PR Strategy & Tactics

Get Ready for AHIP 2010

By Melissa Bruno

Don’t let the heat and the glare of flashing neon lights on the Vegas strip distract you at next week’s America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Institute show (June 9-11). Much like the sun-baked Nevada desert, the payer community has taken quite a beating, particularly over the last year, so it should make for an interesting environment.

Schwartz Communications caught up with Eric Wicklund, managing editor of Healthcare Finance News to get his thoughts before he heads out West. Keeping true to his healthcare finance beat, Eric will be on the lookout to see “whether any big healthcare finance deals will be made or broken on the casino floor or at the poker table.”

Like many vendors, members of the press and attendees, Eric’s most interested in the mood at the show––especially since insurers are being portrayed as the villains in Washington and on Main Street. He wants to know, “will they be apologetic or will they take a hard line on responsibility for rate increases?”

At Institute, make sure to set some time aside to catch the sessions for the latest news, challenges and trends in the payer space––many of them will examine the impact of the healthcare reform bill on payer/provider interactions, the adoption of technology, reimbursement and improving the cost and quality of care, not to mention the renewed interest in wellness and preventative care and the latest hot topic: HIEs. With all that's on the docket, there's ample opportunity to use the conference’s focus on these high-level trends to make your company––and news––relevant to the bigger stories that reporters are going to be focusing on in coming months.

Finally, we’ll leave you with a few PR tips from the strip to help you survive Vegas unscathed:

•    Stay hydrated. Between air travel and high temperatures, you won’t be on you’re A-game if you aren’t getting enough H20.

•    Know the show. Institute has limited exhibit hall hours––usually centered around food and drink––so if you’re planning on making the rounds to network and see the vendors, know the hours, plan ahead and avoid the snack lines to make the most of your time: Wednesday, June 9: 5-7 p.m., Thursday, June 10: 10-10:30 a.m.; 2:15-3:45 p.m. and 5:45-7:00 p.m. and Friday, June 11: 9:30-10:00 a.m.

•    Gamble with money, not the media. The Institute press room is in Neopolitan IV, but keep in mind that reporters will spend most of their time in meetings or writing stories for pending deadlines, so tread carefully. If you come upon an unoccupied reporter, introduce yourself, hand over a business card and make note to follow-up with them after the show.

See you in Vegas!

Posted by Dave Close on June 4, 2010 at 2:13 PM
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Who Watches the Watchmen?

University of Missouri researchers conducted a national survey and found that the majority of health journalists have not had specialized training in health reporting and face challenges in communicating new medical science developments.

Health literacy, as defined by the American Medical Association, is ‘the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment.’

According to the UM press release, of the journalists surveyed, only 18 percent had specialized training in health reporting and only 6.4 percent reported that a majority of their readers change health behaviors based on the information they provide. The journalists had an average of 18 years of journalism experience and seven years experience as health journalists.

Journalists reported quoting medical experts, avoiding technical terms, and providing data and statistics, as the three most important elements to making health information understandable.

According to the survey, a majority of journalists reported believing that their readers understand information from medical professionals, but are not proficient with scientific information and more prone to believe health myths. The results suggest that newspaper journalists view their roles as information providers, while magazine journalists perceive themselves more as advocates for behavioral change.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 9, 2008 at 6:54 AM
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Most Powerful?

Modern Healthcare's annual "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" list for 2008 has been published and includes healthcare IT vendors in the top three spots.

1) Steve Case, CEO/founder of Revolution Health

2) Eric Schmidt, Chairman/CEO of Google

3) Bill Gates

4) Hillary Clinton

5) Barack Obama

6) Ted Kennedy

7) Arnold Schwarzenegger

8) George W. Bush

9) John McCain

10) Newt Gingrich

These popularity/political contests are amusing. As a healthcare IT PR practitioner it’s good to see the vendors in the top spots, as it indirectly helps all our causes. Personally I think none of them deserve to be there.  Revolution, Google and Microsoft’s consumer health efforts are so early stage with virtually no users that they really should be in the low ‘teens.

No one seems to like Bush, but you can bet that doctors have privately thanked and rooted for him in not cutting Medicare reimbursement rates. That would put Bush from #8 to #1 no question. And Newt’s quasi-political think tank which charges vendors $50,000+ for representation is in many circles (as discussed by the Associated Press on occasion) a questionable operation.  I could go on. But most people will agree that in our own real world, the most powerful person in healthcare is your or your child’s very own doctor.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 26, 2008 at 12:07 PM
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Buzz Kill

Part Two on Corporate America's Abuse of the English Language

I've written before on this topic in my "Good Business Writing: An Oxymoron?" post, with some extra commentary from Gary Baldwin of HealthLeaders magazine (now with Health Data Management.) Today my colleague Brian Bogie weighs in on the topic, with some insights from Eric Wicklund of Healthcare IT News...

Companies have news they need to communicate to their constituents. This news is made up of new customer wins, product announcements, partnerships, recent hires, etc. The most common method of distributing that news is the humble press release. Tried and true, a well written press release can get the word out quickly and effectively. Unfortunately, a great barrier stands in the way of effective communication in a press release: buzzwords.

It’s not the buzzwords fault, really. In a culture of hype, the buzzword is royalty. It shows you are “with it,” you are “now,” and you are “happening.” Ok, really bad examples, but you get the idea. With business book titles leading the way for a real-time, paradigm-changing, seamless business consciousness, we all end up believing the hype. And we are all guilty of using them. Besides, isn’t the news about our client’s fantastic new technology, or the greatest partnership in the history of mankind that you just signed with Microsoft worthy of a buzzword or two? For that answer, I went to Eric Wicklud, managing editor of Healthcare IT News.

Eric was kind enough to give some thought to the overuse of buzzwords. A master craftsman when it comes to understanding and reporting on news of the healthcare technology industry, Wicklund has simple advice: just say no.

Illustration: Katy Hanlon

“Long-winded words are tossed about as often as acronyms in the healthcare field these days, making it difficult to conduct a normal conversation or read through an article without consulting some kind of reference guide,” says Wicklund.

Please follow the "Continue Reading" link below...

Continue reading "Buzz Kill" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 4, 2008 at 11:22 AM
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PR Plug

A quick plug today for some of the great work that our healthcare IT practice has been doing here at Schwartz.

The new iPhone 3G has provided great guerilla PR opportunities for consumer medical software clients who’ve developed apps for the phone.  ePocrates, an early partner of Apple and one of the first to use the SDK, was featured in the Wall Street Journal’s iPhone piece the day of the launch on July 11.  Healthcare content company A.D.A.M. developed the Symptom Navigator for iPhone, which was written about in the New York Times “Phone Smart” column, the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, PC World, and dozens of trades and blogs.

This month’s launch of American Well, the online healthcare marketplace, garnered coverage in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, and many trade media and online outlets.

I’d be happy to talk with any healthcare IT PR practitioners on how we went about these campaigns.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on July 29, 2008 at 11:26 AM
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Putting Money Where Their Mouth Is

I don’t write too much about government bills and initiatives for healthcare IT, because it’s just so much hot air until a bill passes or money is ponied up. However it is worth mentioning that Health & Human Services’ Secretary Mike Leavitt announced 12 communities that will participate in a national Medicare demonstration project that provides incentive payments to physicians for using CCHIT-certified electronic EHRs to improve the quality of patient care. The five-year project is expected to improve the quality of care provided to an estimated 3.6 million people.

Chosen among a field of more than 30 applicants, the communities selected include Alabama, Delaware, Jacksonville, Fla., Georgia, Maine, Louisiana, Maryland/Washington, DC, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Pa., South Dakota, Virginia and Madison, Wis.

Financial incentives will be provided to as many as 1,200 primary care physician practices in the selected communities that use certified EHRs to improve quality as measured by their performance on specific clinical quality measures. Total payments under the demonstration for all five years may be up to $58,000 per physician, or $290,000 per practice.

If you are a PR practitioner for one of the EHR vendors who have participating doctors in these communities, it’s a good opportunity to leverage the project. Promote to the media how your EHR solution is helping move the country toward the National Health Information Infrastructure. Demonstrate the ROI and payment incentives your software is delivering to your customers in the form of a case study pitched to the healthcare IT trades and local media. Encourage trend stories on the project which could include your customer reference. For more ideas, feel free to contact me.

 

Posted by Shawn Whalen on July 22, 2008 at 11:13 AM
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Analyze This

Continuing My Occasional Series on PR Strategy and Tactics

Today I step away from the usual healthcare IT issue discussion to explore analyst relations (AR). As I’ve mentioned before, Gartner, Forrester and Health Industry Insights (see links in Blog Roll section) are the big three, followed by boutiques such as Datamonitor, Frost & Sullivan, AC Group, HIMSS Analytics, Manhattan Research and some others.

Forrester’s recent AR e-newsletter (subscription available for free on their site) has some interesting insights worth sharing: “Big AR teams can obviously undertake more work than small ones, but all AR teams, regardless of size, must still use skillful management if they are to achieve their aims. For example, a Forrester survey shows that bigger teams reach out to more analysts and generate more analyst-driven marketing collateral, but achievement of targets for analyst evaluation leaderships, and other positive print, does not come easier as teams get bigger. Meanwhile, single-person teams, which make up more than one-third of global teams and more than half of regional teams, have an additional challenge -- fragility -- because their very survival is at stake.”

“Although most AR teams report through corporate communications or the chief marketing officer (CMO), many drift aimlessly before they get there. Along the way, other bosses exert their self-interest and expect a greater contribution to sales -- even though this is very tough in practice. AR managers can simplify their tenure and maximize the chances of personal success by assessing the pros and cons of each reporting line and migrating AR to either corporate communications or the CMO in a controlled fashion. Once there, they'll find less pressure to deliver sales contribution, which need not mean they avoid it altogether; instead, they can choose the best time to use sales contribution to demonstrate over-delivery against easier targets.”

Posted by Shawn Whalen on July 19, 2008 at 11:34 AM
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Dialing Health

There has been much hoopla over the new iPhone 3G.  As we all know, healthcare is one of the most popular topics among consumers, and new iPhone enables consumers to access many new healthcare applications. One of the more interesting ones is the A.D.A.M. Symptom Navigator.

The Symptom Navigator, which is free, matches medical symptoms with relevant assessments and appropriate treatments. Consumers are presented with an image of the human body and they click on the affected area of the body to receive a menu of related symptoms. After selecting a symptom, the user is walked through the possible causes, home care, when to consult your doctor, and what to expect from your doctor.

Healthcare IT PR pros with applications for the iPhone should consider promoting them to the media in trend stories on healthcare apps. When you have referenceable doctor or consumer customers for the app, consider case study pitching.

 

Posted by Shawn Whalen on July 15, 2008 at 12:59 PM
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Great Expectations

A survey by HealthNewsReview.org published in the current issue of PLoS Medicine shows that the media could do a better job at covering medical news.

An analysis of 500 stories on medical topics by U.S. consumer print and broadcast media showed that “journalists usually fail to discuss costs, the quality of the evidence, the existence of alternative options, and the absolute magnitude of potential benefits and harms.”

These observations may be right, but what do you expect from the media, particularly consumer outlets? Space and time is money, all information is dumbed down, long form pieces don’t sell ads and eyeballs, and there will never be this level of desired accuracy. That’s what blogs, Web sites and peer-reviewed academic journals are for.

Some findings:

Posted by Shawn Whalen on June 20, 2008 at 12:27 PM
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Ring the Bell

A quick plug for Schwartz Communications' award winning night at the Publicity Club's Bell Ringer Award ceremony. Among the 12 Bell Ringers and 15 Awards of Merit that we won were six for healthcare.  These include:

- Feature or Commentary Placement: Online—ResMed/Respironics
- New Media: Epocrates
- Print Feature or Commentary Placement - Regional Business Publication: Spring Medical Systems
- Print Feature or Commentary Placement - Regional General Interest Publication: Hologic/MammoSite 
- Product/Service Publicity: Healthcare: Cyberonics and Epocrates

Posted by Shawn Whalen on June 2, 2008 at 10:23 PM
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Don't Believe the Hype?

But Don’t Let That Stop You Promoting It ;)

A sobering case study for CDHP/HSAs. Financial services company T. Rowe Price adopted its consumer-driven health plan in 2004. You’d think they’d succeed, given the 5,000 financially savvy U.S. employees and a sophisticated benefits program already in place.  Enrollment in the plan hit 8 percent the first year, not bad.

Enrollment remained flat for three years, then rose in ’08 to 9 percent - too low to produce substantial savings. What could (maybe) make a difference? More incentives and tools for consumerism. A majority of consumer-driven plans today are stagnating like T. Rowe Prices. The most common plan designs don’t contain the seeds for their success.

It’s telling that when Towers Perrin wanted to quantify cost savings from CDHPs in a recent study, it found the CDHP landscape too small to do a credible survey.  PR folks at vendors or companies succeeding in CDHP’s may have a media story in that success, going against the grain of poor performance through the solutions or approach that you offer.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 30, 2008 at 11:12 AM
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Search and Destroy

A quick commercial on a new service the Agency is offering, search marketing. Search marketing is changing marketing. Google prints money from their search advertising business. It's inexpensive, effective and very measurable.

However, many companies treat search marketing as a stand-alone initiative. Figure out some keywords, search engine optimize (SEO) the site, maybe run some pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to generate leads. Inevitably, without any strategic context, the initiative putters out.

There's another, smaller group of companies that are navigating this roadblock by tightly integrating their search marketing programs with public relations. They tap the PR team to develop messages, turn those messages into keywords, use articles and other PR content to optimize the site and blast out strategic PPC campaigns coordinated with media campaigns.

This "surround-sound" approach hits key audiences with the same messages from two of the most influential sources out there--media (both traditional and social) and Google search.

Schwartz is sitting at the crossroads of PR and search marketing. For quite a while we've been optimizing releases, providing keyword advice and even figuring out compelling offers that will convert into qualified leads.

Today, we're diving in with a full-fledged search marketing offering. We believe PR and search marketing services fit naturally together. Contact me if you'd like more info.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 21, 2008 at 12:05 PM
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Health Editors Talk

A quick note to healthcare marketers, PR Newswire is offering a complimentary webinar on Thursday, May 8, 1:00 pm EST, on how to pitch top health editors.
 
Panelists include:

- Valarie Basheda, Managing Editor, WebMD
- Susan Cowen, Health Tab Editor, Houston Chronicle
- Carol Gentry, Editor, Florida Health News
 
They’ll discuss:
- How health reporting has changed in recent years
- Current and future trends in health and medical reporting
- How to truly get journalists' attention
- Pitching a feature: What to do - What to avoid

Click here to register. 
 
On another topic, I wanted to applaud the Consumer Focused Healthcare blog for covering the interesting topic of medical misdiagnosis and second opinions in their interview with Evan Falchuk of Best Doctors. The interview is here.   It’s worth a listen to.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 7, 2008 at 9:34 AM
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Health IT Week, June 9-13

Healthcare IT marketers should be aware that Health IT Week is June 9-13 of this year.  The week will feature a number of events in Washington, DC, along with possible media attention. Vendors who are HIMSS corporate members can become partners for free in Health IT Week, which means your logo gets to be on the Health IT Week Web site and you can leverage the Week for your own marketing purposes.

Following is more information on Health IT Week.

Continue reading "Health IT Week, June 9-13" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 6, 2008 at 3:57 PM
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Dipping Into the CDH PR Well Again

Employers like consumer directed healthcare plans because they can save money, but employees may not be so in love with them according to a recent Watson/National Business Group on Health survey.

So not surprisingly adoption rates are low and will remain so until the tools and education efforts become pervasively available to consumers. Not to mention a track record of success showing these CDH plans provide good care and value.

For PR practitioners with vendors who offer CDH tool, I recommend using this survey to generate conversation with media and interest in the topic of CDHP adoption. Illustrate how your tool or solution helps consumers navigate the complex world of CDH, be it from a financial, educational, or comparative perspective. Reporters particularly like hearing the real consumer perspective, so try to deliver real consumer references of your product.

According to the survey, by 2009, nearly 55% of U.S. corporations plan on offering a consumer-directed health plan.  The findings also show that 47% of employers currently offer a CDHP, an increase from 39% in 2007 and 33% in 2006.

Companies with at least half of their workforce enrolled in a CDHP had a two-year median cost trend of 3.6%, almost half that of employers without a CDHP. Companies with a CDHP witnessed a two-year cost increase of 5.5% versus 7% for companies without a CDHP.

Only 15% of employees at organizations that offer CDHPs are enrolled in the plans this year, up from 8% in 2006 and 10% in 2007. Yet only 6% of employers report 100% enrollment in a CDHP, which is expected to rise to 9% in 2009.

Today, 27% of companies offer CDHPs with a health savings account (HSA), while 24% offer a health reimbursement account (HRA). Notably, employers are three times more likely to add an HSA (9%) than an HRA (3%) in 2009.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 28, 2008 at 12:43 PM
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Good Business Writing: An Oxymoron?

Our Next Installment in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT PR Tactics and Strategies

Despite the industry being run predominantly by English and journalism majors (I find public relations majors to be the most ill-fit for PR, but that’s a topic for another post), public relations is unfortunately prone to abuse of the English language. Creative obfuscation is rampant. The world of high tech PR is the worst offender.

There is a delightful book by Brian Fugere, A Bullfighter’s Guide: Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, that explores this problem. Yes, it is the business executives who drive much of PR’s language of meaningless buzz phrases. Eventually the PR people write this way themselves, the morass of corporate-speak overcoming any instincts of clear language they once had. Strunk and White are doubtless turning over in their graves.

If I had my way, press releases and other written documents would be very different. But I rarely get my way. Reporters however do, and I’d like to share this entertaining piece by Gary Baldwin, editor of HealthLeaders. His comments should be heeded by healthcare IT marketers. I say should be, but the sad truth is they won’t be.

“Say What?
 
Gary Baldwin, for HealthLeaders Media, April 15, 2008

Here in Chicago, I participate in a public speaking group, Toastmasters International. One of our goals is communicating without using clichés, jargon, and hyperbole. This is no easy goal for someone steeped in healthcare IT, as I am deluged with all three. By way of example, I offer the following excerpts from recent press releases. These appear in their raw, unedited form (with the exception of a hospital name I excised), bizarre capitalization and all. Welcome to my world of end-to-end, layered, and revolutionary solutions that are continuously enhancing quality improvement across the enterprise.

Complete and end-to-end
Perimeter eSecurity, the only provider of Complete Security On Demand, today launched their electronic Protected Health Information offering, ePHISecurity. ePHISecurity is the first and only on demand layered IT security solution for healthcare organizations. Entities covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 now have access to a complete, end-to-end security infrastructure, with over 50 pre-integrated security services, that traditionally only large healthcare organizations could implement and afford.

Gary’s comment:

To continue reading, hit the "Continue Reading" link below

Continue reading "Good Business Writing: An Oxymoron?" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 21, 2008 at 10:26 AM
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NY Loves RHIO

In a vote of confidence in regional healthcare information organizations (RHIOs), the state of New York gave out  $105 million in grants recently. Among the 19 grants, Brooklyn’s Health Information Exchange snagged the largest grant of $12.7 million.

The Empire state's HCIT goals include supporting Medicaid providers, streamlining public health reporting and monitoring, increasing patients’ involvement in their care, and improving the quality of care.

In a press conference, New York pointed out how they are giving more money out than the Federal government office headed by Kolodner. This financial support by New York is an example of how state governments can help increase adoption of technology.

From the healthcare IT marketers perspective, any vendors with New York customers part of these grants should consider ways of promoting their involvement, from a simple congratulations letter to a press release. Others ideas include pitching such customers to the media as case studies, as part of RHIO trend stories, for joint bylines with your executives or as speaking engagement case study submissions.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 7, 2008 at 2:54 PM
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PHR Privacy?

As summer rolls around so will the general availability of Google Health and Microsoft HealthVualt’s Personal Heath Records (PHR). These major players, plus the offerings from WebMD, Revolution Health, ActiveHealth Management and a dozen other PHR players raises the question of privacy and HIPAA.

These third-party PHR technology vendors are not covered healthcare entities according to HIPAA. Hospital and managed care associated PHRs do fall under the HIPAA privacy and security mandates.

As most readers of this blog know, HIPAA provides strict standards that classify medical information as a privileged communication between a doctor and patient. If the medical records aren't protected by HIPAA, the information could be used for marketing purposes.

In most cases, each health profile, including medical history, prescriptions and allergies, will be password protected. Vendors will likely have their own privacy policies which could match HIPAA laws, however they are just policies and not laws. 

Smart PHR vendors will go the extra mile to assure customers that their data is private and secure. This issue should be proactively addressed by PHR vendor PR people.
 

Posted by Shawn Whalen on March 26, 2008 at 11:44 AM
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This is PR

Posted by Shawn Whalen on March 21, 2008 at 4:44 PM
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Forrester Webinar

Healthcare IT marketers may be interested in an upcoming complimentary Forrester Research Webinar. "Master Your Success Imperatives As A Technology Product Management & Marketing Professional” will be held on March 25, 2:00 pm EST.

Forrester Vice President and Research Director Eric Brown and Senior Analyst Ellen Carney will advise on how to:

• Anticipate and respond to emerging technologies and competitors.
• Target and win share in promising market segments.
• Boost sales through online channels and social networks.
• Develop products that exceed customer expectations.
• Maximize the return from channel and ecosystem relationships.
• Craft compelling messages and share-capturing campaigns.

To register click here.  

My advice on industry analyst relations can be found in the “PR Strategy and Tactics” category of this blog. 

Posted by Shawn Whalen on March 14, 2008 at 4:20 PM
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HIMSS Tips from Heathcare IT News

HIMSS is a few weeks away. I provided some HIMSS PR tips in a past post you can read here.

Healthcare IT News Reporter Fred Bazzoli sat down with colleagues Brian Bogie and Rebecca Phillips for a Q&A to provide his perspective on what the media is looking for during those few moments you have together during the show.

Q: Describe how Healthcare IT News covers HIMSS.

A: Because of the size and scope of HIMSS, it is a difficult show for the media to cover. It's typical for media staff to spend two to five days at the conference, and just like everyone else, we have long days at HIMSS. There's lots of meeting people, note-taking, writing at odd hours, late meals. Depending on responsibilities, reporters schedule zero to 12 meetings a day. In fact, our reporters will probably have 100 overall meetings with companies at HIMSS.

Given this hectic schedule, our time together is short. However, there are several things that companies can (but all too often don't do) to stand out. Your goal during the briefing is to build a long-term relationship with the media, one that begins at HIMSS and lasts beyond.

Q: What are your tips for standing out from the vendor crowd at HIMSS?

A:  Recognize that that each publication has a particular niche, specialty, or purpose. Some publications are looking for case studies from the provider standpoint; some are looking for vendor information; some are looking at how IT relates to specific modalities. Our publication, Healthcare IT News, highly values time-sensitive news. Know and be ready to provide the media with what they are looking for.

Q: What are some secrets to good briefings?

A: If you or your PR firm "pitched" an angle - an exclusive, a customer case study, a specific executive or spokesperson­ - make sure that is what you provide us with during the briefing. Not coming through, or baiting and switching, is the fastest way to burn bridges with the media.

Continue reading "HIMSS Tips from Heathcare IT News" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on February 7, 2008 at 4:05 PM
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Social Media - Get A Life

There has been much ado about the social media, the FaceSpaces and MyBooks and YouLifes and SecondTubes. I think it's a bunch of hype largely irrelevant to the intended HCIT vendor readership of this blog, who are selling to hospitals, medical groups and managed care organizations. All of these markets are well-known IT laggards who wouldn't know what was wrong with the first sentence of this post.

If you're selling to consumers under 30 it may be a different story. Or if you're in the insular and me-too world of high school, college or high tech. Even in those cases, it's still a lot media-driven hype. Most people are busy enough with real life and real friends.

It will take a complete generation for a majority of folks to care about or participate in social media, which by then will be very different. Very few of my peers here at Schwartz have Facebook pages (plenty of interns do, and about a quarter of the twentysomethings.) In the media, some reporters do if their beat happens to include technology and the Internet.

This perspective on social media shouldn't be confused with the Health 2.0 trend. As discussed in an earlier post, this is a new set of companies targeting consumers and as such their use of social media is expected and required. Indeed, many of these companies are social media in and of themselves. One client example is icyou.com, called the "YouTube of healthcare" by the San Francisco Chronicle.

But I'm a PR guy and the question comes up about how healthcare IT marketers can capitalize on this latest trend. So this week brings a guest blog post about Facebook by colleague Mark McClennan.

Continue reading "Social Media - Get A Life" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on February 1, 2008 at 11:06 AM
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Lists, Grids and Quadrants

Our Next Installment in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT PR Tactics and Strategies

Industry analyst relations are always a popular topic, one which I've blogged on before. With the New Year underway, vendors look forward to the industry analyst leadership grids, wondering how they can get good placement on them. In this post, we'll look at the top three grids. In part two we'll look at how to get good grid position.

Gartner's Magic Quadrant is the best known, followed by Forrester's Wave. IDC has sporadic leadership grids; the Health Industry Insights group will be starting "Short Lists" soon. These highly coveted reports rank IT solutions using detailed technical standards, end-user feedback and analyst opinion. Excluded from this discussion are the popular survey-based KLAS rankings (arguably more valuable than all the analyst grids put together) and juried best-in-show contests from the likes of TEPR and HIMSS.

According to Gartner, the Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace. Gartner is careful to say the quadrant does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted (and relationship between paid clients of Garner and rankings is purely coincidental ;) Similarly, they coyly do not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant.

A list of Magic Quadrants to be published in '08 is here. In October there was a Magic Quadrant for U.S. Enterprise CPR, and the previous year a Quadrant for U.S. Physician Office Systems. Check with analysts, as the Quadrant schedule isn't always final.

The Forrester Wave is similar in intent but more interactive and, I think, useful. Forrester says their Forrester Wave is a detailed analysis of vendors' products and services based on "transparent, fully accessible criteria." It includes an Excel spreadsheet that allows you to easily compare products and get in-depth data and analysis about each one. In addition, there are tools to develop a custom shortlist based on your company's requirements.

For a schedule of upcoming Forrester Waves click here.
Check with analysts however, as some healthcare topics aren't on this though they may be covered.

A recent example of a Forrester Wave is their Jan. 17, 2008, Healthcare Claims Platforms Q1 2008. To continue reading about this and Health Industry Insights/IDC's Short List, click the "Continue Reading" link.

Continue reading "Lists, Grids and Quadrants" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on January 24, 2008 at 4:41 PM
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HIMSS Media Tips

With the big HIMSS show around the corner, healthcare IT PR folks are hoping to line up as many media interviews as they can.  So it's worth revisiting Schwartz Communications advice.

Before the show, do some strategic thinking in regards to your news. Do you want to pre-brief the media and issue news prior to the show in order to drive booth traffic? Or would you like to leverage news datelined at the show in order to get face time with reporters there? Once you've determined the goal, you can time your news accordingly.

When you make appointments before the show, be realistic about the reporter's schedule. Don't be surprised at no-shows. There's a good chance that a reporter who gets big news or a prized interview will miss your appointment. Try to get the reporter's cell phone so you can communicate on the show floor. Then fill in the gaps by recruiting interviews right there on the show floor.

Here are some more tips and techniques for PR at trade shows:

  - If your company has exhibit space, prep the booth staff on exactly what to do if the media drop in. Designate a spokesperson and make sure everyone understands to immediately bring the media to him or her.

  - Boil your pitch down to exactly one sentence. That's about how much time you'll have when you buttonhole a reporter on the show floor. Make it pithy, exciting and newsworthy. Remember that you're competing with hundreds of other companies for that reporter's attention.
 
  - To stimulate TV coverage, prepare a demo that's visual and exciting. For print coverage, be ready with news that will interest attendees of that specific show.

  - Be fearless. Walk the aisles looking for those press badges. Approach reporters with a direct, concise and confident pitch. When you get rejections from hurried and hassled reporters
(and you will!), shrug them off, so you're ready to approach the next reporter with confidence.

  - Become the reporter's friend. Instead of handing over a heavy press kit, consider a CD or offer to send the paper kit after the show. Help them find other (non-competitive) vendors to cover on the show floor to round out their story.

  - At major shows, the biggest coup is TV coverage. Here's a great tip for maximizing exposure. Put your attendee badge on and go outside the show floor about 20 minutes before the doors open. At the bigger shows, you'll see TV crews waiting to go in. Approach the one you'd most like for an interview, and offer to get them in early, if they'll take a few moments to meet with your company. Chances are they will jump at the chance to get a head start on their day. Escort them quickly past the guards with an authoritative "interview with the media." Then on to your big moment in front of the cameras.

  -Finally, at the end of the day, don't forget the parties, especially those sponsored by the media. They can be great places to make friendships with reporters and editors.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on January 17, 2008 at 10:12 AM
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SEO in PR - Best Practices

Stepping away from our usual issue-oriented discussion, here is Part 12 in a continuing series on PR strategies and tactics for healthcare IT marketers

This week's post brings advice from colleague and CrossRoads blogger Chuck Tanowitz on how healthcare IT vendors can get better placement in Google searches through search engine optimization (SEO) practices in your press release writing.

• Tighten the Messaging - Do your market research and understand the key words and search terms. Your messaging should reflect those terms. Also, the messaging should be tighter, so just saying that a company is a "leading provider of healthcare IT solutions" doesn't help the search results.

• Cluster - Put the relevant terms in close physical proximity to the links back to the your site. Google looks at how words relate to one another as a way to decide whether something (like your company or product) should be associated with it.

• Headline Help - Search engines pay particular attention to headlines, so try to include keywords where possible. Still, don't let the headlines get out of hand; try to stick to 120 characters where possible.

• Link - Links act like a highlighter pen for certain words and also help drive traffic and attention back to your your site.

• Don't Forget to Write - SEO isn't an excuse for poor writing. Be creative while still trying to do the best work possible. If it's done right, SEO just complements what you're already doing.

· Be Consistent - An SEO effort, like a media relations effort, takes time to show results. Depending on the keyword(s) your targeting it could take 3 to 6 months to see significant results.

Continue reading "SEO in PR - Best Practices" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on November 16, 2007 at 1:09 PM
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HCIT PR Webinar PPT

Response to last Thursday's Webinar on Healthcare IT Public Relations was good. For those who weren't able to attend but would like the Powerpoint, please contact me.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on November 12, 2007 at 12:55 PM
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HCIT PR Webinar PPT

Response to last Thursday's Webinar on Healthcare IT Public Relations was good. For those who weren't able to attend but would like the Powerpoint, please contact me.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on at 12:55 PM
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Free HCIT PR Webinar

Maximizing Healthcare IT PR to Impact the Bottom Line

Date & Time: Thursday, December 6th at 12:30pm EDT.

Please join us for a complimentary Webinar, "Maximizing Healthcare IT PR to Impact the Bottom Line" on Thursday, December 6th, at 12:30pm EDT. In this informative, free Webinar, I'll demystify the PR process, explain what it takes to keep the media alive when news is slow, show how PR can impact revenue and offer real-world examples. To register click here.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on November 9, 2007 at 9:37 AM
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We Interupt This Blog

A quick commercial today that Schwartz Communications is seeking Supervisors and Directors (8-10 years experience) for our San Francisco office. Contact me if you're interested or know good folks for the position.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on October 8, 2007 at 3:26 PM
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HCIT Market Size Projections

Healthcare IT vendors love market size numbers, so the recent projections from industry analyst firm Gartner should be welcome. Healthcare is the most rapidly growing vertical sector, expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.7 percent through 2010. In 2006, healthcare IT in the U.S. grew 4.9 percent to $26.1 billion.

Gartner's Healthcare IT Summit is coming up Nov. 11-14.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 21, 2007 at 12:15 PM
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A Tip for HCIT Marketers

Part 11 in a Continuing Series on PR Strategy and Tactics

Forrester Research is offering a free trial membership on their Web site (http://web2.forrester.com/forr/reg/loginreg.jsp ).  The service offers access to free research alerts and other valuable nuggets that can help in marketing and PR campaigns.  Analyst Liz Boehm writes in a "First Look Alert" about healthcare consumerism, to see hit the "Continue Reading" link...

Continue reading "A Tip for HCIT Marketers" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 10, 2007 at 12:08 PM
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A Tip for HCIT Marketers

Part 11 in a Continuing Series on PR Strategy and Tactics

Forrester Research is offering a free trial membership on their Web site (http://web2.forrester.com/forr/reg/loginreg.jsp ).  The service offers access to free research alerts and other valuable nuggets that can help in marketing and PR campaigns.  Analyst Liz Boehm writes in a "First Look Alert" about healthcare consumerism, to see hit the "Continue Reading" link...

Continue reading "A Tip for HCIT Marketers" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on at 12:08 PM
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Issue Oriented PR - A Case Study

Part 10 in a Continuing Series on PR Strategies and Tactics

Many of you liked the last PR case study on Med-InfoChip, so this week brings another illustration of public relations tactics to help healthcare IT marketers.

Skyscape is a provider of interactive, intelligent mobile solutions for the healthcare community. The company brings drug and medical information to more than 250,000 medical professionals on their personal digital assistants (PDAs) in a context they can use, reducing medical errors and the time doctors need to spend consulting information and adding value by providing access to the latest diagnostic and drug interaction information. Continue reading to learn how our issue-oriented PR campaign landed the client a feature story in the Wall Street Journal, national TV coverage, and reams of trade press...

Continue reading "Issue Oriented PR - A Case Study" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on July 23, 2007 at 12:54 PM
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Ring the Bells

I wanted to take a rare moment for a self-congratulatory note about Schwartz Communications' award winning night yesterday. Schwartz swept the Publicity Club Bell Ringer Awards (the "Golden Globes" of the PR industry,) garnering 22 awards. Many of these were for healthcare. Details follow.

Continue reading "Ring the Bells" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on June 13, 2007 at 2:58 PM
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Ring the Bells

I wanted to take a rare moment for a self-congratulatory note about Schwartz Communications' award winning night yesterday. Schwartz swept the Publicity Club Bell Ringer Awards (the "Golden Globes" of the PR industry,) garnering 22 awards. Many of these were for healthcare. Details follow.

Continue reading "Ring the Bells" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on at 2:58 PM
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No News, No Problem

Since our first complimentary public relations Webinar was quite popular, Schwartz Communications is offering another next Tuesday, June 12, 2:00 pm.  Register here .

"No News, No Problem: Maintaining Healthcare Media Momentum" will demystify the PR process, explain what it takes to keep the media dialogue (and coverage) alive when news is slow, and offer real-world examples of success.

Continue reading "No News, No Problem" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on June 6, 2007 at 2:52 PM
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Ka-Ching

A quick agency self-congratulatory note on Scwhartz Communications largest client acquisition ever.  Client Cytyc, a medical device company that treats excessive menstrual bleeding, will be acquired by Hologic for $6.2 billion.  That is a "b" for billion. Hologic is paying $46.46 per share of Cyctyc, a premium of 33%.

Over the course of nine years Schwartz Communications drove market awareness and adoption for Cytyc's ThinPrep Pap Test among women to detect cervical cancer.  Schwartz' public relations efforts created a push-pull effect, raising awareness among consumers while driving physician adoption. These in turn pressured insurance companies to reimburse members for the test. Today the ThinPrep Pap Test is considered by most to be the gold standard test. Just ask Hologic.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 21, 2007 at 11:09 AM
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How Do You Do It? PR Case Study

Though this blog is healthcare IT issue oriented, I'm frequently asked for tips and tactics on the practical execution of public relations for healthcare IT companies. So I thought I'd share a case study to illustrate some best practices. Launched in 2003/2004, Med-InfoChip was a progenitor of today's much hyped personal health record (PHR) technology.  Read on to learn how we scored major ink and airtime for Med-InfoChip in such outlets as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Forbes, USA Today, Reader's Digest, major TV networks and affiliates, Bloomberg Radio, Travel & Leisure, and more.

Continue reading "How Do You Do It? PR Case Study" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 23, 2007 at 12:27 PM
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Hi Ma I'm on TV

A Guide to TV Coverage

Part Ten in a Continuing Series on PR Strategy and Tactics for Healthcare IT Marketers

Departing from the usual healthcare issue-oriented discussion, here is some advice on broadcast pitching from a Schwartz Communique Newsletter. Annoyed that television news always covers the raging house fire instead of your cool hospital technology? It's because house fires touch on what every producer wants: a visually appealing story.

Television news segments are a great way to target a broad consumer audience, but to land TV coverage your story needs to meet vastly different criteria than for print stories.

The TV news landscape is rapidly changing. With choices ranging from 24-hour news stations to local, national and morning news shows, to online video outlets, competition for viewers and stories that attract them is stiff. While this competition offers some expanded coverage opportunities, it also forces PR professionals to fit their story to the niche criteria that producers of a particular show crave.

Think your story may have an appealing angle to garner television coverage? Here are some tips from  assignment editors and producers on how to package a compelling, visual story.

- Keep it Short and Simple-An average segment lasts less then two minutes and is getting shorter. The constraints of a two-minute story make in-depth, thoughtful coverage nearly impossible for television producers. To help, provide a simple, high-level message and story line.

- Save Producers Time-Producers have limited resources and are always crunched for time. Anything you can provide to save a producer time, thereby making their day easier, will get more attention.

- Visual, Visual, Visual-Be very clear why your story is visual¬; vagueness is the enemy. Help producers visualize how the story will play out. They want to avoid a constant "talking head" at all costs.

- Human Element Required-Your story must appeal to a broad consumer audience. Most television segments have a human interest angle. If you have a compelling technology, approach the story from a consumer's perspective and not that of your company. For example, focus on ideas that convey concepts such as "this will help me save time" or "this will reduce mistakes" not "this is a milestone for the company."

Some tools you can use to help achieve your goal:

Continue reading "Hi Ma I'm on TV" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 2, 2007 at 2:52 PM
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Hi Ma I'm on TV

A Guide to TV Coverage

Part Ten in a Continuing Series on PR Strategy and Tactics for Healthcare IT Marketers

Departing from the usual healthcare issue-oriented discussion, here is some advice on broadcast pitching from a Schwartz Communique Newsletter. Annoyed that television news always covers the raging house fire instead of your cool hospital technology? It's because house fires touch on what every producer wants: a visually appealing story.

Television news segments are a great way to target a broad consumer audience, but to land TV coverage your story needs to meet vastly different criteria than for print stories.

The TV news landscape is rapidly changing. With choices ranging from 24-hour news stations to local, national and morning news shows, to online video outlets, competition for viewers and stories that attract them is stiff. While this competition offers some expanded coverage opportunities, it also forces PR professionals to fit their story to the niche criteria that producers of a particular show crave.

Think your story may have an appealing angle to garner television coverage? Here are some tips from  assignment editors and producers on how to package a compelling, visual story.

- Keep it Short and Simple-An average segment lasts less then two minutes and is getting shorter. The constraints of a two-minute story make in-depth, thoughtful coverage nearly impossible for television producers. To help, provide a simple, high-level message and story line.

- Save Producers Time-Producers have limited resources and are always crunched for time. Anything you can provide to save a producer time, thereby making their day easier, will get more attention.

- Visual, Visual, Visual-Be very clear why your story is visual¬; vagueness is the enemy. Help producers visualize how the story will play out. They want to avoid a constant "talking head" at all costs.

- Human Element Required-Your story must appeal to a broad consumer audience. Most television segments have a human interest angle. If you have a compelling technology, approach the story from a consumer's perspective and not that of your company. For example, focus on ideas that convey concepts such as "this will help me save time" or "this will reduce mistakes" not "this is a milestone for the company."

Some tools you can use to help achieve your goal:

Continue reading "Hi Ma I'm on TV" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on at 2:52 PM
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60 Minutes is Knocking

Communicating in a Crisis

Part Nine in a Continuing Series on PR Strategy and Tactics for Healthcare IT Marketers

Despite the best-laid plans, a sudden disaster challenges PR pros to do their best thinking on their feet. The stakes are highest in the first few hours because the initial media coverage creates perceptions that linger. Let's discuss crisis communications with insights drawn from the Schwartz Communique newsletter.

Communicating information in a crisis is never as easy as it sounds, primarily because the information itself is often scarce. This leaves corporate and PR pros in a sticky situation, trying to satiate a hungry media with little to offer.

We at Schwartz have had first-hand PR experience with crisis communications. One powerful example was the aftermath of an explosion and fire at a plant owned by West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. By responding quickly, compassionately and responsibly to this terrible accident, we were able to help West weather a difficult time for the families of those hurt, the employees and the company itself. The West team stayed focused on three guiding principles throughout the ordeal:

Continue reading "60 Minutes is Knocking" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on March 6, 2007 at 4:33 PM
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HIMSS Media Tips

Part Eight in a Continuing Series on PR Strategy and Tactics for Healthcare IT Marketers

Healthcare IT's largest tradeshow, HIMSS, is fast approaching so it's time for some PR advice drawn from our Schwartz Communique newsletter. With advance planning and on-site chutzpah, you can use industry trade shows as a springboard for recognition. In fact, working the media at the biggest shows can yield a bonanza of press coverage. At one HIMSS show, Schwartz garnered 22 interviews for a client, based on pre-show scheduling and on-site facilitation. The payoff: the client was covered in more than a dozen articles.

Before the show, do some strategic thinking in regards to your news. Do you want to pre-brief the media and issue news prior to the show in order to drive booth traffic? Or would you like to leverage news datelined at the show in order to get face time with reporters there? Once you've determined the goal, you can time your news accordingly.

When you make appointments before the show, be realistic about the reporter's schedule. There's a good chance that a reporter who gets big news or a prized interview will miss your appointment. Try to get the reporter's cell phone so you can communicate on the show floor. Then fill in the gaps by recruiting interviews right there on the show floor. Here are some more tips and techniques for PR at trade shows:

  - If your company has exhibit space, prep the booth staff on exactly what to do if the media drop in. Designate a spokesperson and make sure everyone understands to immediately bring the media to him or her.

  - Boil your pitch down to exactly one sentence. That's about how much time you'll have when you buttonhole a reporter on the show floor. Make it pithy, exciting and newsworthy. Remember that you're competing with hundreds of other companies for that reporter's attention.

  - To stimulate TV coverage, prepare a demo that's visual and exciting. For print coverage, be ready with news that will interest attendees of that specific show.

  - Be fearless. Walk the aisles looking for those press badges. Approach reporters with a direct, concise and confident pitch. When you get rejections from hurried and hassled reporters (and you will!), shrug them off, so you're ready to approach the next reporter with confidence.

  - Become the reporter's friend. Instead of handing over a heavy press kit, consider a CD or offer to send the paper kit after the show. Help them find other (non-competitive) vendors to cover on the show floor to round out their story.

  - At major shows, the biggest coup is TV coverage. Here's a great tip for maximizing exposure. Put your attendee badge on and go outside the show floor about 20 minutes before the doors open. At the bigger shows, you'll see TV crews waiting to go in. Approach the one you'd most like for an interview, and offer to get them in early, if they'll take a few moments to meet with your company. Chances are they will jump at the chance to get a head start on their day. Escort them quickly past the guards with an authoritative "interview with the media." Then on to your big moment in front of the cameras.

  -Finally, at the end of the day, don't forget the parties, especially those sponsored by the media. They can be great places to make friendships with reporters and editors.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on February 7, 2007 at 1:25 PM
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Wall Street Journal Reporter Interview

Here is an interview with Amy Dockser Marcus of The Wall Street Journal, drawn from the Schwartz Communications Healthcare Newsletter. Useful advice for PR practitioners.

Schwartz: What makes a good pitch? What do you look for when evaluating a medical therapy or diagnostic to feature in Personal Journal section?

Marcus: To make a good pitch, you have to read Personal Journal. It is clear to me from a pitch when someone has never bothered to read the newspaper or the section and so has no understanding of what kind of stories we run.

Personal Journal is heavily oriented toward consumer service information. We want to break news, but it also has to be news that someone can use right then or in the immediate future. Diagnostics or new medical therapies that won't be available in the doctor's office for the next five years may be fascinating and work for some other section of our paper, but we won't write a story about them in Personal Journal.

I am interested in learning about diagnostic tests and new therapies that will transform in some way how diseases are treated. The pitch should explain why this is a significant change from what is traditionally done or what kind of major difference its use will make in the health of a consumer.

Schwartz: What is your view of disease awareness months? What are the requirements for making that kind of pitch newsworthy?

Marcus: Personal Journal in the past has rarely written about disease awareness months. We are interested in breaking news about diseases no matter when they happen during the year. We do not run general stories about disease awareness months. The only way we would consider this is if there is a genuine news story, emerging trend, new treatment, new diagnostic test, or some other news-related development related to the disease. Even then, we'd probably just run a straight news story about the development rather than focusing on the tie to a particular disease awareness month.

Schwartz: What do you think of the use of celebrity spokespeople?

Marcus: It doesn't matter what any of us think, they are here to stay. It won't make a pitch more appealing if a celebrity is backing the use of a particular product. But if there is an unusual or newsworthy reason why the celebrity got involved, that might be interesting to know.

For more PR strategy and tactical advice, please click on the "PR Strategy and Tactics" category to the right.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on January 29, 2007 at 3:30 PM
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Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Though Twain had his doubts, marketers love statistics. So to help out healthcare IT marketers here are some stats from the Census Bureau, CMS and analysts.

The U.S. spent $2 trillion on healthcare, or $6,697 a person, in 2005.

Healthcare costs account for one-sixth of the economy, compared with one-tenth in the early 1980s.

In 2006, 61% of businesses offered health benefits to at least some employees, down from 69% in 2000.

Young adults are the most likely to be uninsured. Those between the ages of 18 and 34 account for 25% of the population, but 41% of those without insurance. Texas has the largest percentage of uninsured citizens (24.6%), followed by New Mexico and Florida. Can you say que?

According to Forrester Research, CDH enrollment will reach 12 million, or seven percent of the commercially insured market, in 2007.

Up to 98,000 Americans die each year from preventable medical mistakes they experience during hospitalization, according to the Institute of Medicine.                                                                          

Mistakes in healthcare are costly.  A wound infection costs $21,000 on average. A post-operative infection costs more than $25,000 and re-opening a surgical site will cost more than $36,000.  The Juran Institute and Midwest Business Group recently quantified the direct costs of health benefits for poor-quality care over $1,300 per employee per year with indirect costs of lost productivity from poor care at another $500 per employee per year. 

Posted by Shawn Whalen on January 12, 2007 at 5:39 PM
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The Importance of Being Earnest

Part Seven in a Continuing Series on PR Tactics for Healthcare IT Marketers

Over drinks recently with some PR folks, we got to talking about a frequent question from companies.  What characteristics make up a good PR program?  Among the top factors are PR thought leadership, skill of spokesperson, topical products or service and occasional news.

Public relations thought leadership can be critically important, especially for smaller companies.  I've seen many start up and emerging growth companies do a PR dance around larger competitors because they are more nimble, hungry, and have a CEO who exhibits thought leadership.  Often times the larger the company, the less impressive the CEO, stricken by  conservatitis from lawyers and CYA handlers.  Reporters favor executives who offer bold, earnest and contrarian opinions, executives who are available at the reporter's notice and will discuss broader context than just his own product.

Commenting on industry trends and events is a great way to demonstrate this thought leadership.  I've had several clients capitalize on such news as the announcement of CHITT, Brailer's resignation, and Stark Law reform by offering fast, quotable value-added opinions. Many of the clients' larger competitors were left with no seat at the table of discussion, to their loss.  Building this thought leadership helps your relationship with a reporter, who is more inclined to write about you when you want your own company coverage.

Another outlet to demonstrate your thought leadership is bylines. These are executive-authored, issue-oriented articles; while not overtly promotional, they point to solution types offered by your company and you receive the reflected thought leadership glory as the author. 

Beyond thought leadership, there is of course company news, products, customer case studies, trend stories and hard news.  These are foundation elements in any PR program.  To whatever extant you can, put your company news in the context of larger industry trends.  How does your product fit into CDH, or healthcare transparency, or some other big trend?  Can your customer reference discuss the benefits of your technology at length for a case study? Is your news big enough that an offer of an exclusive to a media outlet will help your cause?  Think about this contextualization for your next news announcement and it will help separate your pitch from the run of the mill.

For more PR strategy and tactic advice, please click on the "PR Strategy and Tactics" category to the right.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on December 27, 2006 at 3:32 PM
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Six Sigma PR

Part Six in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

          Today brings a guest blog post from my colleague Mark McClennan, APR, on Six Sigma practices applied to public relations.

          While PR professionals focus a good deal of time and effort measuring the results of their campaigns, they typically spend relatively little time examining internal operations and measurement unless something goes wrong. If an agency stays within its billable hours, a department stays within its line item budget, and objectives are reached-- they often declare success, and the team moves on to the next project.

          But that is a limited view, and it assumes that the current way of doing things at your organization cannot improve. Internal measurement, when done correctly, can significantly improve operations and program results. It is just as important to apply rigorous measurement standards and best practices to internal processes and operations as it is to scrutinize PR campaigns.

          For many companies, just measuring campaign activities is not enough for senior management. Reporting that the PR team called 20 reporters, held a special event or secured five articles does not meet management's needs. They want to understand what business objectives those activities accomplished.

          It is relatively easy to measure activity and output. Unfortunately, that does not give a complete or accurate view. Many internal areas are ripe for quantitative measurement, including:

Continue reading "Six Sigma PR" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on October 20, 2006 at 4:42 PM
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Measure for Measure

Part Five in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

A frequent question I’m asked from healthcare marketers is how to measure their public relations.  Whether PR is done in-house or through an outsourced agency, there should be objective metrics in place to measure success.  You should sit down with your PR team at the beginning of the engagement or campaign and set aggressive yet realistic goals and metrics by which to measure them. Examples of possible metrics include the following:

• Article Categorizations. What is the ideal goal and mix of coverage type? Company, product, customer case study, trend piece? Technology, vertical, business, local media? Determine your desire mix and align PR strategies to make it happen.

• Quarterly Increase in Media Coverage.  The trend should always be upward in your media coverage from quarter to quarter.

• Exposures. Tracking exposures, otherwise known as print circulation or broadcast viewer ship.

• Advertising Equivalencies. Another metric is advertising equivalencies, or how much the article would have cost had it been an ad. This usually shows PR to be more cost effective.

• Share of Voice Tracking: In trend stories, what degree of coverage does your company receive? Is the company or its customer a dominant voice, or a passing mention? These can be examined through a percentage grade or a tiered approach.

• Percentage of Message: What degree of your messaging is included in coverage? Is the company correctly represented? Is the positioning of your company relative to competitors favorable?

• Media Awareness Grid: This chart tracks growth in media mindshare on a quarterly basis using an objective scale of one (never heard of you) to five (always writes about you). The goal is to identify key reporters and grow the quality of the relationship per the scale.

• Analyze and Compare Against Competitors. The goal is to increase your company coverage beyond that of competitors.

There are of course other metrics beyond these examples. Whatever you use, hold your PR team or agency accountable.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on September 5, 2006 at 11:10 AM
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Healthcare PR: Impacting the Bottom Line

Part Four in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

I've received several requests for the Powerpoint presentation of my session "Healthcare PR: Impacting the Bottom Line" Webinar I gave a few months ago. Given the readership of healthcare marketers of this blog, I wanted to offer it here. Contact me via Comment to the post if interested in receiving a copy of the presentation.

On a separate topic, my colleague and fellow blogger Bryan Scanlon wrote an insightful piece on the pitfalls of "invention defense." Here's more:

"Far too often companies rely on what worked before; and unfortunately, what didn't work for the last VP of the marketing who lasted just ten months. I'd like to identify a couple additional key make or break points that keep re-appearing and are related primary to public relations, branding and marketing. Today we'll tackle one called "Invention Defense."

Common in companies with strong, smart technical founders, "invention defense" usually hits when the market gets 2-4 strong players duking it out. Inevitably, one company keeps jumping up every time a new entrant emerges---or a competitor does something new or interesting---to remind the market that they were first. "We invented the space. That makes these new guys crap."

Continue reading "Healthcare PR: Impacting the Bottom Line" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 23, 2006 at 12:50 PM
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Lunch and Learn

Support your local healthcare IT events:

Sponsor: Mass Technology Leadership Council
Event Title: Healthcare IT Lunch & Learn with Health Industry Insights
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 8, 12:00 pm
Location: BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts, Landmark Ctr., 401 Park Dr., Boston
Registration is required, contact me via Comment to this blog post

Event Details: The Mass Technology Leadership Council presents an executive Lunch & Learn with Health Industry Insights Vice President Scott Lundstrom. Lundstrom will explore the latest trends in healthcare IT adoption, providing insightful market data, research highlights, success stories and actionable analysis. As public and private sectors move the healthcare industry toward wide-spread IT adoption, both providers and payers are improving not only quality of care but also their bottom line. Data mining, integration and evidence-based medicine are driving personalized care management, pay-for-performance and healthcare transparency. Join us for this executive briefing 'Lunch and Learn' session.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 17, 2006 at 1:21 PM
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Marketing View on Blogging

Blogging has moved from fringe to mainstream marketing. Healthcare technology has its tribe of bloggers, and the vendor big boys such as Microsoft and IBM run respectable healthcare blogs. Schwartz sat down with blog design and strategist Steve Turcotte, president of Backbone Media Inc., to discuss how blogging should be pursued by healthcare IT vendors. Turcotte explores such issues as:

- Why blogging, and why now?
- What is good corporate blogging strategy?
- What about commenting outside of your corporate blog?
- How do you transparently comment without spin?

Read on for insightful advice for your own blogging efforts...

Continue reading "Marketing View on Blogging" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on August 10, 2006 at 2:27 PM
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Burrowing into a Good Story

Q&A with BusinessWeek's Peter Burrows

Schwartz Communications sat down with online editor Peter Burrows of BusinessWeek. Here is the interview, drawn from Schwartz Communique, Vol. 2, Issue 4. Peter Burrows is one of the most highly regarded technology writers in the country. Topics here include Peter's start in journalism, elements of a good story and what he looks for in a pitch.

Continue reading "Burrowing into a Good Story" »

Posted by Shawn Whalen on July 26, 2006 at 1:56 PM
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Is Your Pitch DOA?

Q&A with Health Columnist Dr. Rallie McAllister

Dr. Rallie McAllister writes the nationally syndicated column "Your Health by Dr. Rallie McAllister." The good Doctor diagnoses PR and tells us how to prevent a story from being DOA. Here is the interview, taken from Schwartz Communications PR Perspectives newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 4.

Schwartz: Can you describe what kind of health stories you look for?

McAllister: My goal is to write stories that inform and inspire my readers. It's fun to share the fascinating results of a recent clinical trial or news of an exciting medical discovery. The real challenge is to show readers how the information directly impacts their personal health or happiness, and then inspire them to take some kind of action. I'm trying to write stories that, once read, will compel readers to make positive changes in their lives. When it comes to health-related news, readers have one major question: "Why should I care?" If the story answers that question clearly and convincingly, it's likely to be a good one.

Schwartz: What makes for a good story (compelling patients, FDA decisions, published studies)?

McAllister: Facts, figures, and FDA rulings provide an important factual foundation for health-related articles, but you can't really count on any of these elements to inspire readers or motivate them to change. Readers want to be informed and educated, but they also want to be moved. That's why patient stories are so effective. When readers learn about the struggles and successes of real people, they instantly begin to relate and identify with them. Now, the information isn't just an abstract idea that barely registers in readers' brains, it's something far more powerful and unforgettable. It's a concrete reality that they've embraced with emotion and experienced in their hearts. Compelling patient stories help readers make an important connection, and to take ownership of the message you're delivering. These stories drive readers to say, "Hey! This is something that could happen to me, too."

Schwartz: Do you have go-to sources that you speak with regularly? What makes for a trusted source and/or great interview?

McAllister: My articles tend to have a relatively narrow focus-I'm trying to deliver a single message clearly and convincingly. Ideally, I'll interview one expert who is a recognized authority in the related field, and one patient whose life has been changed. This gives the article a greater depth, and a balance between facts and feelings. Trusted sources are professionals who have great expertise, education, or experience in the related field. I think readers attach far more credibility to experts who have a professional or academic interest in the topic, rather than a financial interest.

It's a wonderful experience to interview experts who are also believers, especially when their beliefs are backed by solid evidence. Great interviewees speak in two languages. One is the slow, patient, explanatory tone of a teacher, to ensure that the writer understands the story, gets the facts straight, and loses nothing in translation. The second language consists of powerful sound bytes, buzz words, and catch phrases that the writer can plug into the story to drive home important points.

Schwartz: Is the emerging trend towards playing a greater role in managing one's own personal healthcare changing the way readers consume health news?

McAllister: For better or worse, the once sacred doctor-patient bond no longer exists. Managed care and medical malpractice have basically pitted physicians and patients against each other as "healthcare providers" and "healthcare consumers." In the past, patients trusted doctors with their lives-literally. Now, modern day healthcare consumers consider themselves to be the captains of their own ships. They no longer rely exclusively on their doctors for medical information, and they're often skeptical of their physicians' decisions and diagnoses. These days, the media is the universal source of second opinions. Readers are careful, conscientious consumers of health-related news, and they consume it as if their lives depend on it.

Schwartz: What is the best way for PR professionals to reach you with story ideas?

McAllister: I'm always excited to see the words "I've got a great idea for a story..." in my e-mail. My address is www.rallieonhealth.com, and I welcome correspondence.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on June 26, 2006 at 3:37 PM
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So Who Do You Compete Against?

PR Tactics: Answering the Competition Question

Part Three in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

Departing from my usual issue-oriented focus, here is some media interview advice for healthcare marketers from the Schwartz Communique newsletter. Picture this scenario: You've worked hard to get your company in front of a reporter. The questions so far have been great, delving deeply into your company, its market and what makes your product great. It feels like the reporter is going to write a good story about your company.

Then it comes, the question you've been dreading: "So, who are your competitors?" Don't be frightened by this question. It's actually the perfect opportunity to frame your own landscape, positioning your company as you see it in relation to others. It also gives you yet another chance to communicate key messages.

Here are some ways to answer the question while gaining the greatest advantage:

Categorize -- Don't give your competitors free publicity by naming them right off the bat. Instead, start by mentioning the category of companies that can be considered competitive. You can then use the opportunity to stress what makes your particular technology or product unique.

Attribute -- Often the reporter pushes and wants company names. In this case, it's best to attribute your choices to a third party, such as an analyst firm. A line such as "some analysts who cover the space say we compete with Microsoft and Cerner..."

Choose Your Competition -- In business as in life, you're known by the company you keep. Carefully choose which companies you name as your competitors. Don't be afraid to compete with the big guys - this can signal your confidence that your offerings are unique and compelling enough to stand up to the fiercest competition.

Reframe -- If your competitor's name comes up, take the opportunity to re-position them to your advantage. Competing with an industry giant? Then you're the best-of-breed player with intense focus and the customers to prove it. Competing with smaller companies? Then you're the market share leader with all the momentum behind you. However, don't go into a lot of depth about your competitor's strengths and weaknesses. Instead, use that time in the interview to highlight your company's unique strengths.

The question can also haunt you if not handled correctly. Here are some things NOT to do:

Duck and Cover -- While a tempting response, saying "we have no competitors" is never the best course of action. Besides the fact that most reporters greet such answers with skepticism, many media and analysts see this answer as a signal that your market niche is too small to attract other
players.

Avoiding the Question -- If you avoid the question entirely, the reporter will be left to choose your competition for you. Frame the competition on your terms rather then leaving it up to chance.

Bashing -- Don't be baited into bashing the competition and risk getting quoted negatively. Take the high road whenever possible.

I look forward to your feedback on future topics for this occasional series on healthcare IT PR tips. These posts are gathered together in the "PR Strategy and Tactics" Category in the list at your right.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on June 19, 2006 at 2:07 PM
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Who Watches the Watchmen?

In this age of media laziness, sensationalism and bias, it's good to have one more set of discerning eyes watching the Fourth Estate. Kudos to Health News Review, a new Web site where people with expertise in health services and medicine review stories, grade them, and explain why they met or fell short of criteria measuring accuracy, balance, and completeness.

The site is suppose to help reporters and editors improve coverage and help others evaluate what to read. I wonder how busy reporters who already do scant research will stop to read Health News Review. Hopefully editors and journalism professors will make these types of sites required reading.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 22, 2006 at 3:25 PM
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Wanted: Control Freaks

Part Two in a Continuing Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

Today's post continues our series on PR tips and tactics for healthcare marketers, drawn from the experts at Schwartz Communications. To get your key messages across, don't be afraid to take control of the media interview. While the interview process should not be antagonistic, driving the direction of the conversation will ensure that you tell your story effectively.

The process starts even before you sit down with the reporter. Get as much background information as you can about the reporter and the story he or she is writing before you talk. Then, at the start of the conversation, take a second to ask some basic questions such as: What is the interview going to be about? How much time do you have? Do you cover this industry or beat regularly? Armed with this information, you can tailor your interview accordingly.

• Stay on message--No matter what direction the interview takes, you should always stay on message. Each question is an opportunity for you to get one of your key corporate messages across. These messages should be thought out well before the first phone calls are made to reporters.
• The tough questions--A reporter may ask a question you don't want to hear or one that will take you off message. Don't let this throw you. Reply "That's a good question, and here's our perspective on the issue..." Supply a brief answer and segue to answer the question you wished they asked, reinforcing your corporate or product messaging.
• Just the facts--Be prepared to recognize and, if necessary, avoid theoretical questions, as they're bound to cause problems. Keep the interview grounded in facts rather than trying to answer a question of what may or may not happen if something else happens. Also, if a reporter misstates a fact, correct them. Otherwise you have tacitly agreed to something that is untrue.
• Silence can be okay--Do not feel the need to fill every void in the conversation, or you may end up saying something you'll regret later. Often a reporter is just using the silence to finish writing notes or look over the last few questions. Sometimes they're figuring out their next question and don't even notice that the pause has lengthened. If you feel compelled to say something, you can simply ask "Is everything I've said so far clear?"
• Open ended openings--Be prepared for an opening question like "What have you got for me today?" This often happens when a reporter is booked for a briefing on upcoming news. This is a golden opportunity to take control of the interview and tell your story your way.

For more articles like this, read our Schwartz Communique newsletters elsewhere on this site. I look forward to your feedback on future topics for this series on healthcare IT PR tips.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on May 12, 2006 at 10:02 AM
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Maximizing The Value Of Analyst Relations

Part One in an Occasional Series on Healthcare IT Public Relations

I wanted to depart from my usual industry issues to address a question we're frequently asked by healthcare marketers. How to maximize industry analyst relations? Gartner and their ilk often carry considerable influence among IT purchasers at large hospitals, networks and in managed care. As such, vendors want to know how they can most impress them, get included in their research reports and secure desirable placement in leadership grids.

The past few years have brought tremendous changes to the analyst industry. Consolidation continues, for example the merger of Gartner and Meta, HIMSS Analytics and Dorenfest, Forrester Research and the Giga Group. And new firms such as IDC's Health Industry Insights have launched. Meanwhile, the cash crunch among medical marketers has forced industry analysts to respond with more creative offerings.

These shifts changed the ground rules for an effective analyst program. A few years ago, analysts had time to take multiple briefings on an industry area to learn all they could about the companies in it. Today, many analysts will only schedule two meetings during a calendar year with non-clients. Conversely, they are more willing to be flexible in their consultations with paying clients.

That means making the most of your time with the analysts. Some healthcare companies focus on a few, key analysts for paid research, and work with them in close partnership. This focus enables executives to build strong analyst relationships that help them move toward corporate objectives.

At the same time, it's important to communicate with the broader analyst community so that your company is not left out of significant research reports. So, let's assume that you have only two, one-hour briefings per year. That gives you just two hours to summarize 12 months worth of work. Here are some key steps that the experts at Schwartz Communications say can help:

• Think Carefully About Your Briefing Schedule--Determine the two or three most important announcements in the next six months. Schedule analyst briefings around each piece of news. Another potential strategy is to meet with analysts every six months with strategic updates that summarize your achievements over the past months and communicate your strategy going forward.

• Articulate Your Business Strategy--It sounds basic, but an analyst can only know as much about your business as you tell them. You need to be sure that your business strategy comes across clearly and cogently. Relate your business to significant market demands or technology shifts that have created new market opportunities. Describe the benefits you offer customers, not just the technical features. And make your presentation concise by sticking to the big picture rather than getting bogged down in minutiae.

• Think Competitively--While demonstrating your product and sales strategy is important, so is competitive positioning. Analysts specialize in looking at entire markets from the buyer's viewpoint. Help the analyst see where you fit in the larger landscape. Also, think very hard before attempting to create a new category. It takes a lot of marketing muscle--or a truly revolutionary offering--to build industry-wide momentum around a new category. You may be better off creating a unique niche within an existing category.

• Provide Access to Customers--Customers tell your story better than you ever can. They're the third party validation you need to prove that your business strategy works and that your technology and products are for real. That's why it's important that analysts have access to these customers. Even if the customer does not let an analyst quote them directly, the analyst can at least use the information on background. The customers will also be able to provide the hard facts and anecdotes that the analysts need to create reports.

• Cultivate Relationships by Adding Value --It's the analyst's job to look smart in front of their own clients. Analysts need you. Those vendor executives that provide industry insights, background and "word on the street" perspective are valued by analysts more than scripted executives who only talk about how great their product is.

• Keep the Communication Flowing--While your briefing times may be limited, the information flow can keep going. Send analysts periodic updates on your progress through email. Sales wins, management changes, partnerships, acquisitions and product announcements are all part of your corporate picture and will help the analyst get a sense of who you are and where you are going. Have your executive offer perspective and insights on industry news, which will bolster your thought leadership.

Analysts have a lot to offer your company by way of industry research, customer contacts and market insights. While in the past, many analyst firms required customers to take out expensive, all-inclusive contracts, most will now allow you to purchase services in a more a la carte fashion. Not only does this give you more control over your analyst budget, but it also enables you to play to the strengths of each analyst. A strong and comprehensive analyst program can help drive sales, partnerships and penetrate new markets.

I look forward to your feedback on future topics for this occasional series on HCIT PR strategy and tactics.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 18, 2006 at 2:30 PM
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