CLEVELAND – The American College of Surgeons (ACS),  the largest surgical association in the world, is launching an online community powered by Within3 to support thousands of surgeons in the United States who practice in sparsely populated areas.

The community will offer a range of collaborative tools to connect the surgeons and facilitate the sharing of advice, research and other resources.  Since many rural surgeons work alone, without access to leading experts at large medical institutions, this private online site will transform how they communicate with each other, regardless of geographic distances.

"Our vision for this community is to connect surgeons anywhere and at any time, thereby enabling them to tap into the collective expertise of their peers. The ultimate objective is to provide the best care and treatment options for their patients," said David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, ACS executive director.

With direction from an advisory group of rural surgeons, the community has been designed to achieve specific goals.  Interactive discussions will foster communication among surgeons in rural areas to promote collaboration and networking on patient cases and care.  Moreover, specific topics, "spotlights," and interactive online events will cultivate conversation among isolated surgeons and, most importantly, increase their collective knowledge through shared resources, the latest news, information on advanced procedures, and ongoing online educational opportunities.

"This is not a social media site that tries to be something for everybody," Hoyt added.  "We've spent extensive time interviewing our rural surgeon members and feel this community will offer them a secure site where they can upload images, case studies, and research so they can collaborate virtually, using the latest technology in a way that hasn't been available to them before."

The community will launch during the annual Rural Surgery Symposium and Workshop in May and will include extensive outreach to ensure that the more than 3,500 rural surgeon ACS members understand the benefits and features of the site.

"We believe this opportunity will be significant for the rural surgeons in ACS who directly impact 20 percent of our population.  Not only will it allow them to communicate and collaborate more effectively, it will also provide a needed support system for these busy surgeons who practice alone in disperse rural settings," said Lance Hill, CEO, Within3.