Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons

By 1972, the format of the MAPS meetings and the duties of its elected officers had been firmly established. The changes one would consider of historical significance did not take place on a year-to-year basis from then on. Often these changes mirrored trends that affected either the specialty of plastic surgery or the practice of medicine in general, beyond regional differences. The first decade would seem, in retrospect, uncomplicated compared to the issues that would be addressed later, in the more complex 1980s and 1990s.

The 1970s saw the beginning of several advances which would insure the scientific viability of MAPS programs. Continuing Medical Education accreditation was first discussed in 1974. Up to that point, the Association had not been approved for CME credit, because there wasn’t yet an officer charged with the duty of submitting the appropriate documentation to the AMA. The process of finding out what the exact requirements for accreditation were and inviting an AMA official to attend one or more annual meetings was started that year.

Dr. Morrison Beer, MAPS president in 1974, undertook the task of contacting the AMA to determine which category of CME credit could be obtained for future programs. Merrill Chesler, of Minneapolis, had first prompted this discussion, and Dr. Beers agreed to follow through on it because he lived in the Chicago area and had some contacts at the AMA. The effort to gain Category I credit ran parallel with the beginning movement to attract residents to the annual meetings. This was accomplished by adding the incentive of cash awards for the best papers presented by young surgeons-in-training. Awards varied over the years, the highest being $1,000 in 1975. The average scholarship awards, however, were $500 and $250 for first and second places, paid from a separate fund established by the MAPS treasury. This fund would later be named the James Down Fund, in memory of the 1964 MAPS president who died in 1982.

There were two award categories, Junior and Senior, each with two prizes. Later, categories for Clinical and research papers would also be added. This system of awards, as well s the Category I Continuing Medical Education Credit, still continue today. Implementation of both programs seems assured for the future, despite the occasional difficulty reported in the minutes. It was decided the following year, at the 1975 business meeting, that the President, Dr. Fred Weissman, would appoint a Scholarship and Awards Committee to decide how to distribute the awards, based on availability of funds. The past President, Vice-President Elect and Treasurer would be the judges. Points would be given for originality, significance, delivery and timing, which remained the judging parameters in subsequent years.

Over the years, several individual approached officers of MAPS with proposals to join forces with other groups, in order to gain more clout at the national level. It is predicted that a more politicized constituency is unavoidable in the future, given the present climate in all areas of medicine. Yet the leadership of MAPS has, so far, refused to align itself with one group or another for the sole purpose of gaining greater power on the national scene.

One case that clearly exemplifies this attitude involves the letter from George Baibak, read at the 1982 meeting, offering to merge the upper New York Society of Plastic Surgeons with MAPS, in a loose federation of greater means and representation. The Board voted unanimously to decline, thus reaffirming its position of autonomy and political noninvolvement.

HAVING HELD EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, THE REPUTATION OF MAPS CAME TO THE ATTENTION OF RELATED INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES AND VENDORS.

Therefore, it was not long before a number of firms representing surgical research, instrument manufacturing, and technology development showed an interest in sponsoring some part of the MAPS meetings, in exchange for exhibit space during the annual conventions. Statistics tell the story. At the 1973 MAPS meeting there was only one exhibitor. Six years later, at the 1979 convention, there were nine, a figure that grew to 23 by 1988. This represented more than a 20-fold increase in twenty years.

Having trade exhibits at meetings on a regular basis turned out to be of benefit to all. The new infusion of funds gave greater luster to the proceedings. It also gave MAPS participants a chance to interact with technical and industry representatives. This exposure, on a one-on-one basis, was often more helpful than any contacts made privately or at the larger, more crowded, national conventions.

At the 1982 meeting, a paper was presented by Vickers Brown on “Silicone Fistula of the Nipple.” While not an unusual topic, this paper on a complication of silicone breast implants was a harbinger of what would later become, in the 1990s, the worst liability crisis in the history of plastic surgery. At the same meeting, Bob Porterfield, a guest speaker from the national society, invited by Randy McNally, reported on the FDA classification of silicone implants as drugs. This move, he thought, could open a whole new medical liability and malpractice risk for plastic surgeons, as indeed, it did. These discussions were another indication that MAPS was, in many ways, a unique society with a style of its own. The two papers became predictors of a catastrophic event that would shake up the specialty within a mere decade, an event whose repercussions are still felt by plastic surgeons across America.

A questionnaire on fees was circulated at the 1975 meeting, at membership request. The results were evaluated and discussed before the end of that meeting. Compared with the previous year’s questionnaire, fees across the scope of plastic surgery appeared to have risen 19 percent. Fees for cosmetic procedures had increased 35 percent over a three-year period. It was felt that this was a reasonable increase and that a copy should be mailed to all members of the Association.

The Fees Review was considered, by a majority of MAPS members, to be a very useful service. It might also have helped keep a lid on further annual increases, and therefore, it was probably a factor in stabilizing the cost of plastic surgical procedures. Unfortunately, in 1977, a letter was received by MAPS President, Dr. Harold Hoops, from the Federal Trade Commission. This agency had started investigating possible price fixing in the specialty of plastic surgery. Between 1975 and 1979, the American Society of Plastic and reconstructive Surgeons had become embroiled in a legal battle with the FTC over this issue.

To avoid a similar action against MAPS, President Richard Schultz and his officers felt that it would be best to remove all references to fee comparisons from the records. Fee discussions were entirely eliminated from the program from that point on.

Since 1976 or earlier, the officers of MAPS entertained the idea of incorporating. The pros and cons, as well as the possible increase in liability to MAPS officers and the cost involved were weighed carefully. At the 1977 business meeting, under Hal Hoops’ presidency, the vote went against incorporation.

The following year, Tommy Kendall researched the possibility of securing tax exempt status for MAPS. The same year it was voted that, should the Association ever dissolve and cease to be, the balance of the organization’s accounts would then be donated to the Educational Foundation of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Papers were then filed requesting tax-exempt status, and by 1978 MAPS had become a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, thanks to the efforts of Tommy Kendall.

next | previous | home