By Dave Albin, MBA
ISMA Director of Membership and Marketing


Early next year, you will have an important opportunity to let ISMA know what you think about our organization and your role in it. For the first time in several years, we will conduct a member survey to find out more about what you value, how you prefer to receive services and how we can serve you better. This will be an online survey, but if you don’t have internet access or we don’t have your email address, please contact ISMA at (800) 257-4762 or info@ismanet.org to be added to a mailing list or to provide your email address to participate.

This market research initiative has grown out of the Targeted and Clear Communications and Attract and Engage Members pillars of the strategic planning process. It will include all facets of the work ISMA does on behalf of its approximately 8,000 active, retired and student members, such as advocacy, education and providing member benefits. Beyond measuring awareness of services or satisfaction with your membership, the survey will help us develop insights into the relative value of our offerings and the decision-making of you, our members. 

The survey will include some demographic questions to be used in cross-tabulation reporting, to make the information actionable. For example, questions about practice setting and communication preferences may help us determine that large-group practices prefer conference calls, while a solo provider wants access to ISMA information in a targeted email newsletter. We assume physicians nearing the end of their careers will prefer a different mix of member services than younger ones, but to what degree? A survey will help us determine what members value and how we should work to deliver that. We also intend to include nonmembers and former ISMA members in the survey, to attempt to understand how we can increase membership among those groups over time.

How can you help? Simply put, take the survey. The higher the number of responses, the more accurate and actionable the data. If 200 physicians in a specific district or specialty tell us what they value, it carries more weight than if we only hear from 20. Your responses matter and will help us improve programs, focus our efforts and provide better service.

The survey will be emailed to you early next year and will include a website link. Clicking that link on your computer, tablet or phone will take you to the survey website, where you can answer our questions in a few minutes. The survey software will allow ISMA staff to tabulate results, analyze the data and report our findings.

One more important note: While the reporting will include demographic segments (age groups, gender, practice type, geographic area and so on), all the data will be presented to the ISMA Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and ISMA membership in aggregate, so no individual physician’s response can be identified.

Please watch your email and other ISMA communications for more information on this important initiative. We look forward to receiving your response!