The medical society and association landscape is ever-changing. We turn to the American Association of Medical Society Executives to learn from leaders in this space and hear their experiences adopting to change. Three overarching topics caught my eye at the upcoming AAMSE Annual conference in Minneapolis: MACRA and the QPP, Member Engagement Strategies, and Professional Development. I hope the summary below will help you navigate AAMSE and if you’re interested in exploring further, check out the additional resources provided to see where your learning management system may be able to step in and help.
MACRA and the QPP
We are paying close attention to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). These changes directly tie reimbursement to performance and performance improvement activities, which can be designed and implemented using a learning management system. At AAMSE, the focus is on the Quality Payment Program, which is the result of these changes created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The program can be broken down into two different tracks: Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs). For more information on the role of education and performance improvement, read our blog post on How Medicare Payment Changes will Drive Performance Improvement.
AAMSE Sessions on the Topic
MACRA: Implementing the Quality Payment Program— What’s Now, What’s to Come
Cynthia A. Brown, Vice President, Government Affairs, American Medical Association and
R. Shawn Martin, Senior Vice President, Advocacy, Practice Advancement, and Policy,
2017 marks the first performance measurement period under Medicare’s new Quality Payment Program (QPP), created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). In this session, you will learn about key aspects of the QPP, what is to come and how advocacy from medicine achieved improvements for patients and physicians. You will also hear about current and planned provisions like “virtual groups” in the QPP intended to help solo and small group practices.
The Medicare Quality Payment Program (aka MACRA) 201: Know the Details and How to Help Your Members
Shari M. Erickson, MPH, Vice President, Governmental and Medical Practice, American College of Physicians (ACP)
The new Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), established by the MACRA law, is intended to streamline the Medicare reporting programs, incentivize movement toward value-based payment, and ideally improve patient care. However, sea changes like this in a program as big as Medicare can be very complicated to implement, understand, and explain. Further, many of our members may not even be aware of these changes—and if they are, they can feel overwhelmed and uncertain of what to do to be successful. This deep dive into MACRA/QPP is intended to outline the details of this complex program with an aim of helping the participants be able to effectively educate and provide assistance to their own members.
Member Engagement Strategies
Member engagement is not a new topic, but this year’s AAMSE lineup provides some new ideas for grabbing member’s attention. See the sessions below, and also read our blogs on the topic for more information: Designing Member Engagement into your Website and Using an LMS to Enhance Marketing and Increase Sales
AAMSE Sessions on the Topic
Who We Are; Who We Asked; Why It Matters: Bringing Engagement and Brand Identity Together
Daniel E. Trucil, MA, MPH, Communications Manager, American Geriatrics Society
“What three words describe your profession?” It looks like an obvious question, but don’t be fooled. Taking time to ask—and building engagement around responses—can bolster everything from your association’s sense of belonging to your role in helping members convey what they do. This case study will explore how the AGS translated this simple question into a campaign for celebrating enthusiasm, spotlighting AGS leadership, and raising funds for our foundation (all with little-to-no budget).
Using Member Personas for Smarter Marketing and Increased Engagement
Shannon Goecke, Director, Membership, and Marketing, California Academy of Family Physicians and Elizabeth Lukrich, Manager, Communications and Social Media, California Academy of Family Physicians
There is no “one size fits” all approach to membership marketing. To meaningfully communicate the value of membership and drive member engagement, it is critical to identify your different member segments and understand their values and motivators. Personas – fictional characters created to represent different types of actual members – can help inform these efforts. The presenters will share their experiences synthesizing data from member surveys, censuses, and focus groups to develop member personas, as well as best practices for creating targeted messaging that raise awareness of membership benefits, encourage member participation, and increase retention.
Brett Kell, MSM, Senior Communications Manager, American College of Mohs Surgery
As most medical society professionals know, communicating to and on behalf of physicians and other medical staff can be a delicate art. Striking the right tone, finding an authentic voice, and delivering messages effectively is important to the success of any organization. Have you struggled to find a balance between content and confidence in your writing? This session will explore strategies for communicating to a physician audience, as well as externally-directed writing on behalf of physician members.
Professional Development: Focus on Leadership
In the ever-changing medical market, medical society executives strive to be nimble and quick to adapt. The keynote session on Wednesday, Master Your World: 10 Executive Strategies to Improve Productivity, Profits, and Communications with Mary C. Kelly, is a great way to kick-off AAMSE for all medical society executives in attendance.
AAMSE Sessions on the Topic
Diversity in Leadership Development Programs: Assessing Needs, Opportunities, and Options
Leslie B. Howell, CHCP, Director CME, Training & Physician Leadership Programs, Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED, Christina M. Shepherd, Membership and Leadership Development Manager, Texas Medical Associationand Babette Grey, Executive Director, New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Come prepared to engage with representatives from three associations as we share our experiences with designing and implementing our respective organizations’ leadership programs. Explore ideas, strategies and practical tools you could use to create and/or grow your own leadership development program.
Association Management Challenge
Linda A. Lambert, CAE, Executive Director, New York Chapter, American College of Physicians, Lynda Layer, CAE, Massachusetts Medical Society and Donna Seawards, CAE CNAP, Executive Director, Arizona Geriatrics Society, American College of Physicians IL & IN Chapters
This session is designed as an interactive breakout modeled after the game show “Jeopardy.” The questions will test the knowledge and educate both contestants and audience members alike. Questions and answers will be similar to those typically used in the CAE exam process. In this session, two rounds of “jeopardy” will be offered to allow a maximum of 24 “contestants” with unlimited “audience” members.
Leadership Strategies to Enhance Your Performance
Steve Smith, MS CAE, Executive Director & CEO, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Christina Rowe, MSOL, Founder, The Collaborative, LLC
Medical society staff members wear many hats. Those who are most successful are able to identify and apply their unique talents to their work with colleagues, members, and volunteer leaders. Strengths-based methods have been used by medical society teams to heighten individual and team engagement, communication, understanding, and productivity. Discover how these and other cost-effective resources can help you and your team engage in professional and career growth across all levels of the organization.
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