Launched 87 years ago as the National Association of Clinic Managers, the group held its first annual conference in Madison, Wis., in 1927. It changed its name to the Medical Group Management Association in 1963, and merged with the American College of Medical Practice Executives at their annual meeting in October 2011. The two organizations previously had been described as "legally separate but aligned."
Although the organization's official name was the combined acronym, when it came to its products with an established brand presence—such as MGMA surveys or ACMPE education programs—those products were sold under the appropriate single acronym.
David Taylor, co-chairman of the MGMA board of directors and vice president of regional services for Springfield, Mo.-based CoxHealth, made it clear that the change was not just a new name or logo, but a brand that represents experience and "a feeling in your gut."
Though now under the MGMA umbrella, educational products and certification will still carry the ACMPE name.
"I know there are other organizations out there that try to peddle certification," said William Henderson, the MGMA's other board co-chairman and the administrator for the Neurology Group based in Albany, N.Y. "Your (ACMPE) credentials will identify you as a qualified and effective leader."
Turney noted that the rebranding includes a new website, the hiring of staff subject-matter experts, improved data collection and, soon, new "member-focused initiatives."
The new brand came with a new tagline: Advancing Leaders. Advancing Practices.
"Let the advancing begin," Turney said before leaving the stage to make way for the conference's first keynote speaker, John Foley, a former pilot with the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels squadron.
Follow Andis Robeznieks on Twitter: @MHARobeznieks
