ASCRS News: ASCRS Annual Meeting preview
April 2023
by Liz Hillman
Editorial Co-Director
Administrators and practice management staff can anticipate the quality of education and networking opportunities that they’ve come to expect from the ASOA Annual Meeting, but the event in San Diego, California has a few new features and additions to enhance the attendee experience.
The ASOA Annual Meeting begins Friday, May 5, with a first-time attendee orientation and lunch from 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. This event will give new attendees tips and tricks for navigating the meeting and how to get the most from their experience, including a daily schedule of events and how to take the best notes during courses. ASOA leadership and members of the ASOA Program Committee will also be at this event, making it an early networking experience for new attendees.
ASOA’s educational programming for all attendees officially kicks off from 1:30–5:00 p.m. with Leadership Day, featuring keynote speaker Betsy Allen Manning. Ms. Manning will deliver a keynote that “provides a blueprint for becoming a more effective leader in today’s marketplace,” according to the program description. The presentation will cover culture building, attracting and retaining talent, creating a sense of purpose, and sustaining growth by mentoring staff to become future leaders. After her keynote, attendees will break into smaller groups, and Ms. Allen will work with each group. The day will close out with a “reset and recharge” message to get attendees prepared and excited for the rest of the meeting.
Saturday programming begins with a General Session that will feature a message from Executive Director Laureen Rowland, CAE, the induction of incoming president Patti Barkey, COE, awards and recognitions, and keynote speaker Colette Carlson. Ms. Carlson will speak on “YOU Management: Strategies to Avoid Burnout, Boost Resilience, and Accelerate Success.” A “Meet the Speakers and ASOA Exhibitors Coffee Break” will follow in the ASOA Networking Lounge. The ASOA exhibits are a new element this year.
“We’ll have 14 exhibits of our Strategic Business Partners and other companies,” Ms. Rowland said. “They will get one-on-one time with administrators.” The ASOA exhibits are open on Saturday from 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
A full day of programming follows, including roundtables, the COE Lunch with a presentation from Ms. Carlson, and a range of practice management courses. On Sunday, practice management courses run from 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. The Administrator Beginners Circle (ABC) Networking Lunch will also take place on Sunday.
The third General Session of the meeting takes place Monday, featuring keynote speaker Leslie Riley. Her talk will focus on setting, prioritizing, and reaching goals. Afterward, Networking Meetups will take place to further facilitate connections among attendees. Stations will be set up according to various demographics and topics that can help attendees connect with other attendees who they haven’t had a chance to meet yet.
“Monday is called ‘Tactical Takeaways,’” said Tiffany Perlberg. “Once attendees leave the meeting and are back in their practice, sometimes everything they learned that they wanted to implement gets forgotten or pushed to the back burner. The idea here is that the keynote will help set goals that attendees can take back with them and put into place. That leads to making new connections who they can reach out to and form that community with after the meeting.”
Monday will also include a variety of practice management courses. Specific, relevant challenges that practice management courses will address throughout the meeting are topics like staffing and retention, bringing in additional revenue, practice culture, and work-life balance. Course categories include business management, coding and billing, human resources, leadership and strategic management, marketing and business development, risk management and compliance, subspecialties, and technology. ASOA courses are open to all ASOA and ASCRS attendees, as well as those registered in the joint ASOA/Technicians & Nurses category.
Courses were highly selective this year, and direct involvement from administrators and practice management staff on the Program Committee and within the courses provides additional depth to all areas of the ASOA Annual Meeting, Ms. Rowland said.
“Self-care is an important topic these days, and you can find some of that self-care within the education and connections at the ASOA Annual Meeting,” Ms. Rowland said.
“This meeting allows attendees to strengthen connections and form bonds with people going through the same things they are. Strengthening connections at the ASOA Annual Meeting and enhancing attendees’ knowledge base through the education is something they can’t experience without coming in person,” Ms. Perlberg said.
About the sources
Tiffany Perlberg
Meeting Program Manager
ASOA
Fairfax, Virginia
Laureen Rowland
Executive Director
ASOA
Fairfax, Virginia
Contact
Perlberg: Tiffany@asoa.org
Rowland: Laureen@asoa.org
