April 2007

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
Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Surprise surprise, Congress will have too many other time and money demands to pass comprehensive healthcare IT legislation, according to Modern Healthcare. The magazine reports that Medicare and children's health insurance are weightier priorities. HIMSS' lobbying arm must not be a strong as the pharmas.

In a similar effective act, former President Clinton at a trade show in Florida described his support for electronic health records, calling them "the number-one thing that can be done right now to make the American health-care system more efficient and cut costs."

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 16, 2007 at 5:24 PM
Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Hospitals and EHR

According to a Fall 2006 survey by the American Hospital Association (AHA), reported in HMT eNews March 21, 68 percent of U.S. hospitals use EHRs, with 11 percent of that number reporting full implementation. Computerized alerts that prevent negative drug interaction were used by 51 percent of hospitals, up from 23 percent in 2005. Nearly half that number reported sharing electronic patient data with laboratories, payers, other hospitals and private practice physician offices. The AHA data revealed that it is still predominantly larger urban hospitals with greater financial resources adopting EHRs rather than smaller, rural hospitals.

Posted by Shawn Whalen on April 9, 2007 at 2:29 PM
Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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
Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)