This holiday season, we wish you joy and good health. We’re also grateful for your support in making 2018 a year of growth for our organization.

At convention, President Stacie Wenk, DO, reaffirmed the four pillars of ISMA: attracting and engaging members; physician leadership and satisfaction; industry impact; and targeted, clear communication. We’re happy to report a year of progress toward our goals!

Increasing our reach: In a challenging climate for membership organizations, ISMA entered 2018 with an increase in members and is on track to continue that growth. Our student membership has grown by 83 percent this year. Watch for our upcoming member survey and plan to participate; your input is needed for us to offer even better benefits and value.

Engaging members where they are: We’ll soon be rolling out our mobile app and podcasts to deliver opioid education to physicians on the go! These innovative, engaging materials are now in beta testing and getting great reviews. We added Skype capability for meetings. And, newsletters, postcards and frequent social media posts update physicians on regulations, proposed legislation and member news.

Supporting our students: We seeded a $1 million ISMA scholarship at each of Indiana’s two medical schools, increased student representation in the House of Delegates, welcomed the first ISMA Health Policy Fellows and increased student stipends for AMA meetings. We will continue to work toward increasing Indiana residency spots and the necessary funding.

Removing practice barriers: Physicians led the conversation to shape medicine during the 2018 legislative session. ISMA turned back scope-of-practice incursions and collaborated with stakeholders to reduce prior authorization hurdles. Our input helped win reprieves on Medicare proposals and insurance company policies that penalized doctors and patients. And, we began working with the new ISMA Employers Association to support our independent-practitioner members.  

Advocating for public health: At the General Assembly, ISMA spearheaded a new law to allow sunscreen in schools, collaborated on a bill to introduce INSPECT queries and CME on opioid addiction and helped establish new safeguards for mothers and newborns.

Enhancing joy in medicine: ISMA’s inaugural Physician Wellness Workshop, with Dr. Dike Drummond of “The Happy MD,” drew a large audience. Our Doctor Your Spirit webpages added resources on depression and suicide, and we raised almost $86,000 to defray the costs of the Physician Assistance Program Fund.

With your support, we will continue to change Indiana medical practice for the better in 2019 and beyond. Thank you for your loyalty to ISMA!

(Clockwise, from top left): ISMA Medical Student Society delegates at convention; Past President John P. McGoff, MD; George Brenner, LCSW; Palmer Mackie, MD; and Amy LaHood, MD, record a podcast; President Stacie Wenk, DO, and Executive Vice President Julie Reed, JD, attend the Raise it for Health news conference; and Dike Drummond, MD, of TheHappyMD.com, presents his Physician Wellness Workshop.