SixSteps to Starting a KOMA ProfessionalRegional Network (PRN) Chapter
KOMA PRN Chapters are the social side of our professional organization. If there is not an active KOMA PRN chapter in your city, please consider starting one. We are looking to have meetingsevery First Thursday on even months.
1. Contact the KOMA. Tel: 608.441.1060, Email: . Ask to be designated as Chapter Leader on This gives you access to your local osteopathic physician contact list, a web page to announce meeting times, locations & you, as the contact person, as well as, Chapter Leader Resources & broadcast emails.
2. Contact local osteopathic physicians & students, but don’t limit participation to the osteopathic community.Invite ALL your physician friends & colleagues. Consider informally surveying physicians about their interests and needs at the first meeting to determine the direction of the chapter. Keep KOMA’s executive office posted on what you discover.
3. Plan a "First Thursday" event. On the First Thursday (or other convenient day/evening) of every even month, KOMA PRN Chapters may gather at restaurants or a hotel bar/restaurant to socialize and network. Although it is a professional networking event, we are keeping the format deliberately informal. KOMA may send you 2-3 items to get the discussion started for each meeting. However, this is just as much about the attendees bringing changing issues to our attention as it is us bringing issues to them.
4. Announce your new chapter. Send out an introductory letter or e-mail to physicians in your area announcing the formation of the Chapter, indicating the location and time of the First Thursday event, and Chapter Leader contact information.
Let potential participants know - This is your opportunity to see how your colleagues are dealing with the changes in healthcare, whether it is the consolidation in the insurance marketplace, reimbursement changes, dealing with running an office more efficiently, understanding coming legislative changes or having the opportunity to have input in legislation currently being developed. We may also be inviting local politicians, insurers, hospital administrators or new providers to join us for the opportunity better understand and serve the region and local medical community. Events range from cocktails to dinner. While it’s understood to be a dutch treat arrangement, if you invite a non-physician, pick up their tab; we want to have good manners about it. This is not the place for PowerPoint presentations, it is a place for relaxed and civil discourse, where real people to get together for fun, informative and maybe even productive discussions. It is time we physicians stop being a cog in the wheel and start taking an active role in understanding and shaping healthcare where we live.
5. KOMA will create a chapter web page on . Chapter contact information, meeting locations, dates and times will be posted. Chapter Leaders have "build" rights for PRN chapter pages. Information for each page or linked page is to be submitted to KOMA in a word document, as this will facilitate posting this information on the website.
6. Stay connected.When you hold your meetings, have a sign-in sheet to collect the names and email addresses of attendees. This will help us capture the non-DO attendees, as well as assure we have the most up-to date emails on our DO population. Check in with the KOMA executive officeafterwards – send them 4-5 sentences (min) or call to let them know the interests, concerns, feedback, etc. from attendees. This helps the Board keep its finger on the pulse of our physicians in the various regions and specialties, to make certain we are better serving the needs of the physicians of the Commonwealth. Also check the Chapter Leader broadcast emailsfor additional ideas and answers. Take pictures, we will place them on our website to promote future your meetings.
Six Steps to Starting a KOMA Professional Regional Network (PRN) Chapter 06.27.16 Page | 1