AAOS Strategic Plan

AAOS Vision
AAOS will be the authoritative source of knowledge, leadership and advocacy in musculoskeletal health.

AAOS Mission
AAOS will champion the interests of all patients, serve our members and the profession, and advance the highest quality musculoskeletal health.

Goals
The goals that follow are designed to advance the AAOS vision and mission and serve as the basis for all evaluations of achievement and performance.

Education
To advance its mission, AAOS will offer programs, products, and services that reflect and respond to the evolving needs of all of our patients, current and prospective members, and other health care providers.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will:

• analyze programs, services, and educational offerings at least annually to ensure the relevance of the strategic goals to the organization and to members’ needs
• ensure that new programs are in place to address emerging issues that are of high importance to members
• educate on and advocate for professionalism, ethics and cultural competence in orthopaedics
• meet members’ needs relative to their pursuit of Maintenance of Certification.

Advocacy
To advance its mission, AAOS will use its unified advocacy agenda to provide focus to and direct public policy activities and initiatives.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will:

• advocate on behalf of all of our patients
• give priority in the agenda to issues that rank high in importance to members serving the interest of all of our patients and our members, such as patient centered care, patient safety, patient access to specialty care, implementation of improvement in health care, professional compliance, medical liability reform, fair compensation, research funding, anti-trust relief, ownership of health care facilities and services and important emerging issues
• communicate public policy issues, successes and outcomes to ensure that members view AAOS as their primary source of knowledge for public policy/advocacy
• strengthen the Political Action Committee (PAC) of the AAOS by increasing the number of members who contribute and who participate in the election of political candidates aligned with our advocacy agenda
• work collaboratively with all stakeholders to enhance the health care of all patients while promoting the efficient use of resources.

Research and Quality
The AAOS research agenda will focus on those matters most important to all patients, members, and other health care professionals.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will include in its agenda the following quality measures:

• appropriate use criteria
• patient safety
• guideline development
• performance measures
• evidence-based education and training
• timely updates on biologics and device safety and regulatory issues
• support of basic, translational, clinical and health systems research.

Communication
To advance its mission, AAOS will be recognized as the premier association for orthopaedic surgeons and will be the authoritative voice for musculoskeletal health.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will:

• focus on raising public awareness of the role of orthopaedists and emphasizing the importance of musculoskeletal health
• develop public relations programs that enhance the public image of orthopaedic surgeons
• raise member awareness of unique activities and programs that promote AAOS membership value, including education, advocacy, and research initiatives.

Membership
To advance its mission, AAOS will:

• conduct a member needs survey every three years
• conduct periodic assessments of the needs of other health care providers and patients
• strive to engage and recognize volunteerism by members
• monitor the participation of our members in the Annual Meeting and CME courses
• recruit and retain all qualified U.S. and international members
• establish annual goals for each member category and develop programs to match the needs of members and future members
• increase Fellowship participation in AAOS activities.

Diversity
To advance its mission, AAOS will foster diversity.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will work with members to:

• understand and respond to the diversity of the patient population
• promote the delivery of culturally competent care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient centered to help address and reduce health care disparities
• lead efforts to diversify the profession and the orthopaedic work force by actively fostering and supporting the inclusion of underrepresented minorities and women.

Unity
To advance its mission, AAOS will advocate for unity and for opportunities to collaborate with the orthopaedic specialty communities.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will:

• work with the Board of Councilors, Board of Specialty Societies, and individual, state, regional and specialty societies on an annual basis to identify and prioritize opportunities in the areas of education, advocacy, research and communications
• reach out to other orthopaedic-related organizations
• collaborate with orthopaedic specialty societies in educational programming
• continue to hold unity summits as needed.

Fiscal Affairs
To advance its mission, AAOS will remain fiscally strong.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will:

• align the annual budget to the AAOS strategic plan
• require business plans for all new initiatives
• adopt a balanced annual budget
• maintain the investment funds at a minimum of 50 percent of annual budgeted operating expenses
• ensure a unified fundraising agenda across the organization
• develop assessment criteria which evaluate all of the work of AAOS that is to be incorporated into the budget
• use the Board of Directors’ Leadership Review Group to monitor activities and programs quarterly
• work closely with the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation as our official fundraising arm to support AAOS programs, products and projects.

Structure and Governance
To advance its mission, AAOS will have a sharply focused governance operation.

To achieve this goal, AAOS will:

• recognize that the ultimate governing authority resides in the AAOS Board of Directors
• identify and develop future leaders
• provide members with opportunities to serve and facilitate their involvement
• delegate a high degree of authority, responsibility and accountability to organizational units below the Board of Directors
• align the staff structure with the volunteer structure.

Approved by the AAOS Board of Directors – December 3, 2010.