Success Stories

Client
Members of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) provide specialized care to people who suffer from allergies and asthma—addressing the root causes of their symptoms to provide lasting relief and often a cure.

Challenge
About 50 million Americans have allergies and almost 25 million have asthma. Unfortunately, few understand the value of seeing an allergist for relief or even know what an allergist does. In a pre-campaign survey, just 39% of the public knew that allergists treat allergies and only 7% knew they treat asthma. So how do you get more allergy and asthma sufferers to seek care from the medical doctor best trained to treat these conditions? Answer: Find out what’s stopping them and develop a plan to address it.

Faced with consumer avoidance of specialty care, self-medication with ineffective drugs and increased competition from less-qualified practitioners, ACAAI called upon EAI to help launch an extensive public education campaign. The ACAAI needed a clear brand and a strong position to raise awareness and understanding of allergic diseases and showcase the benefits of treatment by a qualified allergist-immunologist.

Action
The nationwide campaign was built upon research among both ACAAI members and people suffering with allergies and asthma. Questions helped identify perceptions about allergies within the general population and specific subgroups; determine who seeks an allergist and under what circumstances; and identify the trigger points—such as an asthma attack or a small sniffle—that motivate patients to seek care and from whom. The research addressed how patients gather information and the specific resources they seek and trust. Based on the results, EAI worked with ACAAI to create a multimedia communications campaign that includes a distinctive ACAAI logo; defined messages and images that resonated with the target audiences; print and web advertising and a public microsite. The campaign also focused on search engine optimization, keyword marketing, media relations and member mobilization.

Results
Two years into the campaign, the award winning “Find an Allergist, Find Relief campaign” achieved the society’s objectives to:

• Raise awareness of allergies and asthma, and the benefits of seeing an allergist for diagnosis and treatment
• Proactive media relations resulted in 5,300 print and online articles and broadcasts, reaching an estimated audience of 2.7 billion. More than 91% of media placements carried campaign messages, including 84% specifically mentioning the allergist specialty.
• Motivate allergy and asthma sufferers to take action
• 642,676 unique visitors to AllergyandAsthmaRelief.org, including 94,850 people accessing the Allergist Locator.
• Differentiate allergists from other clinicians
• 1,727 ACAAI members, 54 percent of membership, joined the Relief Team, spreading campaign messages in local markets.

Client
Members of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) provide optimal, specialized care to people who suffer from allergies and asthma—addressing the root causes of their symptoms to provide lasting relief and often a cure.

Challenge
Asthma is a serious disease and the most common chronic disease of childhood. It affects almost 25 million Americans, including 7 million children, with about 4,000 deaths a year. Although the exact cause of asthma is unknown, many treatments are available to control this chronic inflammation of the airways in the lungs. Public education is probably the most important strategy to bring the disease under control.

Action
In 1996, EAI helped ACAAI launch the Nationwide Asthma Screening Program to reach adults and children at risk for undiagnosed or uncontrolled asthma and find them relief.

Teams of allergists conducted local community screenings throughout the country. Screenings are held during health fairs, in recreational facilities and in shopping malls. Asthma screening is a quick, non-invasive process that includes filling out a questionnaire, taking a breathing test and talking with an allergist. Each coordinator receives a kit of materials with everything needed to organize, publicize and hold a successful screening.

Industry support was been obtained each year of the program for 22 years.

Results
Over the life of the program, one-third of ACAAI members have conducted screenings and many participate year after year. More than 135,000 people have been screened and about half have been referred for a professional diagnosis. Media outreach efforts have resulted in hundreds of media placements in national and local consumer and trade press.

Client
Members of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) provide specialized care to people who suffer from allergies and asthma—addressing the root causes of their symptoms to provide lasting relief and often a cure.

Challenge
ACAAI is an accredited provider of continuing medical education (CME). Accreditation requirements have become increasingly complex. It is critically important to members that educational programming at the ACAAI Annual Meeting be of the highest quality, free from commercial bias, encompass both clinical management and cutting-edge research, and be responsive to the educational needs of the allergy/immunology community. Re-accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is a vigorous process that is required every 2-6 years.

Action
Under EAI management, ACAAI conducts ongoing identification of practice gaps and related underlying educational needs which drive the design and development of the CME program. Based on an assessment of learners’ needs, educational formats, instructional methods, activity content and measurement of changes in physician competence and performance, the educational program was designed to meet current criteria. EAI’s skilled CME professionals led the ACAAI leadership through the myriad requirements necessary to obtain accreditation.

Results
ACCME recently re-accredited the ACAAI with “Accreditation with Commendation,” Level 3, which is a six-year term. To achieve this level of accreditation providers must comply with all 22 criteria. This distinction is awarded to only 16 percent of all organizations that undergo the ACCME accreditation process

Accreditation from ACCME indicates ACAAI develops effective continuing medical education that meets members’ needs, helps to improve the care of allergy and asthma patients and advances the specialty. EAI’s CME team also maintains ACCME accreditation for other medical clients.

Client
The Academy of Osseointegration (AO) is the premier association for dental implant professionals and is at the forefront of scientific advances in dental implant and tissue replacement therapy. The membership of AO is international with members from nearly 70 countries.

Challenge
In 2000, AO had 3,800 members and was looking to grow. However, AO leaders were not confident their current large diversified association management company could help. AO approached EAI when a colleague shared the success his association was achieving in partnership with EAI.

Action
AO retained EAI to assume full-service management of the organization. EAI quickly enhanced the organization’s brand and formulated more attractive membership benefits. With leadership and staff working together, a new member recruitment campaign was developed and quickly implemented.

Results
AO membership has increased over 40% since 2000, and the society has more than 5,000 members today. Due to this growth, AO’s Annual Meeting attendance has also grown, and the organization has been able to launch a host of new programs.

Client
The Academy of Osseointegration (AO) is the premier association for professionals interested in implant dentistry and is at the forefront of scientific advances in dental implant and tissue replacement therapy. AO membership is international with members from nearly 70 countries.

Challenge
From 2000 – 2008, AO experienced tremendous growth in membership, revenue and annual meeting attendance. As a result, the association Board wanted to look at existing staffing needs, plan where to allocate additional resources and assess the current management staff.

Action
The AO Board retained an independent management consulting firm to appraise the performance of AO’s programs and its EAI management staff. Officers, directors, volunteers and staff were interviewed. The consultant reviewed governance and management documents and compared management staffing and fees with industry benchmarks.

Results
The consultant praised EAI management services very highly and recommended areas where additional staff would be needed to meet strategic goals. The report to the Board summarized EAI strengths as follows: “produces an excellent annual meeting, the best in the profession, competent, good follow-up and great at getting corporate support.” The Board authorized the Executive Director to develop and implement a progressive staffing plan, adding full and part-time employees over a period of time.

Over the past 18 years under EAI management, AO membership has increased over 40% and net assets have grown more than 1,000%, to over $15 million. The annual meeting attendance, educational courses, exhibits and revenues have also expanded, and EAI management fees remain lower than the industry benchmark.