Positive Changes Continue For SVU

As we move to Fall, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the various types of information that can be found on the SVU website (www.svunet.org) and in the monthly online newsletter – e-Spectrum. As I have shared with you in the past, your Society is constantly trying to find better ways of communication with you and provide services to enhance your professional career and membership in SVU. I am pleased to say that we have already exceeded our 2006 new member totals this year with 671 new members so far, and we are currently over 87% in our member renewals for 2007, an excellent renewal rate. We have had a very successful membership campaign this year and I believe this reflects the areas we have addressed to provide more value for our 4,300 members.

Frankie Hamme, SVU’s Director of Marketing and Communications, has been very busy finding better ways of notifying members in regards to new products and educational opportunities provided by SVU. If you haven’t noticed, SVU recently changed its broadcast email format. We are now sending out HTML broadcast email notices to you. Check your inboxes on a regular basis to find important information regarding your membership, the Journal for Vascular Ultrasound (JVU), the e-Spectrum newsletter, regulatory and legislative advocacy news, Annual Conference info, regional vascular interpretation course info, RPVI Exam Review course info, and new products/services. I hope you have had time to review the broadcast emails and share this information with others in your facility, especially those who are not yet SVU members.

The SVU website home page for September had a variety of valuable information, including the development of a new SVU Speakers Bureau to provide qualified vascular speakers for educational programs, and the availability of a new Professional Performance Guideline related to Physiologic Evaluation for Thoracic Outlet Compression Syndrome. I am proud to report that the 20 SVU Guidelines, which are available on the website home page to both members and non-members, have resulted in many positive comments from those who have utilized them in their workplace.

In our ongoing efforts to keep our growing membership abreast of the regulatory changes with CMS, there are multiple articles along with resource information related to rules and regulations, fee schedules, and issues related to credentialing and/or accreditation. Since we are now experiencing the impact of the first year of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) reimbursement cuts, it is very important to keep current on the effect these changes in reimbursement have brought and how we are coping in our work environments.

The quarterly Journal for Vascular Ultrasound also is available online and many members have taken the opportunity to also access the Journal in this manner. The monthly e-Spectrum online newsletter has been a very positive change we made in 2004 to provide our members and non-members with important timely information related to our ongoing advocacy efforts, regional educational opportunities, product information and other SVU news. Having been involved with SVU for many years, I am excited and pleased with the positive changes that have occurred to better communicate with our members and provide them with opportunities that strengthen your education and knowledge.

In closing, I want to refer you to an important article in the September issue of e-Spectrum related to service on the SVU Board of Directors. We have reprinted it again in this October newsletter. The article addresses the importance of service to SVU, the levels of service and the nomination process. One of the ways we as members of SVU can affect meaningful, positive change, is to participate in the process and bring new ideas and opinions on how to provide value and enhance our Society and the vascular ultrasound profession. Candidate Nominations are due to SVU by January 14, 2008; I challenge you to give serious thought to your participation in this changing profession by being a candidate for a position on the SVU Board of Directors in the 2008 Annual Election. Thank you for your ongoing support of SVU.