Effective April 1, SHM migrated from the fiscal-year renewal process that exists in many medical societies. Now, all members who wish to continue their membership must renew 12 months from the time they joined or last renewed.
As members will recall, SHM’s previous fiscal-year (or calendar-year) renewal process meant dues paid between July 1 and June 30 applied to the current membership year, regardless of the date of joining or renewal. Because full payment could be made in January or February and required again a few months later, this did not sit well with SHM or—more importantly—its members.
Why make the change? Two reasons:
- Fairness. Each membership payment should equal 12 months of member benefits; and
- Simplicity. It will be easier for members to plan for renewal and budget accordingly.
Chapter Summary
Western Massachusetts
The Western Massachusetts Chapter of SHM met Aug. 28 in Springfield. The presenter for the evening, William McGee, MD, gave a presentation on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia. Dr. McGee is assistant professor of medicine and surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, and chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield. The event was attended by representatives of five local hospital medicine groups.
JOIN THE SHM TEAM
Interested in being a part of an SHM committee or task force? Now’s your chance. Nominations are open for SHM’s committees and task forces. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of SHM and the hospital medicine movement.
To nominate yourself, visit the SHM Web site, www.hospitalmedicine.org, and click on “About SHM,” then click “Committees.” Here, you will see a full listing of committees, as well as task forces and their current members.
For each committee you would like to serve on, please submit your name and a one-to-two paragraph statement about why you are qualified or interested. E-mail this information to Joi Seabrooks at [email protected] by Dec. 7. Appointments will be made by early February, take effect in April 2008, and last one year.
In the short term, this change means little for current members as long as they renew within the grace period. In the long term, members will receive an expiration date with their payment so they know they’re getting a full year’s worth of benefits.
It’s never too late to join or renew. Whether your membership has lapsed in the past year, two years, or five, renewing is as easy as a phone call or access to the Internet. SHM membership representatives can be reached by calling toll free (800) 843-3360, or by visiting www.joinshm.org. If you’re not sure of your membership status, have questions about membership or the new renewal process, or general feedback as an SHM member, please e-mail [email protected].
Lessons for Leaders
SHM hosted another sold-out Leadership Academy at the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 5-8. The meeting attracted more than 170 hospital medicine leaders for the Level I and Level II courses.
The Leadership Academy Level I was designed to provide leaders in hospital medicine the skills and resources to lead and manage programs. Small group sessions gave attendees a chance to interact with faculty and share personal experiences from their own institutions.
Jack Silversin, DMD, DrPh, president of the consulting firm Amicus in Cambridge, Mass., presented his well-known “broken squares” demonstration to teach the group to work together to learn effective communication. This course allowed attendees to evaluate personal leadership strengths and weaknesses and apply them to everyday leadership and management challenges.
The Level II course focused on discussions about culture change, negotiation skills, and finance. Level II faculty member Leonard Marcus, PhD, described how “meta-leadership” in hospital medicine links individuals through their leader’s vision to create enthusiastic followers. Dr. Marcus is founding director of the Program for Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at the Harvard School of Public Health. Mike Guthrie, MD, MBA, focused his presentation on finance and taught participants concepts and tools for mastering the case for quality improvement and performance management. Dr. Guthrie is executive-in-residence at the University of Colorado Denver School of Business.