Case Study:
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Developing Communities of Practice for a Diverse Membership
CHALLENGE 
In 2008, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) was in an enviable position – it had nearly doubled its membership in five years. This growth trend; however, raised the question, “How do we accommodate an increasingly complex membership base?” From different medical specialties to various practice locations, AAHPM’s members exhibited specific individual interests. As membership overall grew and these interests became increasingly diverse, the need to provide more specific “homes” for these members under the AAHPM umbrella became critical. In 2009, AAHPM retained McKinley Marketing, Inc. (McKinley) to create a Communities of Practice model to accommodate the varying interests of its rapidly growing membership.
APPROACH
Before developing a Communities of Practice model, McKinley first needed to fully understand the needs, interests and engagement methods of AAHPM’s membership. McKinley deployed an electronic survey to gather feedback related to members’ primary interests and community expectations. With a response rate approaching 25% of all AAHPM members, McKinley was able to confidently make recommendations related to which communities to create, how to foster effective communication and how to weave communities into the fabric of the organization. To understand more about interpersonal dynamics between Academy members, McKinley observed several existing Special Interest Group meetings during AAHPM’s 2009 Annual Assembly to help crystallize findings from the electronic survey.
Once it had researched the needs of AAHPM members and observed their interactions, McKinley worked closely with Academy leadership to develop a Communities of Practice model meant to serve as a blueprint for AAHPM members into the future. Topics covered by the model included everything from the process of creating a new Community to communicating with members through newsletters and document-sharing programs. Most importantly, the model established protocols for spreading key information discovered by one Community throughout the rest of the organization.
RESULTS
McKinley provided AAHPM with a Communities of Practice Model that accounted for the diversity of the organization. Understanding members’ varied interests and methods of communications, McKinley developed a multi-layered Communities structure that allowed for greater participation and facilitated the sharing of ideas at a higher level. The Board overwhelmingly approved McKinley’s plan and hired a new staff member to serve as a liaison to the new communities. A newly created Communities Committee is currently overseeing Community-specific surveys and election procedures.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“Our Board recognized that we needed to more actively engage our growing membership. We chose McKinley because of their expertise and strong track record in working with associations – and were extremely pleased with the outcome. As an outside “partner”, they provided an impartial look at our organization, and added great value to the process of data collection, development of viable options and knowledge-based decision-making. I am pleased that our extensive communities model is built on accurate and quality information that will serve as AAHPM’s guide to better engaging our members for many years.”
Sally Weir
Director, Program Development & Operations,
AAHPM