CAP TODAY Pathology/Laboratory Medicine/Laboratory Management
R. Bruce Williams, MD
March 2019—We launched the CAP member services and support strategy two years ago, setting out to figure out which benefits were most valued by the greatest number of members, identify places where we could find better ways to direct or maintain them, and see where we could be falling short. To keep everyone connected and everything on track, we created a coordinating group whose members had access to a fine staff and thoughtfully curated findings from years of member surveys and market research. Our own surveys showed how the interests and needs of our members overlapped. The market provided context.
R. Bruce Williams, MD
Inevitably, digging deep turned into digging deeper, but in January we met our self-imposed deadline for handoff from the planning group to the CAP councils and committees. It’s a work in progress, and this is my status report.
We wanted to consolidate operations in ways that would discourage duplication and encourage communication. We also wanted to find ways to ensure that any changes we made would be made with our members’ interests and commitments in mind. We could make some assumptions about member preferences on the basis of traditional metrics—years in training or practice, subspecialty, practice setting, and so forth—but demographics alone would not suffice. And some of what we hoped to measure proved largely intangible.
The planning group looked at every product or service we now provide. They asked what needs it met, how widely it was used, how well it satisfied those who used it, and what unique value it contributed in the marketplace. This would cover our tangible member benefits.
Some of the most popular options are provided via live and online learning events and practice management support tools. These include discounted and member-only access to CAP publications (periodicals, books, cancer protocols, laboratory accreditation checklists, resource guides, practice management toolkits), live and online learning (self-assessment modules, the CAP annual meeting, Advanced Practical Pathology Programs [AP3s], laboratory medical direction workshops).
CAP members know the value of medical citizenship. Our advocacy team in Washington, DC, and the many members who work with them can speak with authority to policy proposals on matters such as laboratory-developed tests and Medicare’s local coverage determination process. They also develop useful tools, such as the Pathologists Quality Registry, which now offers 28 quality reporting measures. The PQR features a dashboard with which pathologists can track quality metrics that are used for practice improvement and to determine eligibility for Medicare payment bonuses. CAP members enroll in the PQR at a discounted rate.
Another continuing priority is fostering interest in our specialty and onboarding new-in-practice members. The New in Practice Committee posts abundant practical career advice on the website that is useful to them and informative for those of us who want to stay in touch with the challenges that new-in-practice members face. A graduated dues structure supports junior and new-in-practice members and there is no fee to join the CAP medical student forum.