Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

creating a diverse leadership group through elections. But there is clearly much more to do, including recruiting additional students into medical school and then exposing them to otolaryngology and helping them find residency positions matching their needs. The Academy has been active with the Harry Barnes Society to help facilitate medical student education and exposure to our field. The most recent Strategic Plan has focused on inclusive diversity and wellness and is dedicating additional resources to move forward. As subspecialization within otolaryngology continued to advance, warnings were sounded even in the late 1990s and early 2000s about fragmentation of our specialty and loss of a true umbrella organization to represent the specialty. When you look back at presidential comments over the last 20 years, almost all have mentioned specialty unity in one way or another. Despite the attention paid to the issue, by the second decade of the 21st century collaboration was at its nadir. Collaboration with the American Board of Otolaryngology was minimal, and there were almost no joint interactions. As problems with the healthcare delivery system increase both in terms of administrative burdens and payment concerns, the situation has reversed itself, and there have been innumerable areas where intra-specialty cooperation has produced favorable results for the specialty as a whole in legislative, regulatory, and payer victories. The Specialty Unity Summit has evolved to one of the most important meetings each year. stable or increasing physician incomes, and Academy growth while creating financial security and a tripling of net assets. The organization realized that change often opens the door to opportunities otherwise previously not possible. For the AAO-HNS that produced intraspecialty collaboration, more rapid advances in patient care,

The last 25 years have seen many disruptive influences that have materially changed the practice of medicine generally and specifically for otolaryngologists. The payment system was in the process of finishing the conversion away from the usual and customary fees through relative value RUC valuation, capitation, value-based, and contracted rates, all of which add up to roughly a 29% loss in value since 1998. Otolaryngology has continued to safely move procedures previously done in facilities to the office, saving the system significant, considerable money. The maturation of communication technology and globalization of many industries, including healthcare, also required strategic adjustment. Additionally, a changing workforce, social unrest, and the COVID-19 pandemic, all necessitated sudden change and flexibility by the Academy, stimulating effective solutions. The results have been good. The organization realized that change often opens the door to opportunities otherwise previously not possible. For the AAO-HNS that produced intraspecialty collaboration, more rapid advances in patient care, stable or increasing physician incomes, and Academy growth while creating financial security and a tripling of net assets. I hope you all will enjoy the third installment in this trilogy that documents the most recent 25 years in our 125-year history. The specialty has continued to grow and evolve in many ways, all designed to facilitate improved patient care, because of the exceptionally talented and dedicated professionals that populate our wonderful specialty. It will be exciting to see what transpires during the next 25 years.

James C. Denneny III, MD AAO-HNS/F Executive Vice President and CEO

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