Events. Continuing medical education. Research. Initiatives. The list could go on.
ASA works to advance the practice of anesthesiology on numerous fronts every day. Juggling so many balls at once isn't easy. But it is important. The work we do leads to better education and scientific knowledge, improves the health care system for patients and clinicians, and contributes to medicine more broadly.
To achieve goals this lofty, ASA needs partners who share our aspirations and enhance our expertise. ASA's Corporate Relations program, and our flagship Exhibits and Industry Supporter programs, foster connections that grow our capacity so we can better serve our members. We aim, always, for win-win relationships. The funding ASA receives through these programs makes it possible for us to lower costs and create needed resources for members. Industry gains knowledge when members engage with them, which helps them create products and services finely tuned to the needs of clinicians. Patients, of course, get better care when these partnerships advance our shared goals.
Whether you know it or not, if you're a member of ASA, you are part of this symbiotic relationship. You benefit from the lower fees and robust resources these relationships enable. Each time you engage with corporate partners, you're enriching the connection, giving value to our partners. Our corporate partners see and appreciate these relationships. As Robert Mark, U.S. Director of Medical Affairs at Merck for Anesthesia, told me, “Our partnership with ASA is the standard we use with other professional societies. It is our best, most collaborative relationship. We've gained from the partnership, and we're pleased to contribute to the good work ASA does.”
Partners like Merck, an Industry Supporter, and other Industry and Corporate Relations supporters make a range of ASA initiatives possible. A significant driver of ANESTHESIOLOGY®, for example, is our exhibit hall. We hope you'll spend time with our exhibitors, learning about the latest innovations in the specialty. This is not only true for our annual meeting but for ADVANCE: The Anesthesiology Business Event as well. Corporate funds also provided support for the Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety Meeting. Corporate Relations revenue supports ASA initiatives such as our opioid initiative, our Perioperative Brain Health Initiative, and the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH). They even support mentorship by providing funds to the ASA Mentoring Grant Program, a product of the Committee on Professional Diversity, which promotes membership and supports members of diverse backgrounds
Individual results of the many efforts we tackle with corporate partners come in various shapes and sizes. Generally speaking, corporate partners align with ASA on initiatives that reflect their interests, drive better products, and improve collaboration with anesthesiologists. Merck, for example, is invested in improving patient communication, so they provided a restricted grant to fund the development of a patient journey roadmap, part of our PSH initiative, to improve patient communication, ensuring patients and their families understand what to expect before, during, and after surgery.
Products like the PSH patient journey map represent one of the many ways corporate partners support ASA education. In addition to the events, resources, and initiatives made stronger through corporate support, ASA's Corporate Relations program secures restricted CME education grants to provide free education to members and residents. If you're taking advantage of these free educational resources, you can rest assured that the education is top notch and free of corporate influence. “When we support medical education, it's not a commercial operation,” Mark said. “Industry has strict guidelines and controls around the medical education we fund. Contributions must be given as restricted grants. So, when ASA members are looking at CME resources funded by a grant from Merck or our peer organizations, it is independently created by ASA. Industry funds research and education to support clinical practice advances because that contributes to appropriate use of our products and services.”
Beyond these many tangibles, the relationships we develop with corporate partners are beneficial to both parties because it expands our networks of experts and thought leaders, for example. “For partners like Merck, financial resources are only one way to support ASA and its members. Making our extensive network of relationships – a broad range of global perioperative clinicians and leaders – available to the society is another benefit we bring to the table,” said Mark. Listening to and learning from other stakeholders helps ASA grow and evolve, adapting to an ever-changing health care landscape.
The collaborations we create working with corporate partners benefit partners, patients, and members like you. As ASA's Corporate Relations and Business Development Executive, I encourage you to spend time sharing with, and learning from, ASA's corporate partners when you get the opportunity.
Deborah Greif is ASA's Corporate Relations and Business Development Executive.
