HCPro creates association for subscribers of one of its newsletters.

Some newsletter publishers have positioned or repositioned their operations as membership organizations--often citing more loyalty (read: renewals) among members than subscribers.

Other publishers have added organizations or associations to their publishing base. Take M. Lee Smith Publishers' 2002 founding of the Employers Counsel Network. It's an association of law firms in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Each of the member firms provides editorial content for one of the state-specific employment law newsletters published by Smith.

Similarly, Massachusetts-based HCPro recently created the Association for Healthcare Acceditation Professionals (AHAP), "a community for specialists in healthcare organization who manage accreditation and regulatory surveys."

The unveiling of the new group, (www.accreditationprofessional.org), coincides with the National Association for Healthcare Quality's annual education conference, which runs Sept. 17-20 in San Diego.

Asked abou the prospective members of the new association, HCPro group publisher John Novack told us that its Briefings on JCAHO (12x, $367/year), which covers hospital accreditation topics, "is the closest subscription newsletter for this audience."

Member benefits

For $179/year, members of AHAP receive:

* The current edition of The JCAHO Survey Coordinator's Handbook, HCPro's big selling, 200-page guide;

* A free, members-subscription to the twice-monthly online AHAP Staff Challenge.

* The opportunity to participate in accreditation task forces and focus groups;

* Discounts to annual AHAP conferences, the first of which will be held May 3-4, in Las Vegas; and

* Twenty-percent discounts on all products at the HCMarket-place, which presumably includes Briefings on JCAHO.

HCPro CEO Bruce Guzowski said the new association is the first one dedicated solely to accreditation survey coordinators.

HCPro, 200 Hoods Lane, Marblehead, MA 01945, 781-639-1872, fax [phone], www.hcprocom