MGMA, ACMPE Merge To Form A Stronger New Association Sister Organizations Create Efficiencies; Formalize Relationship
The Medical Group Management Association and American College of Medical Practice Executives recently announced that a merger of the two organizations into a new association was approved by their respective memberships. These legally separate but aligned organizations will become a new association effective Jan. 1, 2012, better positioned to serve members and the industry in a rapidly changing healthcare marketplace. The new association will continue to use its established MGMA and ACMPE brands and will investigate ways to align these brands for the future.
With 22,500 members, MGMA is the largest professional membership association for medical practice management leaders. ACMPE is the most respected certification and standard-setting organization for medical practice leaders, and has 6,750 members. Current members of MGMA and ACMPE will automatically be transitioned to become members of the new association and will pay a single dues payment equal to current MGMA dues. Members of the new association who wish to pursue Board certification through ACMPE will no longer need to join a separate organization and pay separate dues each year.
The MGMA and ACMPE Boards believed it was vital to create a more effective organization that is poised to guide members through the uncertain landscape of healthcare reform and to enable the organization to be the leader in managing physician services in organizations of every type. After two years of strategic planning, the MGMA and ACMPE Boards of Directors created a proposal to form the new association to create efficiencies through unifying processes that were formally redundant, such as budgeting, financial audits and strategic planning. While both organizations are financially sound, one organizational structure creates efficiencies that best position the new association for success.
"As healthcare evolves, so must we. Many of our members and their physicians are moving into new employment models where they will need different skill sets. As the largest professional membership association and the premiere certifying body of medical practice executives, we need to leverage our strengths to provide our members with the tools they will need to succeed in many different environments," said MGMA Board Chair Shena Scott, MBA, FACMPE, executive director, Brevard Anesthesia Services, PA, Melbourne, Fla. "We believe that we can do that more efficiently and more effectively as one association that focuses its resources on adding value to the services we provide to our members and creates a more accessible avenue to certification and Fellowship – tools that we believe will become increasingly critical to success as the evolution of healthcare progresses."
"In working with the MGMA and ACMPE Boards of Directors over the past two years in extensive visioning and strategic planning sessions, it became apparent that there was a spirit of unified energy around better meeting the needs of our members and discovering new ways to assist them in their career paths," said ACMPE Board Chair Alan Winkler, MHSA, FACMPE vice president, Clinic Operations, St. Vincent Health System, Little Rock, Ark. "It is the right time to bring each association's strengths together to complement the tremendous history of success established by our predecessors and to position those who follow us to continue to enhance the profession and those who so passionately serve in it each day."
New Association
The new association will be governed by a single, unified Board of Directors. Within the new association, the Board of Directors will work diligently to increase member value and satisfaction, grow membership, increase awareness, value and participation in the certification program, aggressively expand the recognition, prestige, and desirability of the CMPE and FACMPE credentials, increase the number of people engaged with the association and strategically support the financial goals of the organization.
"We are truly excited about the opportunities that abound for our future," continued Scott. "We are in the midst of significant change in our industry and, as we have throughout the history of MGMA and ACMPE, the new association will be on the cutting edge. We have already started to brainstorm new ways to elevate the profession and the prestige of the ACMPE credentials. We have a strong foundation of financial success, industry recognition and experience from which our new association can bring forth flexible, innovative solutions to help our members succeed amid the many challenges ahead and to thrive in the new environments they will inevitably face."
ACMPE Certification Program
The ACMPE certification program will be overseen by a new independent ACMPE Certification Commission that will be focused on the oversight, quality and rigor of the certification, Fellowship, and standard-setting processes. The ACMPE Certification Commission is responsible for keeping the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management a current and vibrant document reflecting the the core knowledge, skills and abilities of the profession of medical practice management.
ACMPE certification is the profession's premier credentialing program and the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management defines the unique knowledge and skill set for medical practice management. Certified Medical Practice Executives (CMPE) and Fellows in ACMPE (FACMPE) enjoy greater professional respect, gain increased earning and career potential, and lead some of the nation's most successful practices.
About MGMA-ACMPE
MGMA-ACMPE is the premier association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices. In 2011, members of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), and its standard-setting body, the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) voted to merge to form a new association. Since 1926, the association has delivered networking, professional education and resources, political advocacy and certification for medical practice professionals. The association represents 22,500 members who lead 13,600 organizations nationwide in which some 280,000 physicians provide more than 40 percent of the healthcare services delivered in the United States.
MGMA-ACMPE's mission is to continually improve the performance of medical group practice professionals and the organizations they represent, helping medical practices provide efficient, safe, patient-focused and affordable care. MGMA-ACMPE is headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and maintains a government affairs office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit mgma.com.
SOURCE: The Medical Group Management Association and American College of Medical Practice Executives