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May/June 2010 |
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- Bring a Colleague to ACOA Conference: Receive TWO $20 GAIN 1 Coupons!
- Students, Professors: Turn That Final Paper in to AAMA for New Student Paper Award
- Encourage Colleagues To Make the Most of Summer: Earn CAAMA and Join AAMA
- Foundation Announces Scholarships for AAMA Annual Conference
- Check Out AAMA's Vital Link™ Listservs Upgrade
• Register Now for 2010 ACOA Oncology Update, Positioning for Success, June 16-18, Chicago
• Recognize the Exceptional Efforts of Your Colleagues with an AAMA Award Nomination
• Looking for Good Leaders: Call for Region I and III AAMA Director Nominations
• Call for 2010 AAMA Annual Conference Poster Session Abstracts; Focus on Advancing Leaders' Knowledge of Strategies for Success and Healthcare Reform
• Register Now for 2010 AAMA Annual Conference, Navigating the Changing Landscape of Healthcare, November 17-19, Clearwater Beach, FL
By AAMA Treasurer S. Patrick Alford, CFAAMA, Diplomate in Healthcare Administration As American College of Cardiology’s CEO Jack Lewin, MD, said at March’s ACCA conference, this is “a disturbing environment for medical care.” It’s also challenging for healthcare associations. There is an assumption, among some, that nonprofits are in fact not supposed to make money. Indeed, the opposite is true. As the saying goes, “no margin – no mission.” The tightening of our members’ budgets over the past two years has led to tightening at AAMA, too. We continue to be affected by members’ professional development and travel freezes, low interest rates and reduced corporate funding. So what do we do when the stars are aligned against us? As successful organizations do, we balance prudence with creativity. We continue to focus on tight fiscal control and prudent investment in member services. While our revenue was below budget for 2009, a strong lid on expenses kept our losses well below initial projections. And we continued to provide solid services that provide value to members at a difficult time in their professional lives. 2010 is beginning on better note. Attendance was up 10% from 2009 at March’s ACCA conference. Healthcare administration positions being advertised through AAMA’s JobLink have more than doubled from YTD 2009 number – and are the highest for the first quarter since the program began in 2003. Registrations for June’s ACOA Oncology Update are triple what they were YTD last year. And new members are well above March 2008 and 2009 numbers. But the year’s just begun – and like the national economy and American healthcare, we’re no doubt in for a bumpy ride. Still, we’re off to a better start than last year’s experience. My fingers are crossed. But, as English Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said 155 years ago, “Never take anything for granted.” You can help as well. Dues paid on time enhance the Academy’s cash position to meet expenses and prepare for the conferences that are the hallmark of our continuing professional education programs. Gifts (which are tax deductable) to the AAMA Foundation also add to the Academy’s ability to plan and execute quality educational experiences and services to members. Two years ago, AAMA Board Chair Marilyn M. Henry wrote in this column as your 2007 Treasurer, “A thoughtfully developed strategic plan and a prudent annual budget keep us on track. It is too easy to be sidetracked by short-term performance.” The same is true today. AAMA Treasurer S. Patrick Alford, CFAAMA, is Executive Coordinator for Organizational Growth and Development of the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune, NC and Commissioner, Onslow County Hospital Authority. He can be reached by email at Samuel.alford@med.navy.mil. Students, Professors: Turn That Final Paper in to AAMA for New Student Paper Award AAMA has initiated a Student Research Paper of the Year Award. The Award was established through the efforts of AAMA’s Executive Online Editorial Board. The Award will recognize a healthcare administration student who displays excellence and originality in healthcare administration research and writing. The winning student author will be announced in mid-August and will be recognized at the AAMA Annual Conference. Eligibility and Submission Details: Click here for full details. Encourage Colleagues To Make the Most of Summer: Earn CAAMA and Join AAMA September 10 is the due date for scholarship applications to cover registration fees for AAMA’s Annual Conference, November 17-19, Clearwater Beach, FL. AAMA provides tuition reimbursement scholarships to each of its three yearly conferences – ACOA’s Oncology Update, ACCA’s Cardiovascular Administrators’ Leadership Conference, and the AAMA Annual Conference. Additional scholarships are being added for attendance by cardiovascular administrators, thanks to the sponsorship of HeartWorks, Inc. The scholarships are provided under the auspices of the AAMA Foundation. Check Out AAMA's Vital Link™ Listservs Upgrade The New Listserv interface will allow you to: If you are already on a listserv, you do not need to do anything. The new features will be available to you when you login to Vital Link. If you need to sign up for a listserv, or want to see your listserv profile: 2. Then go to “My Profile” and click the “View E-Lists” tab: The View E-Lists Tab displays all listservs that you belong to, plus those listservs that you have the ability to join. This tab will display the listserv name, address, your email delivery option and your delivery address. You can also edit your subscription options or remove yourself from the listserv completely. 3. Other featured tabs include:
Treasurer’s Report: Take Nothing for Granted
AAMA’s external environment reflects the environment of our members’ employers and our corporate community. That means AAMA, too, is grappling with the fallout of the economy and the future of healthcare reform.
ACOA Conference attendees will be awarded two GAIN 1 coupons for every non-member attendee they sponsor for the 2010 ACOA Oncology Update. (Non-member attendees must submit the name of their sponsor to membership@aameda.org prior to the conference.) That’s $40!
Healthcare administrators are eligible to earn the prestigious CAAMA designation as soon as they join AAMA. Contact the Education Coordinator at education@aameda.org or 847/759-8601 for full details. Membership and exam combo offer is $400, a savings of $65. Exam fee entitles examinee three opportunities to pass the exam without additional fees. Offer is for membership through December 31, 2010.
Foundation Announces Scholarships for AAMA Annual Conference
What does the upgrade mean for AAMA members?
1. You’ll need to login to Vital Link, using your last name and your AAMA member ID number at http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/prelogin.do?hidOrgID=aameda.
