Lack of confidence in the AMA has manifested in declining membership rolls. The percentage of nonrenewals in AMA membership has doubled from 10% to 20% over the last decade, with young, active physicians accounting for most of the decline. “That amounts to 430,000 physicians who are no longer members,” he said.
AMA could conceivably boost its membership by focusing on medical society activists and “positive” society supporters, two groups of physicians that embrace the idea of society medicine, Mr. Gupta suggested. About 290,000 physicians represent these “joiner” segments, though most are mature physicians, not young ones, he said.
“Joiners” have “a remarkably uniform view of what they want us to deliver: focused advocacy on priority issues, opportunities for involvement, and communications about progress and results,” Dr. Maves said.
Targeting residents should be a key strategy, said Brooke Bible, the medical student representative to the AMA's political action committee. While the AMA enjoys an excellent student constituency, “the residency period—where people get tired, jaded, or busy—is where we lose members.”
The campaign begins in 2005, using surveys, town meetings, and other grassroots activities to connect with physicians, Gary Epstein, the AMA's new chief marketing officer, said in an interview. Patients in particular have always supported the AMA's charge, “and we need to leverage that” as a resource, he said.