CEO Update, November 2025

“There is something so special in the early leaves drifting from the trees–as if we are all to be allowed a chance to peel, to refresh, to start again.”

– Ruth Ahmed

Wow! Congrats to the Education Committee and everyone involved with the 2025 Annual Meeting. Combining the pre-work with the Research Forum video presentations, hybrid format, and the terrific approach to adult learning innovation our faculty deployed, you really knocked it out of the park. By embracing the scope of practice of the typical AAOA member and the challenges reported on our crowdsourcing, our faculty addressed everything from practice mergers, AI, and in office procedures to staffing, managing crazy denials, nasal breathing, special patient populations, and how to manage TikTok myths your patients present. For those who have not registered (FREE to AAOA members as part of your dues) or logged in yet, you still have about two weeks.  It is a great way to complete your CME of ABOTOHNS CC credit obligations.

Balanced within Annual, we hosted a mini-Basic course for 79 residents, which included some great dialogue about life post residency. What a great opportunity to help expose residents not only to the role of allergy in ENT, but to AAOA and practicing physicians more than happy to help them as they navigate their careers.

Our newly designed Explorers Course is your next opportunity to engage in AAOA CME.  Under the direction of Jennifer Villwock, MD, FAAOA, this new program takes a deeper dive into cutting edge topics to help you in your practice. Sticking with the hybrid format, we will launch the prework on December 22nd. The live component will be hosted at the Fairmont Mission Inn in Sonoma, California January 22-24. Focused on surgical and medical management of inflammatory disease, 2026 will take a deep dive into advanced allergy management focused on ocular, food/food additives, health supplements, geriatrics, frontal sinus/”sinus” headache, microbiome, changing environment, immunodeficiencies, autoimmune disease, in-office procedures, and more.  To register: https://www.aaoallergy.org/education/aaoa-explorers-course-2026/

Speaking of practice mergers, AMA just released its benchmark study. Within the study is a report on Physician Practice Characteristics. Private practice now accounts for less than 50%.  On the upside, surgical specialties are more likely to be private. It does make one consider all the options and how the practice of medicine is evolving.  If you did not get a chance to see Jack Krouse’s panel on Practice Consolidations, Effective Negotiation, and Private Equity, we encourage spending the time to watch it. It offers very timely perspective.

The other hot button for most of our crowdsourcing is practice costs. We get it. Costs keep going up and yet reimbursement stays stagnant. We are trying to help with our new Affinity program.  Through this AAOA member benefit you can save real dollars on practice supplies — everything from antigen and hearing aids to devices and practice management tools. For antigen alone, current AAOA Affinity program participants are saving from 9-30%. That can have a huge impact on your practice.  For more information on the Affinity Program, contact Evan Parker in the AAOA offices (eparker@aaoallergy.org).

We are looking for members who want to be more involved with the AAOA. If you are interested, please let us know. We would also love your takeaways from our 2025 programming, Affinity Program, or just your membership value. Share your comments with Marina Fassnacht, Marketing and Communications Director at mfassnacht@aaoallergy.org.