ABS Prostate/Gyn School 2014

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CptCrunch

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Registration is $250 this year for residents on the online registration form. It used to be free. What gives?

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Perhaps. One person's "cash grab" is another's attempt to provide educational products in the setting of decreased contributions from vendors and reduced registration numbers as physicians respond to the reimbursement landscape. Academic societies are not a profit-making enterprise, As Milton Friedman said long ago there is no free lunch. The sooner that resident's learn this truth the better.
 
Keep in mind that non-profit is not the same as 'not profit making.'

Just because an organization is designated a 'non-profit' that doesn't mean they don't compensate their physician executives lavishly.
 
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At 750 for each or 1250 total for ABS members, it seems as though the 250 is not needed to cover the resident side of the equation. While we should be teaching residents about the economics of our specialty we also should put forth common sense and put education above that. Raise the attending cost 50 bucks or so and get vendors to quick in more. The product placement at these things sells product, so why not treat it as a business and get something that will benefit the next generation.

Academic societies are not profit-making but that doesnt ensure that how they spend is in the best interest of the teaching residents and helping the next generation of radiation oncologists.

Charging a reduced fee for residents seems completely reasonable. Suggesting raising fees on non-residents physicians, industry or whatever Other Than You entity sounds like passing the buck. The poor think the middle class/rich should pay all taxes in this country. The middle-class thinks only the 1% should pay them. We ask our patients, many of whom are on strict budgets, to pay nominal co-pays to see us. I have no problem paying a small fee to attend classes. Our education is not meant to be free or a charity. A resident discount of 80% from $1250 seems perfectly reasonable to me. As was stated earlier, "not-for-profit" does not equate to not needing to generate income.
 
Keep in mind that non-profit is not the same as 'not profit making.'

Just because an organization is designated a 'non-profit' that doesn't mean they don't compensate their physician executives lavishly.
Agreed but rest assured that ABS has no physician executives. As a former board member and elected officer of ABS I can assure you that no physician is paid lavishly from the ABS. Faculty receive a token honorarium (200 dollars as of a few years ago) for their efforts. The major costs are room space and the "required" food and beverage minimums which the hotels include as part of their contract. Compared with other scientific specialty societies (e.g. Radium Society) the ABS dues and meeting fees are low.

This post started with a resident wondering about registration fees. I suspect that residents attending the meeting will be reimbursed by their programs (as happens at the three programs with which I have been affiliated) and I would venture a guess that a $250 registration fee would keep very few residents from attending if they had planned to go otherwise.
 
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