March 2006 | Vol. 24, No. 3

You Can Still Renew Your SVU Membership for 2006

January 31, 2006 was the deadline for you to submit payment for your 2006 SVU dues renewal. More than 3,000 members have already renewed their SVU membership for 2006. There is still time for you to renew your membership for SVU and not miss out on the many benefits of membership.

If you need another copy of your 2006 dues renewal invoice, or if you are not sure if you have paid your 2006 dues, please call the SVU national office at 800-788-8346.

As mentioned in the cover letter sent with the 2006 dues renewal invoice, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors has decided there will be NO dues increase for 2006 because of decreasing support by employers and increasing costs in other areas of your lives. Your regular member dues for 2006 are $110, the same amount for the past two years. This dues payment equates to just a few hours of your annual salary.

You can renew your SVU membership online at www.svunet.org! If you have a problem in paying your 2006 dues in one payment, please call the SVU national office at 800-788-8346 to discuss payment options.

We hope that you also will consider making an additional voluntary contribution, along with your 2006 dues payment, to the SVU Government Relations Fund to help support SVU’s ongoing government relations efforts on regulatory/legislative advocacy issues, such as the recently passed Deficit Reduction Act that will have a devastating impact on the vascular ultrasound profession when it goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2007.

Although money is budgeted for the SVU’s usual regulatory and legislative effort in 2006, as a result of the recently passed Deficit Reduction Act the vascular ultrasound profession is looking at very substantial Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts for vascular ultrasound studies, effective January 1, 2007. As a result, SVU will be forced to fund a much more extensive GR effort in 2006 than anticipated to try and get Congress or CMS to change or eliminate these projected negative reimbursement cuts. Thus, we are asking our members to help fund this enhanced GR effort in 2006 by making a voluntary contribution to the SVU Government Relations Fund. Every member’s contribution will be well spent on fighting this major battle for the vascular ultrasound profession! Thank you!

Voluntary contributions also are needed for the Anne Jones Scholarship Fund. In June 2006 SVU will present the first Anne Jones Scholarship to a qualified student applicant to further their education in vascular ultrasound leading to a career in the vascular ultrasound profession. This annual education scholarship honors the many contributions to SVU and the vascular ultrasound profession by Anne Jones, a former SVU President and long-time Chair of SVU’s Government Relations Committee. Your optional voluntary contributions to this scholarship effort also are appreciated.

With your renewed SVU membership for 2006, you retain the following important membership benefits:

• A strong Government Relations effort representing your best interests on various regulatory and legislative advocacy issues.
• The excellent Journal for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU’s peer-reviewed quarterly journal)
• The timely and informative e-Spectrum monthly online newsletter with the latest SVU and vascular profession news and information
• Various opportunities to get your needed CMEs by attending SVU educational programs or taking JVU article test questions
• Discounted member rates on SVU’s education programs and products like SVU’s new 5th Edition Glossary of Terms Handbook
• An excellent 2006 Annual Conference planned for next June in Philadelphia with timely and informative presentations, an exhibit of the latest products and services for the vascular ultrasound profession, and excellent networking opportunities.
• A successful Online Job Center to help you fill open experienced positions at your vascular lab, or help you find your next position
• An Online Student Member Directory to help you find new vascular ultrasound technologists for your new entry level positions at your vascular lab
• Access to SVU’s Member-Only website page with more information of value to your professional vascular career
• An Online Membership Directory to find other SVU members
• SVU’s Professional Performance Guidelines
• And More!

For questions regarding your SVU membership, please call SVU at 800-788-8346 or 301-459-7550; or send an email to SVU at svuinfo@svunet.org.

To keep current with the latest SVU and vascular profession news and information, make it a habit to check the e-Spectrum online monthly newsletter on the SVU website at www.svunet.org.

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend SVU’s 2006 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA, June 1-3, 2006 during the Vascular Annual Meeting 2006.

Remember, with your support SVU has been the VOICE of the vascular ultrasound profession since 1977! Thank you for your continued support of SVU!

David Parlato
Chair, Membership Committee

Steve Haracznak
Executive Director