AAOS, subspecialty societies keep solidarity amid administration, location adjustments

March 09, 2021

4 min read

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Disclosure:
Barrack, Bosco, Carson and Levine do not report any relevant financial information.

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In 2018, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons moved out of the business of managing sub-specialty companies as part of its strategic plan.

“The purpose and mission of the Academy is to serve its profession and its patients, not to lead other societies.” Joseph A. Bosco III, MD, FAAOS, The president and vice chairman of AAOS for clinical affairs in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone told Healio Orthopedics. “Even though we did that, we thought we weren’t the best at it. It wasn’t our specialty and we didn’t want it to be a specialty. There are many companies that can do this, and probably at a cheaper price. “

Although the business know-how provided by the AAOS benefited the sub-specialty companies, many of the sub-specialty companies began to outgrow the resources available.

“Some of the smaller societies that we raised and helped them a little, but once they were on their own they honestly didn’t need our help. We didn’t have to stand in the way, ”said Bosco.

C.Management, location

Around the time the AAOS made the decision to stop providing business services, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons, the Hip Society and the Knee Society decided to set up their own business, which was the search for management, human resources and Legal services included hiring your own staff and running your own meetings.

Joseph A. Bosco III

Robert L. Barrack

To cut costs, ASES, Hip Society, Knee Society, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, and Ruth Jackson Orthopedic Society have partnered and will move from AAOS headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois to a building in Schaumburg, Illinois in April 2021.

“If you want to rent office space and share administrative services, HR services and some legal services, it is more economical to do so with a group of organizations.” Robert L. Barrack, MD, The President of the Hip Society and Charles F. and Joanne Knight, professors of orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, told Healio Orthopedics. “As it turned out, there were four other organizations with similar needs that seemed a good fit [the Hip Society]and the directors got along and agreed on what the needs were and how we could work together. “

L.gather experience

While change was seen by all societies as a step in the right direction, Eric W. Carson, MD, FAAOS, FAOA, The president of the J. Robert Gladden Orthopedic Society, which completed the transition to moving their office from AAOS headquarters in September 2020, said it resulted in a good, but somewhat scary, learning experience.

“[Being with] The academy had the advantage of knowing our agenda and our future goals. So that made it easy, ”Carson, a professor of orthopedic surgery in the Department of Orthopedics at Washington University, told Healio Orthopedics.

Carson said the J. Robert Gladden Orthopedic Society interviewed 15 management companies before partnering with Data Trace, which manages several other orthopedic organizations.

“We are still in the infancy to get to know each other, but overall we have been very happy,” said Carson. “It was a good move. We’ll probably save some money. “

William N. Levine, MD, The immediate former president of ASES said he found the experience of putting a new management system in place while navigating a pandemic as “remarkable because it’s not what you normally think is what you need to do during your president’s year.” However, he said he learned a lot about hiring a recruiting company, a lawyer, an accountant, and the various types of staff required to run an organization.

“Everyone of the ASES [full-time employees] FTEs, our loyal and wonderful collaborators, were all Academy employees and the biggest difference is that they are now ASES employees, ”said Levine, professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at New York Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center in Frank E. Stinchfield said Healio Orthopedics.

Eric W. Carson

William N. Levine

The change in the management of the sub-specialty companies was also beneficial because, according to Barrack, the companies “look under the covers” and understand how to run a company.

“It’s probably better that you understand these things, especially as you grow up and have a big meeting that has millions of dollars of corporate sponsorship and all the hassle changing hands,” Barrack said. “Would you outsource all of that and trust what flows back to you, or would it be better if you actually do it yourself? Of course, it’s better to run it yourself. “

relationship status

Despite the benefits and positive responses the sub-specialty companies have received with the changes in corporate governance, Carson found that they felt disconnected from the AAOS.

“From our perspective, the management perspective, you feel a little aloof because the people who ran the management were working at AAOS and you felt a little more involved,” Carson said.

However, Levine said the academy and the sub-specialty companies need each other to continue to thrive. The AAOS threatens to become like general surgery, a somewhat empty vessel after all the sub-specialty societies overflow, while the sub-specialty societies rely on the AAOS to lead the way in patient and practice advocacy, he noted.

“Personally, I hope that the modern view is a symbiotic relationship that is respectful, that both sides need to bring something to the table and that neither side is looking at this since we are the leverage and you will do what we want or we do what you want, ”said Levine.

Since maintaining a solid relationship among the sub specialty companies is part of the AAOS partnership principles, Bosco determined that changing the sub specialty companies geographically and administratively should not change the partnership and solidarity relationship between the groups.

“We have come to the realization that partnership and solidarity in 2021 have nothing to do with co-location,” said Bosco. “We’re almost in the 1980s [and] 90s mentality where it’s great when we’re all in the same place. It builds a partnership. That’s true to some extent, but now that we’re connected through the internet and all these other platforms, we can maintain solidarity and alignment without having to be in the same place. “

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