Modern Healthcare recently selected the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) as a winner of its 2022 Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards. AANA received the Gold Award for Integrated Campaign of the Year in the Advocacy category for its successful “Providing Arkansas Patients with Access to Quality Anesthesia Care” campaign.
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“Marketing has become so much more than a billboard, a few well-placed flyers and key sponsorships of community events,” said Mary Ellen Podmolik, editor of Modern Healthcare. “This year’s winners of the Marketing Impact Awards excelled at finding creative ways to cut through the noise with messaging that was personal, educational, and frequently, a call to action. As the industry’s focus expands to improve the overall health of communities as well as clinical care, these are some of the organizations and campaigns to emulate.”
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are qualified to make independent judgements regarding all aspects of anesthesia care based on their education, licensure, and certification. Forty-one U.S. states do not require physician supervision of CRNAs in their nursing laws and rules. However, this was not the case in Arkansas. The more than 800 CRNAs in the state could not practice to the top of their education and training due to the restrictive requirements for unnecessary physician involvement.
The “Providing Arkansas Patients with Access to Quality Anesthesia Care” campaign was designed to educate legislators on the benefits of allowing CRNAs to practice at the top of their training and licensure, focusing on the legislators who were a ‘no’ vote on past practice authority bills. Tactics for the campaign included paid and organic digital campaigns, op-eds, letters to the editor, news releases and media pitching highlighting the important role CRNAs play in providing access to high-quality anesthesia care in Arkansas, especially for its rural residents.
“As the leading organization representing CRNAs, AANA is committed to shaping the debate on important healthcare issues and ensuring that our members have a voice and can practice to the full extent of their education and training,” said Bill Bruce, AANA Chief Executive Officer. “‘The Providing Arkansas Patients with Access to Quality Anesthesia Care’ campaign, with its focus on advocacy resources to remove unnecessary physician supervision in Arkansas, led to the state passing a law to increase access to safe affordable care in the state. We are honored to be recognized by Modern Healthcare for this advocacy campaign.”
The Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards program recognizes outstanding marketing, advertising, and communication campaigns across all media platforms that advance the goals of healthcare organizations and promote individual and community health.