Synergy - May/June 2013 - 8

president’s column

NAMSS Provides
Opportunity and
Access to Members

I
Melissa Walters, MHA, CPMSM,
CPCS, MSOW-C
President, National Association
Medical Staff Services
Senior Director,
Centralized Credentialing
Johns Hopkins Health System
925 Fell Street – 1st Floor
Baltimore, MD 21231
Phone: (410) 502-7170
Fax: (410) 502-5502
Email: mwalters@jhmi.edu

“Disciplining
yourself to do
what you know is
right and important,
although difficult,
is the highroad to
pride, self-esteem,
and personal
satisfaction.”
— Margaret Thatcher

8

/

SYNERGY MaY/JUNE 2013

hope that everyone is enjoying the start of
spring . This season brings with it additional
education, new technologies and better
connections with leadership . It is a season of
new beginnings and NAMSS already has had
several “firsts” to report on this year as the
NAMSS Board of Directors continues to move
forward with NAMSS’ strategic initiatives .

The Leadership Conference provided us with
additional opportunities to learn from each
other and from industry experts on what
we need to know to make the most out of
our professional careers, our membership in
NAMSS and our overall leadership abilities .
To those who participated, thank you for
another great year!

We have launched the NAMSS PASS™ .
NAMSS PASS™ is a secure, online database
that provides quick, easy and inexpensive
access to the affiliation history of the
practitioners you credential . Read more
about how moving to an automated affiliation
response system such as NAMSS PASSTM
can save your organization time and money
while increasing patient safety in the article
co-authored by Mary Hicks, CPCS, CPMSM,
and Connie Riedel, BS, CPMSM, CPCS .

Also, we want to remind members to start
submitting applications on nominations for the
NAMSS awards . These applications are due
June 15, 2013 . Find more information on
the NAMSS website at www.namss.org . The
following awards are available to members:

NAMSS is also looking into bringing new
access options to members once we hear
the results of our upcoming technology and
social media audits . NAMSS is conducting
a technology audit to assess what is needed
to improve members’ experiences with the
website and electronic communications . We
are looking into ways to bring the NAMSS
community closer together . Understanding
members’ needs and what tools members
are using will help us to create easy access of
information and benefits for our members .
In May, the NAMSS Board of Directors and
the state leaders attended the Leadership
Conference in Annapolis, Maryland . The day
was filled with great learning opportunities .
The keynote speaker Richard Pollack, from
the American Hospital Association, provided
us with an update from Washington, D .C .
The other sessions touched upon professional
ethics and MSPs’ work with our legal
departments . Debra Green and Julie Hatley
spoke to the group on general education and
certification updates from NAMSS . Later, we
heard from several state leaders on building
a state association, starting a letter writing
campaign and impending state legislation .

NAMSS Scholarships
Apply for a scholarship to advance your
studies or to attend NAMSS or State
educational offerings .

Leadership Award
Given to a physician or healthcare executive
who has demonstrated support for NAMSS
or for the activities and role of the medical
services professional .

Golden Key Award
Nominate someone for the Golden Key
award . The successful candidate should
demonstrate a strong commitment to
professional growth and enthusiastic support
of NAMSS certification programs .
NAMSS recognizes that our members
work hard and are excellent contributors
to our association . Thank you for making a
difference! Not only do I look forward to what
the rest of 2013 holds for NAMSS, we should
all look forward to the additional opportunities
and technologies that are to come for
members . Please keep an eye on the NAMSS
website for additional information .
Best,
Melissa Walters
2013 NAMSS President
http://www.namss.org http://www.namss.org/AboutUs/NAMSSScholarshipsAwards/NAMSSScholarships/tabid/143/Default.aspx http://www.namss.org/AboutUs/NAMSSScholarshipsAwards/LeadershipAward/tabid/141/Default.aspx http://www.namss.org/AboutUs/NAMSSScholarshipsAwards/GoldenKeyAward/tabid/142/Default.aspx
Synergy - May/June 2013

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