Welcome to the VEIN Magazine Podcast with Dr. Steve Elias, where vein specialists sit around, having drinks and talking.

Dr. Steve Elias joins Dr. Neil Khilnani and Dr. Mark Meissner to talk about the organization formally known as the American College of Phlebology and the society’s recent decision to change their name.

What is ACP’s new name and what was the impetus for this significant change?

Episode summary

In a recent announcement, the American College of Phlebology (ACP) voted to change its name to the American Vein and Lymphatic Society (AVLS). The move comes years after the organization began discussing its need to re-identify itself. The venous field was quickly evolving and the term "phlebology" was being edged out in the minds of medical professionals, as well as the public.

"Phlebology is a recognized specialty in Europe," said Meissner, AVLS President-Elect. "In most American circles, very few people even know what a phlebologist does."

"The whole field," he added, "has evolved a lot with new technology and bringing new people into the field with new skills and access to new technology."

Vein disease, as it would be, is no longer held within the confines of phlebology as "there are a lot of people who practice vein disease and who come from other specialties," Meissner noted. "[They] identify with that specialty and don't identify with the classic connotation of phlebology," which had been long thought of as an area of expertise where superficial spider veins and small varicose veins are treated.

Today, specialists who are a part of the organization treat "the full gamut of venous disease" and work under titles like interventional radiologist or dermatologist, said Khilnani, AVLS member and past president.

If the ACP was going to be inclusive and expand its mission to improve quality care through advocacy efforts, research, and education, it had to be clearly identifiable to its audience.

The name change now allows both the medical world and patients to identify who the organization serves and how they will serve them in the future.

The organization "is evolving and morphing into something much bigger and different and more inclusive," said Elias. "It was almost like an unconscious melding of where this organization has gone. It’s kind of a fresh start...This is the beginning of the future for the American Vein and Lymphatic Society.”

Thanks for listening.

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