What Iowa Medical Society does

Iowa Medical Society (IMS) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association founded in 1850 and headquartered at 515 E. Locust Street, Suite 400 in Des Moines, Iowa. It is the largest and oldest statewide professional association for Iowa physicians, representing more than 6,000 physicians, residents, and medical students practicing in 80 of Iowa's 99 counties. IMS operates a small professional staff of 11-50 employees organized across advocacy, membership, communications, finance, and policy functions, and is led by CEO Steve Churchill, MNA. The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors with Lillian Erdahl, MD installed as president for the 2026-2027 term.

IMS's core offering is tiered annual membership priced from $30 for residents to $515 for practicing physicians, with discounted rates for early career, government-employed, and part-time physicians, complimentary emeritus status, and group memberships carrying 5-40% discounts. Member benefits include accredited continuing medical education (IMS is itself an ACCME-recognized intrastate CME accreditor), legislative advocacy, the 10% COPIC medical malpractice insurance discount, physician wellness programming (Burnout Awareness; Recognize. Recover. Rebuild.), and access to publications and events such as Iowa Medicine magazine and the Doc 2 Doc podcast. Distribution runs through the iowamedical.org website, a GrowthZone-backed member portal, iOS and Android member apps, county and specialty society add-on memberships, and an Ambassadors program of physician members who recruit within their clinics.

Revenue is generated primarily through membership dues, event and registration fees, CME accreditation fees, advertising and sponsorship (including a core partnership with COPIC), and charitable contributions to the wholly-owned IMS Foundation, which funds scholarships, global health clinical placements (110+ students placed in 25+ countries over 10 years), and a planned-giving 1850 Legacy Society. Recent strategic moves include the June 2026 launch of the Iowa Health Care Job Board, a statewide recruitment platform extending IMS beyond its traditional advocacy/membership scope, and a series of 2026 legislative wins: prior authorization reform banning AI-driven insurer denials, physician licensure reform, and federal approval of a Graduate Medical Education expansion securing roughly $49.5 million in additional annual federal funding for more than 128 new residency positions across Iowa's 13 teaching hospitals.

Name

Iowa Medical Society

Legal name

Iowa Medical Society

Website

https://iowamedical.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Iowa Medical Society is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association founded in 1850 that represents more than 6,000 physicians, residents, and medical students across Iowa, providing tiered membership, legislative advocacy, accredited CME, and member services including a new statewide job board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Patient Advocacy, Navigation & Access to Care (BPAGACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

Keywords

• Medical professional association
• Physician advocacy services
• Continuing medical education
• Medical society membership
• Healthcare workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Primary revenue stream from annual membership dues ranging from $515 for individual physicians to $30 for residents, with discounted rates for early career, government-employed, and part-time physicians. County medical society add-on memberships available at various price points ($25-$395 annually). Specialty society memberships also offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Iowa Medical Society is a 501(c)(6) non-profit statewide professional association that sells membership to Iowa physicians, residents, and medical students. Its core offering delivers tiered annual memberships ($30-$515) bundled with legislative advocacy, accredited continuing medical education (CME), professional networking, physician wellness programming, and exclusive benefits such as a 10% COPIC malpractice insurance discount.

Product overview

Iowa Medical Society operates as a membership-based professional association offering a comprehensive portfolio of member services, advocacy programs, and educational initiatives. The core offering is the IMS Membership program, supplemented by Iowa Medicine Magazine (quarterly publication), Doc 2 Doc Podcast, and the Iowa Health Care Job Board. IMS provides physician wellness programming (Burnout Awareness, Recognize.Recover.Rebuild.), workforce initiatives (Operation I.O.W.A.), the Opioids Initiative with CME courses, and Virus and Vaccine Resources. The organization also manages IMS Foundation (scholarships, global health experiences), the 1850 Legacy Society (planned giving), IMS Awards programs, Medical Student Section, and IMS Ambassadors Program. CME accreditation services and the IMS Member mobile app round out the service portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Iowa Medical Society Membership
• Iowa Medicine Magazine
• Doc 2 Doc Podcast
• Iowa Health Care Job Board
• CME Providership and Accreditation
• IMS Member Mobile Application

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $49.5 million in additional annual federal funding for physician residency training programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Iowa Medical Group Management Association (IMGMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMGMA Payer Relations Committee developed resources and assembled telehealth information from national partners to assist practices. IMS links to IMGMA telehealth resources.
• COPICcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCOPIC provides medical malpractice insurance with a 10% discount exclusively available to IMS members. COPIC sponsors IMS awards including the Physician Humanitarian Award and IMS events.
• Iowa Department of Health and Human ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMSF collaborates with Iowa HHS on Graduate Medical Education expansion securing approximately $49.5 million in additional annual federal funding to support physician residency training programs across Iowa's 13 teaching hospitals.
• Iowa Teaching HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa's 13 teaching hospitals serve as partners in the GME expansion initiative, providing residency training positions supported by federal funding secured through IMS advocacy efforts.
• Iowa Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMSF partners with Iowa Department of Public Health on opioid response initiatives, including Chronic Pain Management CME programming provided at no charge courtesy of IDPH.
• SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAMHSA-funded Opioid Response Network provides training and education resources for opioid misuse prevention. Funding for Chronic Pain Management CME made possible by SAMHSA grant.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Association (AMA): National professional association for U.S. physicians, offering advocacy, education, and member benefits at the federal level. Comparable in mission and member services model, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope than IMS.
• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): National association representing medical schools and teaching hospitals, with significant overlap on physician workforce policy, GME funding, and medical education advocacy — areas where IMS has demonstrated recent legislative wins.

Direct peers

• Illinois State Medical Society: Illinois state medical society providing legislative advocacy, CME, and member benefits to Illinois physicians. Operates an analogous professional association model in an adjacent Midwest state.
• Minnesota Medical Association: Neighboring Midwest state medical society providing advocacy, CME, and member services to Minnesota physicians. Directly comparable in scope, structure, and target member base, differing only by state jurisdiction.
• Wisconsin Medical Society: Statewide professional association for Wisconsin physicians offering advocacy, education, and member engagement. Closely mirrors IMS's service portfolio and 501(c)(6) structure in a comparable Midwest market.
• Iowa Pharmacy Association: Iowa state professional association for pharmacists. Shares an overlapping advocacy and regulatory approach with IMS, and its former director (Seth Brown) now leads government relations at IMS, evidencing cross-pollination.
• Kansas Medical Society: Statewide professional association for Kansas physicians, offering advocacy, CME, and member engagement. Comparable structure and rural physician workforce challenges similar to Iowa.
• Missouri State Medical Association: State medical society providing advocacy, education, and member services to Missouri physicians. Directly comparable peer operating a similar professional association model in a neighboring state.
• Nebraska Medical Association: Statewide physician professional association serving Nebraska. Similar structure and mission to IMS with comparable rural physician workforce dynamics.

Regional players

• Iowa Hospital Association: Statewide Iowa association representing hospitals and health systems rather than individual physicians. Adjacent peer organization with overlapping advocacy interests and similar 501(c)(6) structure within Iowa.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/iowamedical
• Facebookfacebook.com/IowaMedical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iowamedicalsociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/iowamedicalsociety
• Xx.com/IowaMedicalSoc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Iowa Medical Society