ISMA: Indiana State Medical Association: Taking on the opioid epidemic in Indiana.
**Overview**
The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA), the largest physician organization in the state and a nonprofit entity, has long been committed to addressing opioid abuse and managing opioid use disorders in Indiana. The association offers legal and educational materials to physicians regarding the prescription of controlled substances, including opioids. The opioid crisis has become a significant public health issue nationwide, and in Indiana, the mortality rate related to opioid use has reportedly doubled every three years, based on data from both the U.S. Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. Site Strategics partnered with Matchbook to support ISMA's mission to combat this pressing issue in Indiana.
**Mission**
In 2018, Indiana enacted a law mandating that all state-licensed healthcare providers applying for or renewing their controlled substance registrations must complete two hours of continuing medical education (CME) focused on opioid prescribing and abuse. This requirement became effective on July 1, 2019, with a deadline of October 31 for healthcare providers to complete the necessary training in order to renew their Controlled Substances Registration (CSR) for the subsequent two years. Not meeting this requirement would restrict their ability to prescribe medications despite their ability to practice medicine. To assist practitioners in fulfilling this compliance, ISMA developed a free mobile application called "ISMA Online," providing convenient access to education on opioid issues. The app's primary goal was to help mitigate the opioid crisis in Indiana by continually educating licensed healthcare providers. The courses offered through the app qualified for CME credits, and completion of these courses automatically reported credits to the Indiana Public Licensing Agency, ensuring prescribers met their CSR renewal obligations.
**Process**
Given the extensive geographical distribution of Indiana's licensed healthcare practitioners, ISMA recognized the need for a multi-faceted marketing strategy. The Site Strategics and Matchbook team implemented an integrated approach, which included comprehensive marketing techniques, both paid and organic social campaigns, printed materials, email marketing, specific landing pages, and public relations tools. The campaign commenced with thorough research and strategy development to create a foundation for our creative, social, and digital initiatives. We evaluated ISMA's messaging, brand identity, audience demographics, and physician behaviors to effectively target specific groups. Our team produced creative assets that communicated the imperative of downloading the app and registering for courses, utilizing ISMA's marketing channels. Collaborating with various medical organizations, hospitals, practices, and universities throughout Indiana, we created and distributed toolkits containing ISMA Online information, such as brochures, posters, email templates, and handouts in locations frequently used by physicians. The campaign also featured landing pages and email campaigns designed to inform doctors about the mandate’s requirements and simplify the process of completing the necessary courses. The email campaign targeted thousands of members of the medical association with tailored monthly messages and consistent calls to action, maintaining high open rates and driving traffic to the landing pages to encourage app downloads.
**Results**
Despite the complexity of the campaign, our team achieved significant results in both communications and app downloads. The paid digital campaign garnered over 11.4 million impressions and 58,111 clicks for ISMA. Our organic outreach involved drafting and posting over a hundred pieces of content on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter throughout the partnership. The public relations efforts yielded notable success, securing more than 15 media features across state outlets within four months, including coverage by the respected business outlet Inside Indiana Business, local public broadcasting stations, and other local news sources. Consistency in messaging was maintained across all marketing and PR efforts, ensuring a unified approach. ISMA aimed to facilitate compliance with the new state mandate for medical professionals, and our team aided in achieving this by generating 3,953 downloads of the Online App between April and July. By the end of the campaign, nearly 10,000 licensed healthcare professionals had registered for and engaged with ISMA's opioid education courses, with 7,960 completing the training. Our agency takes pride in collaborating with mission-driven partners, and our work with ISMA highlights our capabilities as a full-service marketing agency. Whether for individual web design projects or comprehensive campaigns, we are eager to help you achieve your business objectives and generate impactful results together.
