Starting in November 2016, the LUGPA Board of Directors and I have been working to fulfill and execute LUGPA’s mission to preserve and advance the independent practice of urology.
In my last report (Rev Urol. 2016;18(4):225), I shared some of the goals that LUGPA will be pursuing in 2017. One goal is to address the heterogeneity of LUGPA membership thoughtfully, which assuredly varies regionally within the United States, and thus provide LUGPA member benefits that address these differences according to practice size and location. By understanding each member practice’s needs, we strengthen the LUGPA Board of Directors’ goal to encompass a more involved and diverse LUGPA membership.
With the aforementioned in mind, I am very pleased to announce the dates for the 2017 LUGPA Integrated Urology Practice Forums. Similar to the well-attended and well-received series of regional meetings in 2016, LUGPA will offer three educational and interactive forums, on three dates, hosted in three different US regions, in order to allow maximum flexibility for practices to ensure their attendance. These forums are available to both member and nonmember groups.
The first 2017 forum will be held in Detroit, Michigan, on March 10 and 11; the second will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, on April 28 and 29; and, the third will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 2 and 3. These interactive meetings, brought back by member demand, are a unique educational initiative that will advance independent urology practices of all dimensions, by helping groups enhance their business integration challenges by tackling today’s challenging issues. Some of the topics in 2017 focus on the “nuts and bolts” of developing subspecialty service lines and will feature a “think tank” on future service lines; the topics of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) implementation and cybersecurity will also be addressed. Physicians, nurse practitioner leaders, and administrative staff are all welcome to attend and engage in discussion of the varied and potential practice management solutions. I encourage all LUGPA member teams to attend one of these regional forums. Please visit http://lugpa.org/ for the program and registration details.
Building on our success in 2016, we will further identify and interact with early-career urology colleagues in order to better increase our engagement and diversification with this important membership segment. The 2016 inaugural Prostate Cancer Academy, a conference sponsored jointly by MedReviews, LLC (New York, NY) and LUGPA, successfully brought together a diverse group of early-career urologists, urologic oncology fellows, and senior urology residents. The event, held in Denver, Colorado, was such an all-encompassing success that MedReviews and LUGPA will host another similar educational program in the fall of 2017. The agenda for this engaging educational session will soon be finalized, and will present the latest developments for diagnosis, evaluation, and management for all stages of prostate cancer. This exclusive educational opportunity is a blend of academic and independent urology practice experiences for 100 individuals, many of whom are new to the field, and are nominated to attend the event. We look forward to working with this inspiring group of urologists and encourage all LUGPA members to consider early-career colleagues as potential nominees.
Additionally, MedReviews and LUGPA will inaugurate Bladder Cancer Academy, June 9 and 10, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois; this will highlight and review the many new advances in bladder cancer diagnosis, surgical intervention, and systemic management, and augment our 2016 continuing medical education program, which was presented right before our 2016 Annual Meeting.
Consistent with our goal to be a leader in state-of-the-art practice management, information, and education for independent urology groups, LUGPA will collaborate with PlatformQ Health (Needham, MA), a leading provider of live online medical education events, to develop the Virtual Crossfire Event Series, aimed at advancing education for our membership. Throughout 2017, urologists and practice administrators can have in-depth discussions on topics ranging from the business impact of telemedicine, preparing practices for MACRA implementation, and controversial topics for both business and clinical integration.
Each 30- to 60-minute program will feature a live-streamed panel of experts on PlatformQ Health’s ClinicalSeriesLive website (http://www.clinicalserieslive.com/), and will later be available on demand. LUGPA’s new virtual education platform allows presenters to respond to real-time questions and polling from participants around the country, combining the benefits of in-person interactive education with the power of digital access. LUGPA’s new endeavor will provide urology practices with up-to-date virtual education on issues that are critical for success in today’s changing healthcare environment. Information about these programs will appear on http://lugpa.org/. Additionally, we are collaborating with UroToday (Berkeley, CA) to establish advanced and contemporaneous update in the ever-evolving specialty of genitourinary oncology; details are forthcoming.
In addition to diversifying and expanding our membership base, LUGPA’s political advocacy efforts for independent urology practices continues year-round. LUGPA’s Board and Health Policy Committee consistently and tirelessly presents LUGPA’s influential voice in Washington, DC. Most recently, LUGPA celebrated the introduction of the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) Transparency and Accountability Act of 2017. Introduced by US Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and US Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), this bipartisan legislation calls for significant changes to the USPSTF and the process by which the group makes formal recommendations regarding preventive care services. The introduction of the bill is a direct result of LUGPA’s communications to both US Representatives on behalf of independent urology practices. LUGPA applauds US Representatives Blackburn and Rush for introducing the legislation, and will continue to offer our association’s support to promote this bill during the 115th Congress.
We will continue to keep you informed of developing political news and how it affects independent urology practices. Please review detailed updates in LUGPA’s Government Affairs Report, which is regularly distributed via email to member groups.
Finally, I’d like to mention an invaluable member benefit that is currently in production: LUGPA’s soon-to-be-published Urology Practice Management: LUGPA’s Guidebook. This was created to provide today’s urology group practice with a “playbook” that offers chapter-by-chapter basics of group practice management, and explores more advanced topics such as how to form and merge group practices, the basics of governance and operation for your practice, how to use integrated service lines to expand patient access to care, future-focused direction on electronic health records and telemedicine, and other useful topics. This concise and practical guide taps into the knowledge and expertise of nearly 50 authors and editors, all of whom are thought leaders in independent urology group practices. The Guidebook will be made available to LUGPA members as a benefit of membership and will be available for purchase to the public.
I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the LUGPA Board of Directors and all LUGPA Committee members who have contributed their expertise and time in order to complete these programs and projects. Thank you to all LUGPA members for your continued support. As always, I encourage your input and feedback.
