A new Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) bylaw referendum proposes changing the name attached to the membership status of Senior members as part of an effort to help distinguish the category from involvement in the Society’s recently launched Senior Section. The proposal also aims to help the SVS meet the realities of shifting demographics.
The bylaw amendment would see the membership designation shift from “Senior” to “Legacy” member, the status that defines benefits and privileges within the SVS. Any subsequent participation in the Senior Section, on the other hand, would be elective and involve engagement with the activities of fellow interested Senior members in this specific community within the organization.
Under the direction of the SVS Executive Board, the Society has conducted a series of strategic discussions about Senior membership, driven by growing interest, need and challenges to sustain value and engagement of Senior members.
The SVS has been in an ongoing cycle of adaptation to its members’ changing and increasingly variable clinical and cultural needs. This has led to numerous proposed and ratified changes to the bylaws regarding the election of officers, the composition of the Nominating Committee and Executive Board, the establishment of a separate Executive Board and Strategic Board, and updating requirements and the structure of early-career membership, to name a few.
Building on the evolution and success of the SVS establishing a section model, Calligaro proposed establishing an SVS Senior Section, which recently gained Executive Board approval. The effort, which included input from more than 150 later-career members, is now led by Enrico Ascher, MD, recently appointed chair by the Executive Board. This section establishes a voice for the later-career community on the SVS Strategic Board and seeks to meet the needs of its members through education and other engagement programs.
“Establishing the section and understanding the needs and opportunities has been a big advance for the SVS,” said SVS President Matt Eagleton, MD. “Now comes the hard work of cultural and organizational change, and establishing a contemporary model of membership, engagement and resource support that is sustainable for both members and the SVS long term.”
What’s in a name?
As the Executive Board began discussing a future model for Senior membership within the SVS, confusion was immediate: the challenge became making clear the Society was working to maintain a Senior member membership category while also establishing a new Senior Section. For this reason, the SVS conducted a nomenclature review of terminology used by other medical societies to inform a change for the SVS. This process allowed for broad consideration of potential names, with both the SVS Membership Committee and Executive Board ultimately deciding against options such as “Senior,” “Emeritus,” or “Honorary.” Consensus was eventually found for moving forward with the new “Legacy” name to represent the community’s membership status.
One size no longer fits all
A second significant challenge came in understanding the demographics of the later-career population of members, and it became clear that members approach later-career transition at vastly different times, for different reasons, and with very different capacities. The current bylaws for Senior members, developed decades ago, were intended for vascular surgeons who were fully and completely retired from practice and experienced a significant decline in professional income but desired to stay engaged. The bylaws permitted members to notify the SVS of the change and, once affirmed, move from full Active status to Senior member, going from paying full dues to $0.
Advance the clock 20 years, and the conditions of today are quite different. Many vascular surgeons are choosing to retire or semi-retire from practice in their 50s and 60s, and retirement does not necessarily imply a significant decline in professional income, as many members seek new opportunities and career transitions. Many vascular surgeons are working well into their 70s, remaining fully active in practice.
As a result, determining eligibility for Senior membership has become more challenging. Following deliberations between the Membership Committee, Senior Section leadership and the Executive Board, agreement was reached that applying strict “means-testing” or “policing” does not fit well with the SVS’s desired culture.
Therefore, the bylaw referendum proposes a shift from “means-testing” over the nature of career transition to “age-based” eligibility and choice that can be applied to all. In short, the referendum proposes that eligible members may select the tier of Legacy membership that best suits their needs and interests. The first Legacy membership tier is optionable at age 70, the second at age 78—each with significant adjustments in dues and commensurate changes in benefits and privileges. The second Legacy tier will also be accessible for members who require special accommodations.
Building a sustainable model
Currently, 875 Senior members have transitioned from Active member status ($700) to Senior ($0). This number is increasing by about 100 per year and is likely to accelerate due to the fact that more than one-third of Active members is aged 60 and over. A strong consensus is that later-career members should have significant discounts on dues and other program-related fees and benefits. There is also a strong consensus that, as a Society, all members have a responsibility to help support the ongoing mission of the SVS.
“The current reality—where a quarter to a third of SVS members is paying $0 dues, with a greater percentage expected in coming years—is simply not a sustainable financial model,” noted SVS Treasurer Thomas Forbes, MD. “Thankfully, the SVS is very financially sound, and, due to great diversity in revenue sources, only 13% of total revenue comes from dues. This is very healthy and shows good management by the Society, but none of our practices could stay viable if 25–33%% of our patients went from full-pay to no-pay status, expecting the same level of care and services.” The Senior Section has a number of ideas and plans to build value for later-career members, explained Ascher. “I support this bylaw referendum because it takes resources and support to create new opportunities for Senior engagement.”
The bylaw referendum charges the Executive Board with developing and approving a dues, benefits and privileges schedule to fit the two new tiers of Legacy membership. A pro forma model has been developed to achieve the desired balance. Those who elect Legacy membership at age 70 will receive a 40% discount in dues, while those who opt for the category at age 78 will be asked to pay a nominal fee of less than $100 each year. Should the referendum pass in June, the Executive Board will finalize the dues and benefit grid in consultation with the SVS Membership Committee and Senior Section leadership. It would then be implemented for 2026.
Kenneth M. Slaw, PhD, is executive director of the SVS.
