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July 1999
Volume 63 |
Number 7
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ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE
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| Member ... Matters
... Matter |
Joanne Jene, M.D., Secretary
Member: a part of a whole, one who belongs to a
group or organization
Membership: the condition of being a member
Let us take a look at what the American Society of Anesthesiologists
(ASA) has done in the past year related to membership. By action
of the 1998 House of Delegates, we have established a medical
student membership category and redefined retired membership.
In addition, the current ASA Directory of Members provides both
fax and e-mail information if included in your renewal. It is
important to know that ASA does not provide mailing lists
for any medical vendor or political solicitation requests.
Member benefits are often overlooked or taken for granted; however,
the following are among those that you enjoy: the ASA Annual Meeting,
the journal Anesthesiology, the monthly NEWSLETTER,
educational opportunities, Annual Directory of Members, updates
on federal legislative and regulatory issues and practice management
information.
The 64th edition of the Directory of Members, published in l999,
led me to wonder if the membership fully appreciates and utilizes
the wealth of information that this Directory provides, which
can also be found on the ASA
Web site.
The Directory of Members includes a list of component society
officers and delegates to ASA, a section on member services, standards,
guidelines, statements, positions and protocols - a virtual encyclopedia!
Keeping Members Is the Name of the Game
The duties of the Secretary are to preserve and maintain the
records of the Society and to chair the Committee on Membership.
In addition, all matters pertaining to membership are addressed
in the Bylaws (Directory of Members, pages 487-520).
As a part of membership application and renewal, each applicant
for active membership must be a member of the component society,
and the application for ASA membership must be submitted by the
component secretary to ASA for processing. A single, three-part
application takes care of all the details. However, members are
concerned about the length of time it takes from initial application
to the receipt of ASA member benefits, the need for two endorsements,
logistical problems in components that are geographically distant
and length of time to transition from resident to active component
society status.
In addition, as a part of membership renewal, statements are
sent at the beginning of each year. A second renewal opportunity
is sent prior to March 31. Failure to renew after the second statement
triggers a letter, sent in April, stating that dues are delinquent
and that membership, according to the ASA Bylaws, will be terminated
on May l. This reminder provides an opportunity to communicate
with the membership department and to review the benefits of ASA
membership.
An "exit survey" is sent to each member who fails to renew membership.
This renders an opportunity to provide comment, update information
and enclose payment of dues. ASA staff members tabulate responses
quarterly, and copies are sent to the ASA Secretary and Assistant
Secretary. Information is shared with the component society and
district director, and personal contact, where possible, is encouraged
at the local level. The majority of comments relate to the requirement
that component society membership be a requisite of ASA membership,
concern about value perceived for component society dues paid
and disagreement with policy or position of the component society
and/or ASA.
Membership Present and Future
The Vision Statement adopted recently states, "ASA is dedicated
to the interests of patients and ASA members in all aspects of
the practice of anesthesiology."
In May, the Committee on Membership sent a component society
survey to each component in order to review and compare information
from the survey of 1996. The results will assist in setting the
agenda for next year by action from the Board of Directors and
implementation by ASA headquarters of new policies, computer capabilities,
protocols, staffing and administrative rules.
There will be a special luncheon program on "Component Society
Issues" at the ASA Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday,
October 12, 1999, from 12:30-2 p.m. This is especially pertinent
to component society officers, delegates/alternate delegates and
resident members.
Finally, the Membership Committee will be meeting on July 17,
1999. If this membership update motivates you to suggest items
for our agenda, please e-mail them to <membership@ASAhq.org>
Re: July Membership Matters.
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