Do you want what you want when you want it?

If so, APAfastFAX is for you.

Now you can get information from APA faxed to you almost instantly--whether it's course descriptions for the annual meeting, an explanation of APA's ethics process, a fact sheet produced by APA's Division of Public Affairs, or a host of documents on other topics.

APAfastFAX is a new service available to members and the general public drawing on state-of-the-art telecommunications technology to make information from APA more quickly accessible.

Here's how it works:

Just pick up the telephone and dial the toll-free number (888) 267-5400. If you are calling from outside the United States and Canada, dial (503) 402-1365.

You will then be prompted to enter a code for the document you wish to have faxed to you. If you know the code number, just punch that number in on your Touch Tone phone, then follow the voice prompts to enter your own fax number. In minutes, APAfastFAX will fax you the document you want.

If you don't know the code of the document you want, you will be prompted to punch in your fax number, and a hard-copy list of available documents with their accompanying code numbers will be faxed to you. Then simply call back, enter the correct code, and get the document you want.

Currently, there are 45 documents available through APAfastFAX, including information about courses and other events at APA's annual meeting in San Diego, information on how to contact APA district branches, and documents pertaining to APA's process for investigating ethics complaints.

In time, the list may be expanded to include updates about federal legislation of importance to APA members and to psychiatry, and position statements on a wide range of issues.

The brainchild of APA President-elect Herbert Sacks, M.D., the new service was authorized by APA's Board of Trustees in October at a cost of $12,000. A follow-up evaluation of the service will be presented to the Board in June.

Sacks has said he believes the new service has the potential to transform the way that staff of APA's national headquarters communicate with members, allowing for rapid exchange of information.

Ultimately, the service may help the Association and members respond in a more timely fashion to issues on the national and state levels affecting psychiatrists and their patients, Sacks said.

He added that the service may also help expedite the work of members of the Assembly and the Board of Trustees. The service can assist them in reflecting on important issues well in advance of meetings, by possibly reducing the volume of paperwork they will have to carry to and from meetings in Washington, Sacks said.

APAfastFAX will be administered by the APA Answer Center, which will coordinate the submission and maintenance of materials by APA departments.

Lynn May, APA director of marketing, and Steve Parsons, manager of the Answer Center, said that APAfastFAX is the newest in an array of services designed to bring the Association closer to members and the public.

"APAfastFAX is an additional point of access for members and other interested parties to obtain information maintained by APA," May told Psychiatric News. "It supplements the APA Web site, which facilitates entree to the Association through the Internet, and the Answer Center, which offers enhanced service via the telephone."

The technology for APAfastFAX will be provided by AFAX of McLean, Va. AFAX specializes in the design and setup of fax-on-demand services for associations that have large memberships with a variety of unique requirements.

(Psychiatric News, March 7, 1997)