The National Organization of Rheumatology Managers (NORM) is a relatively new organization and we are comprised of members from across the country who are involved daily in the care of patients with rheumatologic disorders.  We are a subsidiary of the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO).

We held a 1 1/2 day meeting in September 2005 that, as far as anyone knows, was the first one exclusively for Rheumatology Managers. There were more than fifty (50) managers and physicians in attendance. Everyone was delighted to be able to share rheumatology specific management experiences with colleagues. As a result of that meeting and the desire to fill the void, the National Organization of Rheumatology Managers was formed.

Our 2006 Conference in St. Petersburg, FL saw a thirty-five percent (35%) increased in membership for our organization. The 2007 Conference was held on September 28th and 29th in St. Louis, MO. Norm continued its growth pattern this year with 75 attendees as well as 18 exhibitors.

2008 saw unprecedented growth for NORM with 115 members, and 100 attendees at the September 12 & 13th meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. This year the conference also grew in length with a full day of seminars on Friday, and ¾ of day of seminars on Saturday. NORM membership also participated in a benchmarking survey with a recap of the results presented at the meeting.

NORM’s unprecedented growth continued in 2009. We had 135 plus people attend the September 25 & 26, 2009 meeting at the Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort at Grande Dunes. We continued our tradition of listening to our members about their desires for the conference and the executive board added breakout sessions at the 2009 meeting.

The NORM Executive Board is developing the agenda for the 2010 meeting to be held September 24 & 25, 2010 at the JW Marriott Summerlin in Las Vegas, NV. As always we are basing our planning on the feedback offered by the previous conference attendees. After reviewing your comments, discussing your praise and criticism we have begun to develop the agenda for the 2010 meeting and hope to have it posted by April 1st. For additional information on the 2010 conference please refer to the annual conference page. Mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us for another exciting conference.

Each conference continues the tradition of providing managers/administrators and managing physicians with opportunities to discuss practice management issues with colleagues. Our expert panelist provided information on topics such as the secrets to successful communication with work teams, preparing your office for a disaster, financial planning, benchmarking, strategic planning, insurance contracts and how to negotiate them, EMR and important steps to take in the search and implementation, CMS updates, legislative updates, and many other management topics.