maintenance of certification, research, and post-market surveillance capabilities.
- Access to legislative and grassroots advocacy.
- Countless other benefits.
I urge each of you to further enhance your membership value through engagement in the robust AAO-HNS committee structure.
The committees capture talent from the membership, focusing member expertise and advancing the mission and strategic plan of the Academy, while providing the Academy with a pool of future leaders as well. There are more than 70 committees with almost 1,500 members. There is no better way to advance one’s career, network, and become involved in educational programs and activities that help shape and define specialty future research, education, and training.
Committee appointments are highly sought after, and applications must go through an extensive approval process before selections are made. Committee chairs review all applications and make recommendations to the president-elect. The president-elect, with the counsel of the chair of the Ethics Committee, makes preliminary appointments and submits these recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for final review and approval.
Members are appointed based on background and interest. Because committee membership is limited, some are very competitive, but the majority have openings. The broader your scope of committee interest, the more likely you will be placed on a personally and professionally rewarding committee. Download the Committee Member Handbook or contact committees@entnet.org for more information.
So, I call on you to renew your membership and join a committee as we collectively put our hearts and minds together for the success of our Academy and profession.
