Emerald Coast Medical Association

What Emerald Coast Medical Association does

Emerald Coast Medical Association (ECMA) is a nonprofit professional medical association headquartered at 2352 Lisenby Avenue, Panama City, Florida, that serves physicians across ten Northwest Florida counties (Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Walton, and Washington). Founded in 1948 as the Bays Medical Society and rebranded in 2014, ECMA operates as the regional affiliate of the Florida Medical Association and is governed by a physician Board of Directors under President Steven Finkelstein, MD, with day-to-day operations led by Executive Director Michelle Flaat.

The organization's core offerings are organized around three pillars: (1) group-purchased insurance programs including medical malpractice through MedPro Group / Medical Protective (over 100 physician participants, $350,000 in cumulative premium savings), group health through the MCMS Insurance Trust cooperative with Florida Blue (operating since 1981 with $5M+ in reserves), workers' compensation through AmTrust (potential 30% dividends), and cyber liability insurance through Danna-Gracey / Risk Strategies; (2) continuing medical education delivered via the annual CME Beach Retreat at Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa and complimentary CE Broker accounts; and (3) member resources including a physician directory, member portal, Florida RX Card, webinars, and the Emerald Coast Medical Mastery podcast. ECMA also conducts advocacy at local, state, and federal levels and connects members with a tiered Preferred Partners Program spanning insurance, banking, accounting, and clinical providers.

ECMA generates revenue primarily through recurring annual membership dues, with quote-based physician membership tiers and no publicly disclosed pricing. Its go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: the Executive Director and staff recruit physicians directly, leveraging member referrals, networking events, the CME Beach Retreat, and content channels including the website, email newsletters, podcast, and webinars. Customer segments extend beyond physicians (MDs and DOs) to physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and medical students/residents. The organization has no technology platform of its own beyond a vendor-built website and a Wild Apricot-hosted member portal, and reports no AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Emerald Coast Medical Association

Legal name

Emerald Coast Medical Association

Website

https://emeraldcoastmedicalassociation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emerald Coast Medical Association is a nonprofit regional medical association founded in 1948, serving physicians across 10 Northwest Florida counties with group insurance programs, CME, advocacy, and networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Panama City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ECMA generates revenue through annual membership dues from physicians in Northwest Florida. The organization offers various membership tiers and benefits that drive member retention and recruitment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Emerald Coast Medical Association (ECMA) is a nonprofit professional medical association serving physicians (MDs and DOs) across 10 Northwest Florida counties. It delivers membership-based services including group insurance programs, continuing medical education (CME), professional networking events, and advocacy on behalf of its physician members. The organization was originally founded in 1948 as the Bays Medical Society and rebranded to its current name in 2014.

Product overview

Emerald Coast Medical Association is a membership-based physician association providing a comprehensive suite of services organized as insurance programs, professional development resources, and member networking tools. The core offerings include group purchasing insurance programs (medical malpractice through MedPro Group, group health through Florida Blue, workers' compensation through AmTrust, and cyber liability), continuing medical education (CME Beach Retreat and CE Broker account), and member resources (portal, physician directory, Florida RX Card, webinars, and podcast). The Preferred Partners Program connects members with discounted business services. All offerings are provided through membership and are not sold as standalone technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Physician Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• $350,000 in medical malpractice insurance premium savings for members since program inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, emerald partner, dolphin partner, stingray partner, exclusive program partner, starfish partner and sand dollar partner.

• MedPro Group (Medical Protective)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013MedPro Group, through its Medical Protective brand, provides medical malpractice insurance to ECMA members via the Emerald Coast Liability Insurance Program (ECLIP). Partnership began in 2013 and has grown to over 100 physician participants. MedPro is backed by Berkshire Hathaway with A++ rating.
• Danna-Gracey (Risk Strategies)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRisk Strategies/Danna-Gracey serves as the preferred insurance broker for ECMA members, offering cyber liability insurance, workers' compensation, and other coverage options. Julie Danna represents the organization as a key contact.
• MCMS Insurance TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Marion County Medical Society Insurance Trust provides group health insurance to ECMA members through a physician-owned cooperative structure with Florida Blue. Has operated since 1981 with over $5 million in reserves.
• AmTrust FinancialcoreOthersAmTrust provides workers' compensation insurance through the ECMA program, offering potential dividends up to 30% to members. AmTrust is a Fortune 500 company ranked #475 with $7.9 billion in gross written premium.
• Florida Medical Association (FMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECMA operates as the local affiliate of the FMA, with joint CME programming for the Annual CME Beach Retreat. ECMA representatives serve on the FMA Board of Governors and participate in FMA PAC advocacy efforts.
• Curiosity Marketing Groupemerald partnerTechnology or IntegrationCuriosity Marketing Group provides digital marketing services to ECMA, including website development and ADA compliance consulting. Serves as website developer for the association.
• Hancock Whitneydolphin partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerHancock Whitney provides banking services and has presented economic outlook discussions on healthcare costs at ECMA events. Offers financial guidance resources for physician members.
• Panama City Surgery Centerstingray partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbulatory surgery center partnership providing surgical services to the physician community and ECMA members in Bay County.
• Gulf Coast Regional Medical Centerexclusive program partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor hospital facility serving as preferred partner for ECMA members, providing hospital-based care coordination and services.
• Privia Healthdolphin partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivia Health is a physician-led, physician-governed medical group that helps independent practices maintain autonomy while improving financial stability and work-life balance.
• BayCaresstingray partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBayCares connects volunteer physicians with specialty care opportunities for underserved patients in the community.
• UF Healthstingray partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAcademic medical center partnership providing access to specialized services including head and neck surgical oncology, with ECMA hosting educational webinars featuring UF Health physicians.
• Ascension Sacred Heartstarfish partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor healthcare system serving the Gulf Coast with facilities in Bay County including Ascension Sacred Heart Bay.
• Florida Bluestarfish partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFlorida Blue provides health insurance through the MCMS Insurance Trust cooperative, offering competitive rates to ECMA member practices.
• CE BrokercoreTechnology or IntegrationFlorida's official CME tracking system provided complimentary to all ECMA members for tracking continuing education credits and license renewal requirements.
• Brain & Spine Centerstarfish partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerNeurology practice providing specialized care in stroke, pain, headache, epilepsy, and seizure management to the community.
• KWB Pathologystingray partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAnatomic pathology and cytology services provider serving physician offices, surgery centers, and hospitals across North Florida.
• Altfestemerald partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial advisory firm with over 40 years experience serving medical professionals, offering dedicated financial planning resources for ECMA members.
• TMH Physician Partnersemerald partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerTallahassee Memorial Healthcare physician network expanding services to Panama City Beach with primary care, urgent care, cardiology, vascular surgery, and pulmonary services.
• Carr, Riggs & Ingramsand dollar partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAccounting and business services firm providing financial expertise to physician practices and ECMA members.
• Emerald Coast Hospiceemerald partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerHospice care provider offering services in patient homes, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes across the Emerald Coast region.
• ACOMstarfish partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerAlabama College of Osteopathic Medicine serving as educational partner and pipeline for future physicians in the region.
• HCA Florida Healthcaresand dollar partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerHospital system with Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center in Panama City, providing healthcare services to ECMA physician community.
• Encompass Healthstingray partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerRehabilitation hospital providing inpatient rehab services, serving as referral partner for ECMA members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Medical Association: National umbrella professional medical association that sets physician advocacy and CME standards which ECMA members and partners (like FMA) plug into; competes for member mindshare but at a much larger national scale with overlapping CME and advocacy offerings.
• California Medical Association: Statewide medical association offering member advocacy, CME, and practice resources to California physicians; broader scope than ECMA but structurally similar as a state-level advocacy and member-services body for physicians.
• Texas Medical Association: Large state medical association offering member benefits, CME, advocacy, and insurance programs to Texas physicians; broader geographic and membership scale than ECMA but operating on the same county-society-plus-state-affiliate model.

Direct peers

• Florida Medical Association: Statewide professional medical association of which ECMA is the regional Northwest Florida affiliate; ECMA representatives sit on its Board of Governors, and they co-provide the CME Beach Retreat — making FMA the most directly comparable peer in structure, mission, and member services.
• Marion County Medical Society: Florida regional medical society whose MCMS Insurance Trust cooperative with Florida Blue is the actual carrier of ECMA's group health program; operates the same county-society-plus-insurance-trust model and is therefore both a peer and an upstream partner.
• Broward County Medical Association: Florida regional medical association serving Broward County physicians with advocacy, member benefits, and CME programming; follows the same county-society membership model as ECMA.
• Duval County Medical Society: Regional Florida medical society serving Jacksonville-area physicians with similar advocacy, CME, and member-benefit structures; operates on the same county-society model that ECMA uses, making it a directly comparable peer in scale and offerings.
• Hillsborough County Medical Association: Tampa-area Florida medical association providing member services, advocacy, and CME to physicians in a defined regional market — directly comparable to ECMA's structure and mission in a larger Florida metro.
• Pinellas County Medical Society: Florida county medical society providing regional physician advocacy and member services in the Tampa Bay area; structurally and functionally comparable to ECMA's regional society model.

Others

• MedPro Group: Berkshire Hathaway-backed medical malpractice insurance carrier (A++ rated) and ECMA's flagship malpractice insurance partner through the ECLIP program; not a peer in mission but an ecosystem enabler whose terms directly determine ECMA's core member savings value proposition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emerald-coast-medical-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Emerald Coast Medical Association