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December 2002
Volume 66 |
Number 12 |
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ASA Is Alive and in Excellent Health!
There are a number of ways to measure the
health of a membership organization such as ASA, and
I will take this opportunity to review several of these
measures.
Membership
Based upon current totals, ASA will close out 2002 with
an all-time record membership exceeding 38,000. This
represents a gain of approximately 1,000 members since
December 31, 2001, and continues the trend of setting
annual membership records. At a time when many professional
associations are experiencing stagnated or decreasing
memberships, ASA continues to show healthy signs of
growth.
Education
More than 7,500 ASA members attended the 2002 Annual
Meeting in Orlando, Florida. With a total attendance
of approximately 17,000 individuals, this year’s
meeting was an unqualified success. Educational presentations
were uniformly acclaimed for their high quality, and
the number of technical exhibitors grew larger for the
third year in a row. More members than ever availed
themselves of the 2002 Self-Education and Evaluation
Program, and ASA continues to evaluate new offerings
utilizing electronic and online technologies.
Advocacy
While more difficult to measure, advocacy is of primary
importance to ASA members and is a top priority for
ASA’s leadership. All of organized medicine is
suffering from the legislative and regulatory malaise
in Washington, D.C., but our officers and staff continue
to keep anesthesiology in the forefront on numerous
agendas. The ASA Political Action Committee has become
a formidable entity in Washington politics and has recently
engaged itself in several gubernatorial contests. On
the reimbursement front, ASA has established itself
as a major player and is waging an all-out effort to
increase anesthesia reimbursement in the Medicare program.
Finances
Despite the protracted battle over supervision of nurse
anesthetists and a drastically declining stock market,
ASA’s finances are in very good condition. Our
reserve ratio is the envy of most membership organizations,
and our conservative approach to budgeting has enabled
us to fund those activities deemed to be important by
the Board of Directors. Slightly more than 50 percent
of our income budget is provided by dues payments, and
our growing membership ensures this continuing source
of funds. Educational offerings, advertising in the
journal Anesthesiology and Annual Meeting exhibit
income are the other major sources of revenue for ASA,
and these remain strong despite an uncertain economy.
Volunteerism
Volunteers are the lifeblood of professional organizations
such as ASA, and we rely heavily on the activities of
our members. As an organization, ASA is blessed with
an abundance of volunteers who bring their unique expertise
to all of our various endeavors. Offering Annual Meeting
registration to our members at no additional fee would
not be possible without our volunteer speakers. In all
respects, it would not be possible to provide our current
value to ASA members if not for the selfless giving
of time and energy by our volunteer members. Many professional
societies are finding it difficult to engage volunteers,
and our success in this area is a true measure of our
health.
Leadership
I frequently hear reports that some professional societies
are having difficulty recruiting members into leadership
positions. That certainly is not the case at ASA. We
are fortunate to have many capable members who aspire
to positions as officers or members of the Board of
Directors. Their willingness to compete in an open election
process signifies the importance placed on these activities.
There is a strong desire by many ASA members to become
part of ASA’s leadership excellence.
Staff
Continuity and longevity of staff is an important measure
of the health of any organization. On this score, ASA
has few equals. With a turnover rate of only about 4
percent, ASA is the envy of many other societies. Association
managers are fond of utilizing comparison ratios, especially
when their numbers fall above the curve, and I am no
exception. In a recent medical society survey, ASA had
the highest income-to-staff ratio as well as the highest
member-to-staff ratio. This can probably be attributed
to the fact that 21 of our 54 staff members have more
than 10 years of service. Although ASA has grown by
1,000 members in the past year, it has not been necessary
to add any additional staff. With staff continuity comes
efficiency, and ASA has a dedicated staff that is firmly
committed to the ongoing success of ASA.
So there you have it. The American Society of Anesthesiologists
is not only alive but by all measures is in excellent
health and is well-positioned to meet the many challenges
of the future.
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The views expressed herein are those of the authors and
do not necessarily represent or reflect the views, policies
or actions of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
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