Membership


Membership

The North American Spine Society is committed to sustaining a multidisciplinary membership of health care providers who are dedicated to excellence in the field of spine care.

NASS membership is a membership that makes a difference.

It makes a difference in your…

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Reimbursement

Reimbursement

Active participation in RUC and CPT, 25+ evidence-based coverage recommendations ($10,000.00+ value free to members), an annual coding book and more.

Certification

Certification Requirements

CME can easily be earned through the NASS Annual Meeting, courses, and OnDemand (significant discounts and 40+ hours of free online CME for members).

Promotion

Promotion to Patients and Employers

Your Find-a-Specialist listing on knowyourback.org, inclusion of NASS membership on CV and online profiles set you apart.

Federal Policy

Voice on Federal Policy

NASS’ active advocacy arm in Washington DC, is responsible for monitoring, advising and implementing policy outcomes. 20% of dues support these efforts.

Hands-on Training

Hands-on Training

Learn a new procedure during NASS hands-on cadaver courses and labs in the U.S. and internationally.

Career Advancement

Career Advancement

Get involved in NASS committees to make important connections and enhance leadership skills, or use NASS resources to find your next career opportunity.

Patient Care

Patient Care

NASS evidence-based clinical guidelines and appropriate use criteria (AUCs) serve as premier resources for patient care. Dues support development of these resources.

Current Research

Access to Current Research

The Spine Journal (TSJ) is the #1 peer-reviewed journal in spine. Stay current on the latest research with this monthly benefit.

NASS Career Center

An ideal member resource!

The online NASS Career Center is the main hub for everything career-related. This is an ideal resource for members seeking new career opportunities or looking to add new talent to their practice, but the Career Center also offers resources to help navigate your career, personalize your job search, or enhance your job listing.

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Career Center

Membership FAQs

General Questions

The best way for you to update information is to log in to your NASS account and click on your name in the upper right corner to make any necessary edits (the direct link to the MyAccount is www.spine.org/MyAccount). Or you can call the NASS membership department to make changes over the phone.

In your NASS MyAccount, under the My Membership section, if there is a “Renew” button next to the current year’s membership, your membership has not yet been renewed. If it shows only “Current” with no button, your membership is in good standing

Membership dues are not deductible as a charitable donation; however, dues may be deductible as a business expense to the degree allowed under Internal Revenue Service regulations. In 2023, 10% of total dues are allocated to lobbying expenses, and, therefore, are not deductible for income tax purposes.

NASS membership is generally non-refundable. Exceptions include membership applications left incomplete at the end of the membership-year or special circumstances at the discretion of NASS.

Yes. Members who have been in active military duty as United States military personnel in the past 12 months may be eligible for waived membership dues. To receive the waiver, military personnel should complete a Dues Reduction Form.

No, dues payment can be made by check/money order or by MasterCard, VISA or American Express.

Your NASS ID number can be found on the welcome email that was sent to you when you first joined, or on your renewal invoice. It’s also included on emails throughout the year and in your NASS MyAccount.

Annual dues for members vary by category. Individuals joining for the first time pay a nonrefundable $50.00 application fee and may have their dues prorated depending on when they apply; dues are prorated quarterly (to 75% on April 1st and 50% on July 1st) and members who join September 15th through December 31st receive the remainder of that year for free when they join for the following year. Full dues for 2023 are:

Category Annual Dues
Active $690.00
Associate $690.00
Affiliate $355.00
International Premium $300.00
International $150.00
Emeritus with Print Subscriptions $100.00
In-Training $0.00
Emeritus $0.00
Honorary $0.00

Yes, members are encouraged to promote their status as a NASS member, including use of the NASS logo under the guidelines outlined in the logo policy.

Members who do not wish to renew their membership have the choice of allowing their membership to lapse, with the opportunity to renew at any time for up to three years, or formally resign. To initiate either of these processes, complete a Membership Deactivation or Resignation Form.

Membership Categories

Your membership category may change if you have: 1) completed your training; 2) passed your board exam; 3) moved in or out of the United States; 4) retired; or 5) significantly changed the percentage of your professional activities that you dedicate to spine care. To request a change in your membership category, complete a Category Change Request Form.

Emeritus members must be active NASS members for 15 years and be retired from the practice of medicine. All requests for Emeritus status must be approved by the NASS Executive Committee and made in writing by submitting a Category Change Request Form.

Prior to October 2013, only medical residents and fellows were eligible. Now, in addition to these individuals, medical students, graduate students or others in spine-related full-time programs are eligible. If an individual has already received a “terminal degree” (MD, DO, PhD, etc) and are returning for additional training unrelated to spine care, they are not eligible.

Yes. When applying, you must provide the name of your certifying board and meet all other qualifications for Active membership.

Membership Benefits

All members receive online access to both publications as a benefit of membership. For the print version, all members receive the paper copies except: TSJ: Emeritus, In-training and International
SpineLine: Emeritus, In-training and International

First verify that your mailing address is correct in your NASS MyAccount. If it is correct, contact the NASS membership department to verify your subscription details.

Yes, to opt-out of paper issues of The Spine Journal (TSJ) or SpineLine, contact the NASS Membership Department and they can make that change to your membership.

In addition to subscriptions, members also receive discounts of up to 50% on courses/meetings and products, have access to on-demand education for free, are listed on our Find a Specialist search, can ask coding questions through Coding Q&A resource, and receive intangible benefits including advocacy, guideline and coverage policy development, research funding and more.

All members are now eligible to participate on committees and task forces. Requests for volunteers occurs each year in early spring though we accept applications year-round.

Active and Associate members are eligible to vote (bylaws changes, Executive Committee appointments and membership candidates).

Joining

No, membership is on an individual-basis. Multiple staff from one practice may join to take advantage of the benefits of membership, but the organization itself cannot become a member.

NASS membership is on a calendar-year basis (from January 1 through December 31). Memberships for individuals who join from January 1st through September 15th will expire on December 31st of that year. Memberships for individuals who join from September 16th through December 31st will expire on December 31st of the next year.

It is possible that you filled out an application, but did not provide all of the required information; please check the primary email that you provided at the time of your application for a status update, or contact the NASS membership department to check your application status.

Up to ninety (90) days (view full Application Process); however, candidates for NASS membership are not officially approved until the Board of Directors meeting following the review of their application.

Membership benefits will be activated once the initial application is complete (application, application fee and essential information from CV have been received and processed) and dues for the current membership-year are paid.

Membership certificates may be downloaded through your NASS MyAccount once your application has been reviewed by the Membership Committee and voting members. We no longer send printed certificates to new members. However, you may order a printed certificate for $20.00 (plus shipping and handling).

Renewing

Membership payments are accepted online at www.spine.org/renew, by phone to 866-960-6277 or 001-630-230-3600 from outside the United States, or by mail to NASS, 39752 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9700. Members from outside the United States who wish to renew via wire transfer can email membership@spine.org to request wire instructions.

Yes, members can sign up for automatic renewal of their membership using a credit card (and can update their preferences at any time throughout the year), at www.spine.org/autorenewal. Dues for the year are processed on October of the year prior (ex. 2024 dues will be processed in October 2023).

If you are reinstating membership within 3 years of being active, there is no need to reapply; reinstatements after 3 years of inactive membership must reapply.

No. If a member is late to renew, you must pay the full year’s dues.

Memberships are on an individual basis and may travel with the member from practice to practice; memberships are non-transferrable.

Questions about NASS Membership?

Contact the Membership Department:

Phone: 866-960-6277 or 001-630-230-3600 from outside the United States,
Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:00 pm Central time

Text*: From United States phone numbers, text ASKNASS to 33222
Email
*By signing up for text communication, you agree to receive text messages from NASS (number of texts varies by level of communication). Message and data rates may apply. Reply Stop to end. Text alerts are limited to United States phone numbers only.