Health Care

Rebranding Health Insurance: Changing Your Approach to Consumer Communications (Part 2)

By Nina Dunn on May 9, 2013 - 9:39am

The ACA is changing the health insurance marketplace. The industry, which by and large is considered to have a business-to-business orientation, now recognizes the need to boost its direct-to-consumer strategies in order to tap the new customers who will be forced to buy coverage by 2014.

However, health insurance brands are having difficulties selling to those customers.

Rebranding Health Insurance: Understanding the Opportunities in the ACA

By Nina Dunn on April 24, 2013 - 8:39am

Social Media and Health Care: Getting Back to Basics

By Nina Dunn on March 25, 2013 - 1:26pm

Lately, it seems like the health care PR community has been largely focusing on challenges when it comes to social media.

Taking a Customer-Centric Approach to Pharma

By Nina Dunn on February 25, 2013 - 11:51am

The pharma industry will face many challenges in the coming years, from expiring patents on many blockbuster drugs to the uncertainty resulting from health care reform; not to mention the generally bad rap the industry has had for years. It’s clear that pharmaceuticals need to reinvent themselves and demonstrate the value of their brands.

Pharma can learn a thing or two from Apple and Amazon — companies that are on top of their game because they managed to build a customer and service-centric culture into their brands.

What 2013 Holds for Health Care Communications

By Nina Dunn on January 16, 2013 - 10:37am

Looking back at 2012, I can say with certainty that the year was one of the most uncertain that the health care industry has seen in a very long time.

At the heart of the confusion was how and when elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would take effect.

Compounding the indecision was a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the individual mandate (a decision that both FOX News and CNN initially called incorrectly), a presidential election (that went largely unnoticed), a divided Congress, and, if these factors were no

Health Care Startups to the Rescue

By Eduardo Quiroga on August 2, 2012 - 1:10pm

Health care startups save the industry. If this statement sounds pompous, that’s because it most definitely is.

Startups might not solve all of the health care industry's problems, but they can help mitigate costs, improve efficiency and increase patient satisfaction.

Whether its burnt-out nurses, practitioners looking to leave the industry out of frustration, or patients looking for better care, startups can help alleviate some of the most pressing problems in health care.

Aging 2.0 — Three Steps for Companies Looking to Reach the Senior Market

By Eduardo Quiroga on May 2, 2012 - 11:41am

One of the major themes highlighted at the inaugural Aging 2.0 meeting last week was the issue of communications with the aging demographic. Questions about how to reach older adults and frame messages intended for them effectively were interwoven into various discussions throughout the evening.

The Case for PR: Health Tech Startups

By Nina Dunn on April 26, 2012 - 10:45am

When presenting to potential investors, the majority of startups concentrate on their product or service, the market demand, and the strength of their executive team. This often causes them to ignore a well-thought out marketing plan. Here is where these entrepreneurs get it wrong. Investors are looking for big ideas: ideas that can change our way of thinking, ideas that can build a highly profitable company. Without a strong message and brand positioning plan, it is very hard to imagine a company’s potential.

Mobile Devices Set to be the Next Big Thing in Health Care Communications

By Nina Dunn on March 5, 2012 - 11:57am

The time for mobile health has come. Both patients and health care providers (HCPs) are becoming increasingly dependent on mobile technologies.

Four Health Care Communications Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2012 (From Ragan's Health Care Communications News)

By Nina Dunn on February 21, 2012 - 2:08pm

This year is going to be filled with uncertainty for the health care industry—and, as a result, for health care communications. For starters, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will continue to reshape our health care system, and the Supreme Court will also decide whether an individual health care mandate is constitutional.

But even with so many political, economic and regulatory questions hanging in the air, here are four trends that will affect health care communications in 2012.