FAQs

Here are answers to common questions and tips on how to make the most of your new MGMA Member Community. If you require additional assistance, please contact us or view our short video tutorials.

Community Basics
What is the MGMA Member Community (home site)?
What are discussion forums/eGroups, resource libraries, and networks?
What is the difference between the different types of communities (Assembly, Event, Expert-Moderated)?
What do real time, daily digest, PDA, and no email options mean for subscriptions?
How do I find out about new updates to the Community?
Who manages the Community?
What are the most used areas within the Member Community?

Using the Community
Login Help - Problems logging in, "Remember Me" option, embedded login
How do I add contacts?
How do I find communities to join?
How do I join communities?
How do I change my subscription and email delivery preferences?
How do I view past messages posted to a community’s eGroup?
How do I post a message to an eGroup?
Can I remove or edit a message that I posted?
How do I hyperlink text within a message?
How do I complete my profile? How do I upload a picture to my profile?
What if I don't have a good picture?
How do I view and download files in a community’s resource library?
How do I upload a file to a resource library?
How do I search for a member?
How do I find blogs to read?
How do I post a message to multiple eGroups at one time?
How do I send private messages?
How do I edit my signature?
How do I report technical problems or inappropriate messages?
How do I submit news to the Latest Member News section on the Community homepage?

What is the MGMA Member Community (home site)?
The MGMA Member Community is designed to be a virtual (online) meeting place for MGMA and ACMPE members. Through the Member Community, members are able to interact and collaborate with other members who share common interests, medical specialty practices, administrative questions and best practices, tips, general information, etc. MGMA and ACMPE Members can search for other members in the Directory, add or read articles in the Library, start or participate in an online discussion, etc.

The MGMA Member Community home site also houses many smaller communities, usually formed by individual member(s) and focused on more specific areas of interest or medical practice (such as our Assemblies, Societies, and Networks communities) to political discussions, healthcare reform, billing or Human Resources issues to Excel tips and tricks.

What are discussion forums/eGroups, resource libraries, and networks?
eGroups, also called discussion forums, are the way through which community subscribers communicate with each other. Messages posted to the discussion forums/eGroups are e-mailed to all the other subscribers of that particular community. Resource libraries are quite similar to the local library where you live - the place where documents and files uploaded by members/subscribers are kept and maintained. Each community has one, and each library is searchable – or you can search across all libraries. Networks are your peer groups – they are other subscribers who have something in common with you. These network groups are compiled from your interests, location, job history and education history.

What is the difference between the different types of communities (Assembly, Event, Expert-Moderated)?
The Member Community has four primary community types that all members can see:

Assemblies, Societies, and Networks: Specialty-specific communities that allow users to engage in networking and advocacy based upon their medical practice specialty.
MGMA Expert-Moderated Communities: Topic-specific communities that are actively moderated by MGMA staff with expertise on that topic.
Volunteer Communities: Home to all of the communities associated with volunteerism at MGMA/ACMPE, including Raise Your Hand Central.
Member-created Communities: Communities created by members or staff that are informal and formed around any topic or interest area. These communities operate with little or no moderation or regulation.

Members can join any community in the above types, but they may only create new communities in the Member-created Communities category.

Two additional types of communities exist, but members can only see them if they belong to a community within that type. These two types are Boards and Committees (for communities associated with our boards of directors, our standing committees, and our Assembly/Society leadership teams) and Event Communities (for communities associated with a particular conference, seminar, or other event.) Members gain access to an event community upon registration for the associated event.

There are also Staff Communities, but only MGMA staff members can access these communities.

What do real time, daily digest, PDA, and no email options mean for subscriptions?
Real-time subscriptions mean that email messages arrive in your inbox as they are posted to the discussion forum/eGroup (typically within 1 hour of posting). Daily digest means you will receive one email per day per discussion forum/eGroup that contains all of that day’s messages. PDA subscriptions format the eGroup messages to appear on your smart phone or other handheld device, while “no email” means simply that – you will receive no messages in your inbox, and must log into the Community to read messages posted to eGroups.

How do I find out about new updates to the Community?
A special community exists for information related to updates on the Community, as well as to provide technical support. Subscribe to New Features and Tech Support for all the latest Community news!

Who manages the Community?
The Member Engagement staff at MGMA manages the Community, including responding to any Terms of Service violations and providing technical support.

What are the most used areas within the Member Community?
The top five most used areas are:

Member Community Home Page
All Discussions
My Communities
My Profile
Directory

Login Help - Problems logging in, "Remember Me" option, embedded login
You will need to log in using your mgma.com ID (which is the same as your member number) and password. If you haven’t created a new password for mgma.com since March 2008, you can log in using your last name as your password; the system will then prompt you to create a new password that is 8-20 characters long and includes at least one letter and one number. If your last name doesn't work, visit the MGMA login help page and click the "forgot password" link in the middle. This will reset your password and send you an e-mail with instructions for creating a new one.

If you check the “Remember me” option next time you log into the MGMA Web site, you won't have to log in again on future visits unless you (or your IT department) clear your "cookies" or click on "Log out." "Remember me" creates an encrypted cookie, using the latest .NET authenticated technology, which is stored in your browser. The cookie allows you access to mgma.com, the store, the Member Community and the survey site.

You may notice that Community e-mails contain the message "Your private login information is embedded in this message. Do Not Forward." To make it easier for you to respond to messages posted to the discussion groups, we have embedded sign-on information in the emails. If you pass on a message to a colleague using your regular email client's "Forward" feature, the recipient will be able to log in as you if they click on any of the links contained in the email. This auto log-in feature expires when the message is more than five days old. If you are responding to a message that is more than five days old, you will be asked to log in - unless you've chosen the "Remember me" option on the site described above.
To safely forward messages to colleagues, please use the"Forward message" link found next to each post in the HTML version of the e-mail.

How do I add contacts?
You can add a contact by clicking on the link that says “Add [Name] as a contact” (or sometimes simply “Add Contact”). You can find this link below a person’s name in a directory search results listing, on a person’s profile page, or on any eGroup posting that the individual authored.

You can also go the My Profile tab, then My contacts, and click Add Contact(s). This takes you to the MGMA Member Directory where you can search for a particular person to add to your contact list.

How do I find communities to join?
Click on the Discussions tab, then All Discussions for a list of all the communities you are eligible to join. You can also browse through communities by type, such as Assemblies, Societies, and Networks or MGMA Expert-Moderated Communities by choosing that type from the submenu under the Discussions tab.

How do I join communities?
There are three ways to join a community:

Go to My Profile, then click on My Subscriptions from the submenu. Choose your delivery preferences for the community(ies) you wish to join.
Click on the “Add/Change Subscriptions” link located on the upper right-hand side of the Discussions page
Find the community you want to join on the Discussions page, click on the name, and then click the “Post a Message” link on the top of the page. This will allow you to subscribe to that community and then takes you to the screen to post a message if you so desire.

How do I change my subscription and email delivery preferences?
You can change your subscriptions and email delivery preferences at any time by going to My Profile and clicking on My Subscriptions from the submenu. All communities to which you belong will appear in bold at the top of the list. You can change your preferences by clicking on the appropriate radio button.

How do I view past messages posted to a community’s eGroup?
All messages posted to a discussion forum appear on the eGroup archives. To view these messages, you can do one of two things:

Click on the name of the community on the All Discussions page – communities to which you belong will show in bold
Go to My Profile, and click on My Communities. Click on the link called “View the eGroup” on the right hand side for the community archive you wish to view.

How do I post a message to an eGroup?
There are several ways to post a message:

Use the Post a Message button on the Community homepage. This will take you to a screen where you can select the community to which you wish to post the message.
Click on the name of the community to which you wish to post on the All Discussions page, and then click on the “Post a Message” link at the top of that page.
Click on the Post a Message option on the Discussions tab submenu.
Click the “Post a Message” link that appears on any eGroup message, both on those delivered to your inbox and in the archives.

Can I remove or edit a message that I posted?
You are not able to remove or edit a message that you have posted to an eGroup. If you have concerns, please submit a support ticket to discuss the issue with the site administrators.

How do I hyperlink text within a message?
When posting a message, look for the icon that has a globe and a chain link – this is the Hyperlink Manager. Clicking on it will open a box where you copy/paste into the field marked “URL” the website address of the page you are linking to. Then, copy/paste the text you want to appear in your message into the field marked “Link Text”.

How do I complete my profile? How do I upload a picture to my profile?
There are two main ways to reach your profile:

On the MGMA Member Community home page, click on either your picture or the link that says “Profile” in the box on the upper right side of the screen, where it says “Welcome, [Name].”
Click on the My Profile tab on the blue navigation bar at the top of the page

Once in your profile, click the links located in each section (they say things like “Edit contact information” or “Add your Info”) to add information into that section. If no links appear, it means that this information is pulled from our database and you do not have the ability to edit it.

If you choose to edit your contact information, you will be routed to your MGMA.com profile and may make any changes there. Please note that the company name/organizational affiliation information is changed in the My Addresses section under Primary Work Address, NOT in the My Organization section.

To upload a picture, click on the link “Edit Picture” located under the grey “cookie cutter” picture to the left of your name. An upload box will appear. Click “Browse” to locate the desired file (must be .jpg, .bmp, or .gif file type, and approximately 600X600 pixels), and click “Open” on the dialogue box. Then click the “Upload” button. Please note that it may take up to one hour for your picture to appear. Once a picture has been uploaded, you can either remove it by clicking the “Remove Picture” link or change the picture by clicking “Edit Picture” link, both located under your picture.

A complete profile has information in all available sections, including a photograph!

What if I don't have a good picture?
Have fun with it. The images enhance the collegiality of the MGMA Member Community, so feel free to include any image that reflects your personality, hobbies, pets or the like. Just make sure that the image you include is neither offensive to anyone nor protected by copyright, if you have not obtained permission from its owner or copyright-holder.

How do I view and download files in a community’s resource library?
You can access a community’s resource library in two ways:

Click on the link named “Files” for the community you wish to access on the All Discussions page.
Go to My Profile, click on My Communities, and then click on the link that says “View the Library” for the appropriate community.

The library uses a folder view, where the top folder is on the left hand side and its contents are listed on the right. To view and download a file, click on its name and click View. This will bring up the View Document page. To download the file, click on the file name in the middle column, beneath where it says “File(s) in this Document.” Multiple files can be attached to one library entry (i.e., document), so you can choose which files to download by simply clicking on the ones you want. On this screen you can also rate the document, add it to your favorites, or add a comment.

How do I upload a file to a resource library?
You can upload a file directly to a library, or you can attach it to a message. To upload a file directly, go to Libraries on the top navigation bar and click on Add Document from the submenu. Follow the steps on the page, and be sure to choose the correct library from the dropdown box labeled Library.

To attach a file to a message you are posting, click the “Attach” button beneath the message box on the Post a Message page. Follow the steps on the form, click “Finish,” and then send your message.

How do I search for a member?
To perform a simple search for a member by name, click on Directory and enter the appropriate information. For the advanced search, click on the link that says “Use more detailed search criteria.” The advanced search allows you to look for members by organization type, size, specialty, and other criteria. You can access the advanced search directly by going to Directory on the top navigation bar and clicking on Advanced Search from the submenu.

How do I find blogs to read?
On the submenu of the Blogs tab, you will find a variety of ways to discover new blogs. You can search for blogs by keyword, by date, or author by clicking on Search Blogs. You can also see the blogs your contacts have written by clicking on My Contacts Blogs. Or, you can browse blogs by clicking on Top Rated Blogs or Most Read Blogs. Additionally, bloggers have the ability to associate posts with particular communities. You can read these blogs by going to the landing page of a community (which you can access by clicking on the community name from your My Communities page), where you will see blogs associated with that community.

How do I post a message to multiple eGroups at one time?
You can cross-post to two eGroups at one time on the Post a Message page. Choose the primary eGroup to which you wish to send the message, and then choose an eGroup to cross-post your message from the dropdown box labeled Cross Post To.

If you wish to send the message to additional groups, you can forward your posting by going to My Profile and clicking on My Postings from the submenu. Find the message you want to post and click on the link named Resend. Choose the appropriate community to which you wish to send the message from the dropdown box labeled eGroup and click the Resend button at the bottom to post the message.

How do I send private messages?
You can send a private message to someone by clicking on the link that says “Send Message.” You can find this option in three ways:

Beneath a person’s name on the Directory search results screen
In the Contact Information section of a person’s profile
Below a person’s name on your My Contacts page

Additionally, you can privately reply to a person who has posted a message to an eGroup by clicking the link “Reply to Sender” on the message, which displays either in your inbox or in the archives.

How do I edit my signature?
Go to My Profile and click on My Signature. You can enter any specific information you want here, or use the variables listed on the right. To insert a variable, simply click on it. Using the variables means that any changes to your information on your profile – for example, your job title – will automatically update on your signature, rather than having to enter this information manually.

How do I report technical problems or inappropriate messages?
To report technical problems or inappropriate messages, click on the link “Report a Problem” under the heading Useful Links at the top of any eGroup message delivered to your inbox.

You can also report a concern from the MGMA Member Community home page. Click on the link “Contact Us” in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and then click on the link submit a technical issue or report a problem.

Additionally, you can always contact the MGMA Service Center by dialing toll-free 877.ASK.MGMA (275.6462) or by email at service@mgma.com.

How do I submit news to the Latest Member News section on the Community homepage?
Simply email your news to Jessica McDonald with “Member News” in the subject line. If you would like to have a picture shown, please also attach the picture or give us permission to use your Community profile picture.