Recap of the LUGPA 2023 Annual Meeting

Celebrating “U”rology: 15 Years of Advancing Independent Practice

A Message From President, Dr. Evan Goldfischer

As President of LUGPA, I am honored to continue leading this innovative organization that has made tremendous strides over the past 15 years to advance independent urology. Through collaboration, political advocacy and innovative offerings, LUGPA has made momentous achievements to help our member practices to thrive. I am also thrilled to welcome our 2023-2024 Board of Directors, who will help lead the way in strengthening the practice of independent urology. Through their leadership and expertise, LUGPA will continue to foster a health care system in which independent urologists can succeed and provide the best possible care to all patients.

As LUGPA’s 15th anniversary year draws to a close, we must look to the future. In 2024 and beyond, LUGPA will continue to champion key reforms to protect independent urology and improve patient care. LUGPA remains more dedicated than ever to addressing the evolving challenges faced by independent urologists and strengthening our health care system.

A Message From Program Chair, Dr. Jeffrey Spier

Our 2023 Annual Meeting was the perfect celebration of LUGPA’s accomplishments over the last 15 years. We had our highest attendance to date, with more than 1,100 attendees and 59 exhibitors. We also enjoyed more breakout sessions than ever before and three dynamic guest speakers.

Throughout LUGPA’s 2023 Annual Meeting, we engaged in conversations around the challenges facing urologists, solutions and opportunities for the future. We emphasized the importance of building partnerships, collaboration and sharing resources to support each other. I look forward to additional incredible programming in 2024, and using the knowledge and relationships that we gained during the meeting to strengthen and advance independent urology together.

For a limited time, ALL THE PHOTOS from the Annual Meeting can be found here.
Videos and slides from the meeting are housed on a password-protected page for LUGPA group practice members.
DIGITAL PROGRAM BOOKLETS

Annual Meeting - Main Program Booklet

CME Program Booklet

Practice Administrators Workshop Program Booklet

Practice Administrator Workshop and CME Program

We kicked off the Annual Meeting with the practice administrators workshop and working groups for different specialties. Participants had the opportunity to collaborate with LUGPA members who have similar positions at practices across the country to discuss solutions to common challenges, such as addressing burnout and caring for urology teams during times of high turnover and shortages.

Attendees participated in LUGPA’s robust CME program, where experts had lively discussions on a wide range of innovative topics, such as new developments in radiation oncology, BPH treatments and active surveillance for prostate cancer. Attendees heard first-hand experiences from LUGPA members who created a female sexual health center, including the importance of social media and marketing to reach key patient populations. Experts also discussed the rise of artificial intelligence and how urologists can use it to their benefit to “work smarter, not harder,” including by creating automated, high-quality documentation, limiting invasive procedures and reducing wait times for patients.

Presidential Update and Awards

During the presidential update, Dr. Goldfischer discussed LUGPA’s key accomplishments over the organization’s first 15 years. Despite evolving challenges, LUGPA members have never wavered in their dedication to their practices, patients and the field of independent urology.

“LUGPA will continue to push forward to preserve not only the independent practice of urology, but the independent practice of medicine in this country—because every patient deserves to be cared for,” Dr. Goldfischer concluded.

Dr. Goldfischer then presented the Presidential Citations to Dr. Gary Kirsh, Dr. Deepak Kapoor and Dr. Neal Shore, the Trailblazer Awards to Dr. Brian Mazzarella and Dr. Arpeet Shah and the Spirit of Independence Award to Alan Winkler. All remarks from award recipients can be found here.

Finally, at the Annual LUGPA Business Meeting, Dr. Goldfischer was officially re-elected as president, and the 2023-2024 Board of Directors was announced. Read more.

Special Sessions: Disney Institute Program and Empowering Women in Urology

Attendees had the unique opportunity to hear from the Disney Institute Program at the meeting about strategies for creating a culture that employees believe in and want to work for, and how LUGPA members can replicate that in their practices.

This year’s meeting also included a brand-new session on challenges and opportunities for women in urology. The panel discussion covered topics such as work-life balance, the importance of mentorship and advice for navigating career paths in urology.

“We want women in urology to know that beyond your individual practice, you have a community of incredible women in LUGPA who you can look to and rely on for support and resources,” said Kari Bailey, MD, moderator of the panel discussion.

Guest Speakers and Policy Updates

LUGPA was thrilled to welcome three incredible guest speakers at this year’s Annual Meeting.

Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala shared an insightful policy analysis and participated in a question and answer session with LUGPA’s Health Policy and Political Affairs committees. Sec. Shalala emphasized the importance of LUGPA’s advocacy efforts, explaining how pivotal it is for lawmakers to hear from doctors about their experiences. Afterwards, LUGPA’s Health Policy and Political Affairs committees discussed policy updates including the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, pharmacy benefit manager reform and telehealth.

Next, best-selling author, Ross Bernstein, gave an inspiring keynote speech focused on how to improve businesses. His advice for generating momentum and driving morale included passion, generosity and focusing on things you can control. Each piece of advice was accompanied by sports anecdotes and challenged attendees to think differently about leadership in their urology practices.

Finally, attendees heard from comedian and ophthalmologist Dr. Will Flanary, more commonly known online as Dr. Glaucomflecken. He delivered a comedic and heartfelt keynote speech about his experiences as a patient and physician. "Humor allows you to take [whatever is causing you stress] and make it yours again,” Flanary explained.

Breakout Sessions

This year’s Annual Meeting included more breakout sessions than ever before, with collaborative discussions on eight unique and timely topics for independent urology. In one session, keynote speaker Dr. Flanary spoke with LUGPA members about the power of social media as a tool for societal change and how urologists can use it effectively. In another session, attendees participated in discussions on the roles of advanced practice providers in urology, including the importance of communicating responsibilities clearly and opportunities to reduce burdens on physicians. Additional breakout sessions covered strategies to address burnout, creating a culture of leadership, legal claims, continued conversations around artificial intelligence and deep-dives into LUGPA’s Executive Leadership Program and benchmarking.

Annual Meeting App

The LUGPA Annual Meeting app is still active! Use the QR Code to find all the exhibitors from the meeting and fill out our evaluation survey.

App name: CVENT

Event ID: GET LUGPA2023

Conference Media Coverage

The LUGPA Annual Meeting garnered media coverage in key urology trade media outlets, including 12 articles in OncLive, three articles in Renal & Urology News and 20 articles in Urology Times, featuring LUGPA leadership and membership. Highlights include: