August 2007 | Vol. 25, No. 8

President's Message

by Melissa A. Vickery, LPN-B RVT FSVU

As Summer Comes To A Close…

I hope this message finds all of you doing well and enjoying the last months of summer.  It is hard to believe that we are approaching September. I want to thank all of you who helped make our recent SVU 30th Anniversary Annual Conference in Baltimore such a success. The Annual Conference in June marked our 4th year participating with four other vascular societies in presenting the Vascular Annual Meeting. Along with a variety of timely topics and focused talks, SVU also celebrated this milestone with a 30th Anniversary Gala Reception, which was greatly enjoyed by all those attending. Next year, the 2008 SVU Annual Conference will be held in sunny and warm San Diego, June 5-7, 2008. So mark your calendars now and plan to attend, I look forward to seeing you there.

What’s on Your SVU Website?

In looking at the SVU website I would like to highlight for you some new topics:

• Proposed Rule Issued by CMS for 2008 Medicare Physicians Fee Schedule
• GAO Issues Report that Supports Credentialing and Accreditation for Medicare Ultrasound Procedures
• Results of the June 2007 SVU/ASN Transcranial Doppler Survey
• SVU Signature Lab Membership Category.

In addition to the new topics listed on the website, SVU continues to provide updated information on upcoming SVU educational events, a Student Profile Directory, 20 Vascular Technology Professional Performance Guidelines, a very successful Online Job Center, as well as links to other professions and vendors. Each category on the website takes you to a more expanded list of topics, articles and links. The website and the e-Spectrum online newsletter are constantly being updated to provide you with timely information that you can easily access with your busy schedule. In fact, within the past month we made significant navigation changes to the website to make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. SVU has made a commitment by our Mission Statement to the advancement of our profession and we welcome your input on our ongoing efforts.

What’s on the Horizon?

The Membership Committee, Chaired by Debbie Pirt, has been working on providing the membership with those opportunities and benefits that they feel are important to our profession and your personal growth. The Membership Committee works along side other committees and subcommittees of the Society to accomplish this. Member input is of value to her committee to assure that they are pursuing opportunities and benefits that are needed/desired, so Debbie welcomes member comments at dpirt@yahoo.com.

The Advocacy Committee, Chaired by Dave Parlato, continues to keep abreast of changes in Federal rules and regulations and potential Bills that would impact our profession, as you can see by the new articles on the website and in the e-Spectrum online newsletter. We have learned from past experiences that when pending change does occur in reimbursement or potential Bills, there is very little time to pull together data to address this. I would urge all of you that when you are called upon by SVU to participate in a survey or perhaps a letter writing response, that you give some time in your busy day to do so. SVU has over the past years helped to affect change or stay some negative changes to our profession by enlisting data and response from the membership. You can have more of a voice then you might perceive, as a group it becomes a powerful tool.

SVU continues to be a leader in providing RPVI Exam Review courses, as well as regional interpretive courses, in addition to the Annual Conference which provides educational opportunities to enhance your profession. With the many changes that have occurred in reimbursement rules, SVU will hold its 2007 Current Issues Conference in Arlington, VA on November 2-3, 2007. This Conference will provide significant regulatory and legislative advocacy information that will be of interest to not only members, but also to Administrators and Billing Departments of non-members in hospitals, physician offices, and IDTFs across the country.

So what is on our horizon for SVU? Continuing to improve on what we provide the best, an avenue for advancement of this dedicated profession and the addition of many more new members. If you know of anyone in your vascular lab who is not an SVU member, please urge them to join SVU now.

Have a great remaining summer, and welcome the fall. I look forward to personal comments from the membership at vickerym@vasurgical.com. Take Care.