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American Pain Society
4700 W Lake Ave
Glenview, IL 60025
| APS Ethics Task Force NIH Pain Research Consortium Treasurer's Report Membership Report American Pain Foundation APS Clinical Practice Guidelines APS Web Site Managed Care Executive Roundtable 1997 Member Satisfaction and Needs Survey Highlights of the Past Year
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a summary of APS projects and activities during the past 18 months.
The APS Ethics Task Force was appointed in March 1998. The increasing number of ethical issues related to pain management indicated a need for the task force, the chair of which is Michel Y. Dubois, MD. The initial charge of the task force includes these goals:
The task force will submit its report to the APS Board of Directors for the November meeting, at which time future actions will be determined.
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In November 1997 the NIH Pain Research Consortium held its inaugural event—a symposium, "New Directions in Pain Research." The symposium was the first in a series of meetings on the topic of pain to be convened annually as part of the consortium's activities. This inaugural meeting was followed by a conference, "Gender and Pain: A Focus on How Pain Impacts Women Differently than Men," that took place April 7-8, 1998.
The creation of the NIH Pain Research Consortium was announced by Harold Varmus, MD, director of NIH, at the 1996 APS Annual Scientific Meeting. Efforts to intensify APS's focus on pain at NIH and with other groups led to the creation of the consortium, which is cochaired by the directors of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Dental Research.
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Christine Miakowski, PhD RN, APS Treasurer
The annual audit of the 1997 APS financial results and systems was completed by the accounting firm of Coleman, Joseph, Jaffe, Flax, & Stuart. The final results were record revenues and an excess of revenues over expenses of $115,500—the largest surplus in our 19-year history. This again was particularly significant when compared with the 1996 loss of $12,742.
The total operating revenues for 1997 were $1,532,662, or 12% greater than the previous high reached in 1995. Of note was a significant increase in donations and grants to support Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee and Managed Care Committee projects, a 25% growth in exhibit revenue from the annual scientific meeting, and continued growth in membership to a year-end total of 3,598 members. In addition, very positive results from the investment policy adopted in 1995 generated an additional $105,736. The table below summarizes the 1997 budget (actual), and compares it with actual 1996 results.
| 1997 BUDGET |
1997 ACTUAL |
1996 ACTUAL |
|
| Revenue | $1,495,400 | $1,532,662 | $1,252,819 |
| Expenses | $1,434,004 | $1,525,913 | $1,324,882 |
| Surplus | $61,396 | $6,749 | ($72,063) |
| Investment Income | 0 | $105,736 | $ 59,321 |
| Net income | $61,396 | $115,500 | ($ 12,742) |
| Unrestricted fund balance: | $530,956 | ||
| Deferred member dues: | $252,783 | ||
| Total cash reserves: | $783,739 | ||
| 1998 budgeted operating expenses: | $1,596,907 | ||
| Reserves as a % of operating expenses: | 49% | ||
APS reached the milestone of more than $1 million in assets for the first time at year-end 1997. The combination of the unrestricted fund balance of $530,956 and the deferred dues, as noted below, resulted in total cash reserves of $783,739. These cash reserves are equal to 49% of the 1998 budgeted operating expenses, just 1% below the goal of having reserves equal to 50% of annual operating expenses.
The APS Board of Directors adopted a 1998 base annual operating budget in October 1997 and a final budget in March 1998, as noted below.
| Revenue: | $1,618,427 |
| Expenses: | $1,596,907 |
| $21,520 |
Here are some highlights from the 1998 budget:
Financially, 1997 was a very successful year for APS, resulting in record revenue and net income and increasing reserves. The financial position and ongoing operations of APS are very strong. The finance and executive committees will continue to closely monitor the financial activities to ensure effective financial management and to maintain the fiscal stability and growth of APS.
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APS membership continues to grow at a relatively steady rate, as reflected in the chart below:
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
| 2,858 | 3,055 | 3,315 | 3,444 | 3,598 |
| +11.2% | +6.9% | +8.5% | +3.9% | +4.45% |
The diversity of the membership continues to expand as more than 30 different disciplines and specialties are now tracked. The seven largest discipline or specialty categories represented by the APS members as of December 1997 are as follows:
The American Pain Foundation is an independent nonprofit consumer information and advocacy organization dedicated to the cause of effective pain management. The foundation evolved from discussions of the American Pain Society Board of Directors, who realized the need for a strong, credible grassroots organization responsible solely to consumers and consumer interests. Its mission is to generate greater public awareness of pain as a crucial healthcare issue, mobilize patients and other consumers to advance the cause of effective pain management, and support increased funding for clinical and basic research.
Drs. James Campbell, Kathleen Foley, and John Liebeskind officially founded and incorporated the American Pain Foundation in 1997, and the foundation has had a full-time executive director since January 1998. It has been approved by the IRS as a tax-exempt charitable organization and is presently headquartered in downtown Baltimore.
Four of the initial board members are former presidents of the American Pain Society. The foundation is now recruiting consumer leaders, executives who have had personal experience with pain, and others who will make this a thoroughly consumer-driven patient-focused organization.
| James Campbell, MD, chair and foundation president Kathleen Foley, MD, secretary Nelson Hendler, MD, treasurer Charles Cleeland, PhD, chair, scientific advisory committee Martin Grabois, MD, APS representative Robert Krughoff, JD, board member |
The American Pain Foundation's Scientific Advisory Committee includes some of the other most noted names in pain management in the United States:
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Charles Cleeland, PhD, chair Michael Ashburn, MD Lennette Benjamin, MD Charles Berde, MD C. Richard Chapman, PhD J. David Haddox, DDS MD Francis Keefe, PhD Matthew Loscalzo, MSW Mitchell Max, MD Christine Miasokowski, PhD RN |
