Advertising online and elsewhere is an effective way to attract new patients to your practice, but as in all communications with patients and the public, physicians are ethically obligated to present a fair and honest representation of their services, as well as the goals, alternatives, expectations, and risks associated with those services.

The Nov. 12 Webinar, “Navigating Competitive Marketplaces: Use Standards of Professionalism to Avoid Running Aground,” will focus on the two Standards of Professionalism (SOPs) that address this topic, and help orthopaedists recognize which tactics do, and do not, constitute correct behavior in advertising.

The 90-minute Webinar—free to Academy members—focuses on key “mandatory standards” of these SOPs. Video vignettes, instant polling, and question/answer sessions will be interspersed with presentations on the SOPs—Advertising by Orthopaedic Surgeons and Providing Musculoskeletal Services to Patients—and noted violations. Participants can pose specific questions to faculty, who will answer the questions live during the Webinar. Faculty includes Murray J. Goodman, MD, course director; William John Hopkinson, MD; Michael F. Schafer, MD; and Vincent J. Silvaggio, MD.

The Webinar will provide participants with the knowledge and skills to accomplish the following:

• Identify the SOPs on Advertising by Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Explain the implications of the four new Providing Musculoskeletal Services to Patients SOPs on how to treat patients and address market services
• Understand the AAOS Professional Compliance Program
• Discuss the potential for professional compliance action resulting from alleged violations of the SOPs on Advertising by Orthopaedic Surgeons and on Providing Musculoskeletal Services to Patients

The Webinar runs from 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. Participants who complete the evaluation form will receive 1.5 CME credits. For more information or to register online, visit www.aaos.org/courses or contact Customer Service at (800) 626-6726.