CONTACT:
Allison Ewing (ACP) 215-351-2649
Barbara Lauter (ASIM) 202-466-0288
Embargoed For Release Until 9 a.m., EDT, Friday, August 8, 1997
JOINT STATEMENT
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERNAL MEDICINE
Organizations Announce Merger Negotiations
The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Society of Internal Medicine (ASIM) have agreed on the principles that would form the foundation for a merger of the two organizations in the latter half of 1998.
Formal recommendations for the merged organization will be submitted to the Board of Governors and the Board of Regents of ACP and the House of Delegates and Board of Trustees of ASIM for approval this fall. Further negotiations between the two organizations will consider organizational, financial and legal issues related to a potential merger. The new organization, if approved, would be known as the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM).
"The College is optimistic about the potential opportunities afforded by a unified voice for internal medicine that would combine the strengths of two outstanding organizations," said William A. Reynolds, MD, ACP president.
"We look forward to further exploring the possibilities of a merger with the College," said M. Boyd Shook, MD, ASIM president. "We're hopeful that our efforts will result in even more effective representation for our patients and internal medicine."
The American College of Physicians (ACP), founded in 1915 and headquartered in Philadelphia, is composed of more than 100,000 internal medicine physicians (internists) and medical students.
The American Society of Internal Medicine (ASIM), founded in 1956 and headquartered in Washington, DC, is a national medical association of 20,000 internists.
Both organizations provide information, education and advocacy for internists and their patients.
Internists are the major providers of continuing, comprehensive care for adults in the United States. All internists complete a three-year internal medicine training program after receiving their medical degrees. Subspecialty internists undergo one to three years of additional training in fields such as cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, pulmonology rheumatology, hematology, endocrinology, nephrology, infectious disease, and allergy and immunology. # # #
RSS