National Organization of Rheumatology Management

What National Organization of Rheumatology Management does

The National Organization of Rheumatology Management (NORM) is a Virginia-domiciled nonstock nonprofit founded in 2004-2005 to serve rheumatology practice managers, board-certified rheumatologists, advanced practice providers, and their non-management staff (biologic coordinators, billers). Headquartered in Columbia, SC with a lean staff of 1-10, the organization has grown from 25-35 founding practice managers to approximately 300+ members across 43 states by its tenth anniversary. NORM operates as a community-led, member-based professional association rather than a software or services vendor.

NORM's core products are its membership tier (NORM Member and Provider Member at $200/year, Associate at $150, Non-Rheumatology Affiliate at $400, Emeritus free), an annual in-person conference (2026 in New Orleans, LA on October 1-3), an email ListServ for peer-to-peer practice management questions, an unmoderated Biologic Coordinator Forum, a periodic newsletter, a webinar series, a legislative tracking tool, and a group purchasing organization called NORM Ventures. Technology is non-proprietary and runs on the Glueup membership platform. Revenue is generated through recurring membership dues, conference registrations, and corporate sponsorships from 20+ pharmaceutical industry partners (AbbVie, BMS, Genentech, J&J/Janssen, Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi, Amgen, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, UCB, and others).

The go-to-market motion is community-led growth: members join by peer referral, and retention is driven by the ListServ, conference networking, and access to compliance, billing, and HR resources for navigating CMS, HIPAA, ICD-10, PBM, and payer requirements. NORM is governed by an elected board (President Iris Nichols, VP Jay Salliotte, plus board members and founding members Linda McKee and Reuben Allen) and operates as an independent, member-controlled nonprofit without parent company or institutional backing.

Name

National Organization of Rheumatology Management

Legal name

National Organization of Rheumatology Managers

Website

https://normgroup.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NORM is a Virginia nonprofit membership association serving approximately 300+ rheumatology practice managers, rheumatologists, and practice staff across 43 U.S. states with annual dues, an annual conference, peer ListServ, webinars, and a group purchasing organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Westtown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees charged to rheumatology practice managers, physicians, and associated professionals. Membership tiers range from $150 to $400 per year depending on professional category. Emeritus members receive free social membership.
2. Annual Conference Registration: Revenue generated from registration fees for the annual NORM conference, which brings together industry professionals for educational seminars, professional feedback, and mentorship. The 2026 conference is scheduled for October 1-3 in New Orleans, LA at the Hyatt Regency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NORM is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves rheumatology practice managers, rheumatologists, and their staff through tiered memberships, an annual educational conference, peer-to-peer communication services (ListServ and forums), webinars, advocacy resources, and a group purchasing organization (NORM Ventures). The organization functions as a community-led association connecting members across 43 U.S. states for education, networking, regulatory compliance support, and industry advocacy.

Product overview

NORM (National Organization of Rheumatology Management) is a professional membership organization, not a software product company. It offers a membership-based platform (NORM Connect) with tiered access levels, annual conferences, an email ListServ for peer communication, a biologic coordinator forum, newsletters, educational webinars, and group purchasing services through NORM Ventures. The core offering is the membership community connecting rheumatology practice managers through networking, education, and advocacy resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NORM Connect Membership Platform Online membership management platform providing self-service enrollment, renewal, and access to the NORM community forum, members-only portal, education page, and networking opportunities for rheumatology professionals. Powered by the Glueup platform.
• Annual NORM Conference Annual in-person conference bringing together rheumatology practice managers, rheumatologists, and industry partners for educational seminars, professional feedback, mentorship, and parallel break-out symposia between plenary sessions.
• NORM ListServ Email-based communication service enabling members to ask questions and receive responses from rheumatology professionals across the country regarding practice management issues, typically within minutes.
• Biologic Coordinator Forum Unmoderated online forum accessible through the member login, fostering open communication and discussion among biologic coordinators in rheumatology practices.
• NORM Newsletter Periodic newsletter providing management insights, practice tips, industry updates, legislative information, and member announcements from NORM.
• NORM Ventures (Group Purchasing Organization) Group purchasing organization (GPO) providing NORM members with access to product discounts and collective negotiating power for goods and services used by rheumatology practices.
• Educational Webinars Educational teleconference webinars providing continuing education and training on topics relevant to rheumatology practice management, including billing, coding, payer policies, and operational best practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• NORM has grown from 25-35 practice manager members at founding to close to 300+ members in 43 states as of 2014

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AbbViecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAbbVie is a corporate member of NORM and sponsors NORM events and conferences. AbbVie provides patient assistance programs and Complete Savings Card for patients needing AbbVie medications.
• American RheumatologyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate member of NORM representing the rheumatology physician community.
• Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerBMS is a corporate member of NORM, supporting the rheumatology practice management community through membership and conference sponsorship.
• GenentechcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGenentech is a corporate member and industry partner providing patient assistance programs for lupus nephritis medications. They support NORM's mission through membership and educational resources.
• Johnson & Johnson (Janssen)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerJanssen Biotech (Johnson & Johnson) is a corporate member and major conference sponsor. They have collaborated on educational content including SIMPONI ARIA patient resources and were a sponsor at the 2014 NORM Conference reception and dinner.
• UCBcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUCB is a corporate member supporting NORM and rheumatology practices. They have offered UCBCares disaster relief assistance and support for rheumatology patients.
• Eli LillycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEli Lilly is a corporate member of NORM supporting the rheumatology management community through membership and industry partnership.
• AstraZenecacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAstraZeneca is a corporate member of NORM. They have collaborated on SAPHNELO (anifrolumab-fnia) resources including Policy Acumen Portal for billing, coding, and coverage policies.
• Cardinal HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCardinal Health is a corporate member of NORM providing distribution and healthcare supply chain support for rheumatology practices.
• BiogenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBiogen is a corporate member of NORM supporting the rheumatology practice management community.
• McKessonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMcKesson is a corporate member of NORM providing pharmaceutical distribution services to rheumatology practices.
• PfizercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPfizer is a corporate member of NORM supporting the rheumatology practice management community through membership and industry partnership.
• GSKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGSK is a corporate member of NORM and has collaborated on arthritis awareness initiatives and industry news content.
• CuraScriptsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCuraScripts is a corporate member of NORM providing specialty pharmacy services for rheumatology practices.
• NovartiscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNovartis is a corporate member of NORM supporting the rheumatology community through membership and industry partnership.
• SobiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSobi (Swedish Orphan Biovitrum) is a corporate member of NORM focused on immunology and rare diseases.
• SanoficoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSanofi is a corporate member of NORM supporting the rheumatology practice management community.
• OrganonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganon is a corporate member of NORM. They have provided HCPCS coding updates for biosimilars including BILDYOS (denosumab-nxxp) for PROLIA and XGEVA.
• AmgencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAmgen is a corporate member of NORM supporting the rheumatology practice management community through membership and industry partnership.
• Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSRO was founded in 2004 by a small group of rheumatologists with the mission to advocate for excellence in rheumatology. CSRO gathered practice managers and physicians together in 2005, and the mentoring of CSRO created NORM. CSRO and NORM maintain a collaborative relationship for rheumatology advocacy.
• Cornerstone Partners GPOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCornerstone Partners GPO authored content on GPO membership benefits for NORM, noting that GPO membership extends beyond product discounts to include practice management support.
• Aimed AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNORM collaborated with Aimed Alliance to publish a Medicare Open Enrollment Brochure to help patients and practices understand coverage options.
• National Psoriasis FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNORM promotes the National Psoriasis Foundation's Patient Navigation Center as a resource for psoriatic arthritis patients, connecting members with patient support services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA): SHEA is a medical professional society offering membership, conferences, and advocacy services for healthcare epidemiology professionals. While focused on a different clinical specialty, it shares NORM's structural pattern of small-staff professional association serving clinicians with practice management support needs.
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW): NASW is a large professional membership organization offering conferences, continuing education, advocacy, and specialty chapters — a structurally similar membership association model serving health-adjacent professionals. It illustrates the broader category of healthcare professional associations that NORM belongs to.
• American College of Rheumatology (ACR): ACR is the dominant professional society for rheumatology clinicians in the US, serving a substantially overlapping audience but at much larger scale and broader scope (clinical research, advocacy, education). NORM is operationally complementary to ACR rather than substitutable, but ACR is the obvious benchmark for size and capabilities in the same specialty.
• Medical Group Management Association (MGMA): MGMA is the largest US association for medical practice managers across all specialties, offering comparable practice management education, conferences, and advocacy but at a multi-specialty scale. It represents the broader incumbent against which NORM competes for the rheumatology manager segment's attention and dues dollars.
• American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI): ACAAI is the professional society for allergy/immunology clinicians with an overlapping biologic drug sponsorship model and practice management education mission. It operates in a closely adjacent specialty with a similar payer and regulatory environment as rheumatology.
• American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD/AADA): AAD is the professional society and associated practice management body for dermatologists, with a similar model of specialty-focused practice education, corporate sponsorship from biologic/cosmetic manufacturers, and annual meetings. It serves a comparable role for dermatology practice managers as NORM does for rheumatology.

Others

• Aimed Alliance: Aimed Alliance is a patient advocacy organization that has co-published member resources with NORM (e.g., Medicare Open Enrollment brochure). It represents the broader healthcare advocacy ecosystem in which NORM operates rather than a direct competitor.
• Cornerstone Partners GPO: Cornerstone Partners is a Group Purchasing Organization that has authored content for NORM and serves as an enabling partner for NORM Ventures. While not a direct competitor, it operates an adjacent GPO service that intersects with NORM's emerging procurement offerings.

Direct peers

• Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (CSRO): CSRO is the parent/incubator organization from which NORM was founded in 2005-2006 and shares overlapping board members, advocacy missions, and the Legislative Map tool. It operates in the same rheumatology advocacy niche and serves a closely aligned member base of rheumatologists and practice managers.
• American Association of Orthopaedic Executives (AAOE): AAOE is a specialty-specific management organization serving orthopaedic practice executives with a comparable business model: specialty-focused membership, annual conference, practice management education, and corporate sponsorship from device and pharma manufacturers. It is the closest functional analog to NORM in another medical specialty.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NORMGrp
• Facebookfacebook.com/NORMGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norm-national-organization-of-rheumatology-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Organization of Rheumatology Management