As a NASS member, you can take advantage of many professional opportunities, events and initiatives designed to advance your career and define the future of spine care. Your support of NASS provides assurance that your professional interests will be represented with influential policymakers.

With your membership, you will receive access to critical benefits in the areas of education, research, health policy, reimbursement, practice management, networking, career development and philanthropy:

Advancing Spine Care through Education & Research

• Annual Meeting & Exhibition—The NASS Annual Meeting provides attendees with a multidisciplinary review of current developments in the field and the chance to interact with industry in the widely popular exhibit hall. Members Save up to 30%
  
  
• Hands-on Courses—Each year, NASS sponsors several hands-on surgical and interventional courses at the state-of-the-art bio-skills lab located in the Spine Education & Research Center at the national headquarters office. Members Save up to $300/course
  
  
• Didactic Courses and Conferences—NASS hosts didactic courses throughout the year for spine care professionals of all disciplines including coding courses, meetings for allied health care professionals and more. Members Save up to $100/course
  
  
• Co-sponsorships—NASS partners with several organizations to co-sponsor meetings including Spine Across the Sea and SpineWeek. Members Save up to 20%
  
  
• Online Education—Available in online course or on-demand recording format, over 375 hours of educational material from previous educational events is available for online viewing free or at a discounted price for members. Members Save up to 25%
  
  
• Educational Credits—NASS is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing education credits to physicians. Credits for professional coders, registered nurses, chiropractors, nurse practitioners and other allied health care providers are also offered at many educational programs.
  
  
• The Spine Journal—With the highest impact factor of all spine publications, The Spine Journal (TSJ) provides members with access to the top-rated peer-reviewed research in the field. Also included with a TSJ subscription is online access to the quarterly Seminars in Spine Surgery publication. Members Save up to $183.00
  
  
• SpineLine—Published bimonthly, SpineLine is an essential resource for members to stay up-to-date on the latest medical, ethical and policy topics in the field. Members Save up to $100.00
  
  
• Publications—NASS publishes or co-publishes a variety of educational resources covering clinical care, coding, patient education and more. Members Save up to 50%
  
  
• Clinical Guidelines—NASS publishes Evidence-Based Guidelines for Multidisciplinary Spine Care  related to the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders. The guidelines are developed as educational tools for multidisciplinary spine care professionals to improve patient care by outlining reasonable information-gathering and decision-making processes used in the management of back pain in adults. 
  
  
• Research Funding—NASS has funded over $2.4 million in multidisciplinary spine-related research since 1989 through grants and fellowships
  
  
• Research Resources—Spine care providers and researchers can access multiple resources through the website including a research funding directory, the Compendium of Outcome Instruments for Assessment & Research of Spinal Disorders, research priorities and more.
  
  
• Spine Registry—NASS is committed to the development and implementation of a NASS Spine Registry. The purpose of this data collection is to enhance understanding of spine care treatments and their resulting patient outcomes, as well as examine the natural history of spine disorders.
  
  
• Appropriateness Criteria—NASS is developing appropriateness criteria related to patient care.
  
  
• Spine Safety Notices—NASS monitors a variety of government resources for patient-safety related notices and distributes these notices to members as they arise.
  
  
• Educational Updates—Members can stay current on spine care issues through the monthly e-newsletter, NASS On Spine, and through the NASS Blog.
  

Safeguarding Practice through Health Policy, Reimbursement & Practice Management Resources

• National Association of Spine Specialists—All members are granted complimentary membership to this non-profit organization that serves as the advocacy arm of NASS.
  
  
• SpinePAC—Through this political action committee fund, support is provided to legislative candidates who champion policies that benefit spine care.
  
  
• Health Policy Review Emails and E-News Alerts—Members receive a monthly Health Policy Review e-newsletter covering current research, health policy and coding issues. Additionally, members are the first to know when important issues arise through timely email notifications.
  
  
• Position Papers—NASS advocates on our members’ behalf though the development, dissemination and publication of papers supporting the view of spine care specialists.
  
  
• AMA HoD Representation—NASS represents spine care specialists through our seat in the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HoD), the AMA’s policy-making arm. For every 1,000 AMA members who designate NASS as their primary specialty society, NASS will receive another seat in the HoD.
  
  
• Coding Courses—Each year, NASS sponsors several live courses on coding topics around the country where members can review the latest changes in reimbursement and have their coding questions answered in person.
  
  
• Common Coding Scenarios Publication—This annual publication covers the latest coding scenarios and new/revised codes related to the spine and is an essential reference for all practices providing spine care. Members Save up to 33%


• Ask a Coding Question—Through this members-only resource, members can submit their unique questions about coding to NASS for review and response.
  
  
• Coding Q&A—Answers to both common and uncommon inquiries received through the “Ask a Coding Question” resource are available through this members-only publication.
  
  
• Coding Article Archive—Each issue of SpineLine includes at least one article on coding topics. Through the archives, members can quickly access all coding articles for the past 10+ years.
  
  
• Buyers Guide for Spine Care—This resource allows spine care providers to search for industry-related products and services in one location by using a keyword search or alphabetized directory search by product category.
  
  
• Ethics & Disclosure Program—NASS is at the forefront of the field in ensuring that members are fully informed about medical professionalism and conflicts of interest. Members can utilize NASS’ disclosure module to provide information about professional relationships from the source rather a third party. Disclosures are updatable as often as relationships change and, unlike individual company websites, the NASS module allows members to provide explanatory information. (Mandatory for committee volunteers and leadership; provided as an optional member service for the general membership)
  
  
• Practice Management Article Archives—Each issue of SpineLine includes at least one article on practice management topics. Through the archives, members can quickly access all practice management articles for the past 10+ years.

Connecting Colleagues through Networking, Career Development & Philanthropy

• Affiliation—NASS is the leading medical association for spine care providers of all disciplines. By completing the application process, members illustrate their commitment to the field and become a part of an exclusive network of spine care providers.
  
  
• Spine Care Provider Search—Members can take advantage of increased patient referrals through their listing on the Spine Care Provider Search which allows referring physicians and prospective patients to find a spine care provider in their area.
  
  
• Membership and Leadership Directories—Search for other members by name or location or by committee involvement through these members-only directories.
  
  
• NASS Career Center—Members looking for a new job or companies interested in hiring spine care professionals can utilize this online career center dedicated exclusively to positions in spine care.
  
  
• Information for Fellows and Residents—Physicians interested in receiving more training in spine care can utilize several resources on the NASS website including complimentary in-training membership and a directory of spine fellowship programs.
  
  
• Committees—NASS has over 30 standing committees, work groups and task forces which allow members to advance the field of spine care and build their professional network.
  
  
• Membership Sections—Participation in sections allows spine care professionals to interact with colleagues and to help develop activities and educational resources in their areas of interest.
  
  
• Social Networking—Members can build their network of colleagues and stay up-to-date with NASS activities by following the Society on facebook and Twitter.
  
  
• World Spine Care—NASS endorses the philanthropic work of World Spine Care and encourages members to become involved with this organization which seeks to provide universal health care for patients with spinal disorders in the developing world.
  
  
• Public Relations Support—Members can increase their visibility through coverage of members in the news and other public relations opportunities.

Not a member? Join now online or download a membership application to apply by fax or mail.

Questions? Contact the NASS membership department by sending an email to membership@spine.org or by calling 866-960-6277.