December 18, 1998

APA will launch an online news service in January to inform members rapidly about Association activities and events affecting psychiatry.

APA Medical Director Steven M. Mirin, M.D., told Psychiatric News, "APA On-Line News is going to keep our members better connected to their Association by giving them very brief up-to-date reports on APA actions and events in the mental health world that are relevant to their day-to-day professional lives. The best part is that it will take the member only about three minutes a week to stay informed."

According to John Blamphin, director of APA's Division of Public Affairs, the reports will cover legislative developments, FDA actions, changes in Medicare rules, managed care guidelines, annual meeting updates, and actions by the Board of Trustees and Assembly.

The goal is to stimulate more grass-roots interest and action on issues important to psychiatry through rapid dissemination of news and information, Blamphin told Psychiatric News. "This is a quick way to alert members to important scientific, political, and economic events to which they might like to react," he added.

Some news items will suggest specific actions members can take such as contacting legislators, Blamphin noted.

The free news service will complement other APA communication vehicles including Psychiatric News, specialty newsletters, APAfastFAX, and APA's Web site, which will provide more detailed information, said Blamphin.

Click here to subscribe to APA On-Line News.

APA is also offering members a free customized newsletter benefit. "Through an educational grant from SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, members can create a quarterly newsletter to represent their practice and communicate important educational material to their patients," APA President Rodrigo Muņoz, M.D., told Psychiatric News. Muņoz, who has used the QuickPublish newsletter service since January 1998, proposed to SmithKline that it be offered to APA members nationally. SmithKline agreed, and the proposal was approved by the Board of Trustees last July.

Members can also choose a Web-site option for their customized newsletter, which comes with hyperlinks to APA's Web site and government Web sites so readers can obtain more information.

"There is no mention anywhere in the newsletter of any pharmaceutical product," reassured Muņoz.

Each customized newsletter is printed quarterly by Micro EDS Inc., a publishing company in Narberth, Pa., and contains six brief articles chosen by the physician. The member's name is printed at the top of the newsletter, and his or her optional Web site address is printed at the end of the newsletter.

A SmithKline representative will meet with an interested member and present a sample newsletter, sample Web page, and a list of over 60 titles of articles on mental disorders and psychiatric treatment for the member to choose from. The brief articles, which have been reviewed for accuracy by APA, are synthesized from APA's "Let's Talk" patient series and other mental health resources.

Over 2,400 members have expressed interest in the newsletter benefit since last September, when Muņoz first announced it, according to Blamphin. To subscribe to the service, contact Micro EDS Inc. at (610) 668-1525 ext. 50 (Help Desk).