January 2012

Social Media Working Group for Medical Device Companies

The majority of medical technology marketers navigating the social media waters have been waiting for an update or course of direction from the FDA regarding social media. Since holding a public hearing in 2009 on the “Promotion of FDA-Regulated Medical Products Using the Internet and Social Media Tools,” the FDA really hadn’t issued any guidance on what medical device companies wanted most—how to respond to adverse-event reporting via the emerging medium of electronic media.

As a healthcare public relations agency, we are constantly speaking with clients about Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and other vehicles to reach key audiences. While some medical device and pharma companies have jumped right in, others are more cautious, wanting to hear from the FDA before making a splash (if you let me continue with my water metaphors!).

In December, 2011, the FDA came out with a Draft Guidance but instead of focusing on adverse-even reporting like people expected, it provided recommendations for responding to unsolicited requests for off-label information related to their products. Check out the full report from the FDA.

This will most likely be a hot topic for discussion at the first meeting of the MassMEDIC working group on social media which is being held on Friday, February  3 (8:00 am) at Schwartz MSL. With participants from Philips, Palomar, Smith & Nephew and Vention Medical and moderated by Schwartz MSL Healthcare Practice Leader Jim Weinrebe, we expect a lively and educational session focused on how marketing, legal, regulatory and HR can work collaboratively. The event is open to all MassMEDIC members. Check back here for insights from the group that will be developing best practices for members.

Posted by Lauren Arnold on January 31, 2012 at 2:47 PM
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Med Tech Marketers - Don't Be Left On the Social Media Sidelines!

If you are a med tech marketer trying to make sense of how and when to engage in social media as part of your overall marketing mix then you don’t want to miss our next healthcare social media event. Schwartz MSL and MassMEDIC are co-hosting a free social media best practices working group for MassMEDIC members at our new conference center on Friday, February 3 at 8:00 a.m. in Waltham.

Representatives from Philips, Palomar, Smith & Nephew and Vention Medical will participate in a roundtable discussion on social media practices to discuss how marketing, legal, regulatory and HR can work collaboratively.

You'll also get insight into the FDA's draft guidance which was released in December 2011. Don't hold your breath - it's not comprehensive, not that you expected it to be - it offers suggestions on how to respond to requests related to off-label information for products. There is some good commentary out there -- check out  AdAge.com and the WSJ's Health Blog if you haven't already.

Reminder, the event is open only to MassMEDIC members and is free of charge

To register for the program, send an email to info@massmedic.com

Posted by Risa Goldman Burgess on January 24, 2012 at 3:33 PM
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Pay Attention to Mobile Health at HIMSS '12

By Brenna Hagy

HIMSS 2012 is right around the corner, and healthcare IT (HIT) companies are revving their engines to make the most of their time at the show. The Schwartz MSL Healthcare IT Practice Group spoke with Eric Wicklund, one of the industry’s top trade reporters. Eric is the editor at the newly launched mHIMSS website. He shared with us what he is looking forward to at the show and what topics and trends he’ll cover.


1.         What are you most looking forward to at HIMSS 2012?

HIT X.0, a sub-conference that will showcase some emerging mobile technologies, is sure to feature and attract the movers and shakers in healthcare. Also, the Exhibit Hall floor will offer an array of new and exciting tools and services. The Interoperability Showcase should also be interesting.

2.         What sessions are you looking to attend?

I’m looking forward to any and all tracks and other sessions having to do with mobile health, including those dealing with telehealth and telemedicine. I’m particularly interested in sessions examining how mHealth tools may be adopted to improve clinical workflow, and monitor and treat people with chronic conditions.

3.         What spurred the creation of the new mHIMSS website?

MedTech Media has been exploring the mobile health/telehealth market for two years and had identified it as a growing interest in the healthcare field. Combining our editorial expertise with the newly formed mHIMSS group seemed like a natural fit. The healthcare landscape of the future will rely more and more on new methods for delivering care and making sure it’s effective, and mobile health tools and telehealth will be at the forefront.

4.         Which topics and trends will you be covering on the new site?

Mobile health technology and practices, telehealth and telemedicine will be the three main topics. We will also focus on emerging and best practices, trends, consumer and professional applications, home-based healthcare, health and wellness tools, medical devices, grants, research and public policies, international programs, infrastructure, interoperability and data exchange, privacy and security.

5.         Do you think mHealth will be one of the top three trends at the 2012 show?

It’s a fast-growing trend, as evidenced by the number of mobile health and telehealth tools and projects seen in the Exhibit Hall at HIMSS11 in Orlando. Between educational tracks, the social media pavilion and HIT X.0 at HIMSS12, it’s safe to say mobile health will be one of the most discussed aspects of 2012.

6.         If you could tell mHealth vendors one thing, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to be creative and experimental. The healthcare landscape of tomorrow will differ greatly from what we’re seeing today, with a shift away from facility-based care and toward mobile, home-based and telehealth care. Anything that can help the provider adapt to this new healthcare paradigm will be greatly appreciated.

HIMSS even has a mHIMSS track planned this year and Eric will be moderating a couple of panel discussions—take a break from the slots and check them out!

Schwartz MSL has created a Road to HIMSS 2012 Planning Guide to help you navigate the PR and marketing opportunities at the show, and give you useful advice on strategy, a timeline to help you plan ahead and even some tips on other fun things to do in Vegas. For further advice or information on how Schwartz MSL can partner with you, please contact Dave Close or Doug Russell in our Boston office at 781-684-0770, or Shannon Murphy in our San Francisco office at 415-512-0770, or send an email to healthcareIT@schwartzmsl.com.
 

Posted by Davida Dinerman on January 13, 2012 at 12:29 PM
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What Journalists Want at HIMSS '12

by Shweta Agarwal

Journalists attending HIMSS 2012 are filling out their calendars, planning their schedules and starting to look at which vendor meetings will be worth their time. If you are looking to get your company or product on the docket of the influencers who can elevate you above the noise, now is the time to put the wheels into motion.

Instead of inundating the inbox of every single media attendee on the HIMSS media list, plan ahead and craft a meaningful public relations strategy that can help put your company in front of the right audience. Joe Goedert, a prominent and respected healthcare IT (HCIT) reporter at Health Data Management and someone with whom Schwartz MSL has worked for many years, offered some tips to make the meetings at HIMSS successful. He encourages vendors to get in touch with the editors well in advance as schedules fill up fast. Typically, editors review all the meeting requests to shortlist the companies they want to meet with and assign them to appropriate staff members. Do not panic if you don’t hear from journalists immediately. Give them some time to plan their schedules before you follow-up again.

Joe also emphasizes the significance of staying away from marketing speak and technical jargon when describing your product or service. However cool your product or technology may be, unless you can’t explain the benefits upfront in simple English, you will not be able to engage with a reporter for long. Always have an elevator pitch ready that clearly articulates the value proposition that you bring to the market.

Joe offers many other useful tips on how vendors can make the meetings at HIMSS more meaningful and productive in this blog post, titled, “Tips for Meeting with Reporters at HIMSS.”

With 4,700+ exhibitors hoping to secure mindshare from 30,000+ delegates and media attendees, it’s easy to get lost in the noise. Planning early and maximizing your strategic communications program before, during and after the event is an absolute must.

Schwartz MSL has created a Road to HIMSS 2012 Planning Guide to help you navigate the PR and marketing opportunities at the show, and give you useful advice on strategy, a timeline to help you plan ahead and even some tips on other fun things to do in Vegas. For further advice or information on how Schwartz MSL can partner with you, please contact Dave Close or Doug Russell in our Boston office at 781-684-0770, or Shannon Murphy in our San Francisco office at 415-512-0770, or send an email to healthcareIT@schwartzmsl.com.

Posted by Davida Dinerman on January 10, 2012 at 10:12 AM
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Tech companies ask: "HIMSS - What's in it for us?"

Schwartz MSL’s tech clients often ask us if attending HIMSS is worth their time and investment. These technology vendors might have a significant play in the healthcare vertical, but aren’t delivering pure-play HCIT products like EMRs, clinical decision support tools or healthcare billing platforms. Although HIMSS is the largest and most well-attended show dedicated to HCIT, the answer for general tech companies isn’t so clear cut. 

When discussing with clients the decision to attend or plan a larger presence through exhibiting or sponsorship at HIMSS, we pose the following questions:

What do you want to get out of the conference? In the past, even some of the largest HCIT vendors have commented that lead generation at previous HIMSS events has been moderate. Though the event attracts technology buying decision makers, the show is ‘noisy’ with hundreds of companies competing for booth traffic and general awareness. Typically, attendees are looking for specific HCIT solutions and may not yet be thinking about technology investments they should make to support a HCIT deployment. 

Where HIMSS may not always deliver in leads, it does provide a fertile environment for vendor networking. Dozens of companies announce partnerships and plant seeds for many more. A trip to Vegas may be a cost-effective way for your company to get some face time with bigger HCIT players. 

One constant at HIMSS is the strong media presence. For companies that are new to the healthcare industry, there is a good opportunity to schedule introductory briefings with editors and analysts, to educate them on how your technology fits into the HCIT landscape. As with any media outreach, they will be most interested in news, hearing about your company’s overarching strategy and roadmap, and customers. 

How advanced is your healthcare messaging? The healthcare industry is experiencing dramatic changes in terms of payment and care delivery models. HCIT will play a big role in supporting new models, such as pay-for-performance and ACO. The industry recognizes a huge potential for support technology – particularly storage and security components that will be critical as more healthcare organizations digitize their records while working to comply with regulations, and IT consulting and integration to optimize IT investments and manage complex IT networks. Technology companies that want to succeed in the healthcare vertical must clearly articulate and illustrate their value proposition for their product and services within the healthcare market and be prepared to relay those messages to many audiences at the show, namely vendors, analysts, media and attendees. Schwartz MSL leverages our healthcare experience to help clients craft healthcare-specific messaging. 

Can you tell a customer story? One of the best ways to advance your healthcare-specific messaging is to use a healthcare customer. Inviting a customer to join you at HIMSS – whether at your booth or on the show floor – is a great draw for media. Reporters and editors want to hear firsthand how your customers use your technology to meet their needs. 

Here is a strategy that worked well for Schwartz MSL client Circadence, a company that provides WAN (Wide Area Network) and network optimization solutions, at HIMSS 2011. Although they didn’t have a customer on hand, Circadence executives met with key reporters, including Jim Knaub at Radiology Today, and shared the experience of a customer, Imaging Associates of North Mississippi Magnolia (IANMM), that uses Circadence MVO to ensure rapid, reliable and secure delivery of large image transfers. The executives recounted the customer’s process from evaluation through implementation while communicating clear, quantitative ROI. The result: a follow-up conversation between the customer and editor after the show, which became in a cover story. To view that story, visit Radiology Today. Since the story ran, Circadence has expanded its presence in healthcare, providing WAN and network optimization for images, electronic health records and now the ability to access critical healthcare information on any mobile device. 

After reviewing these questions, consider dipping your toe in the HIMSS pool by sending a few executives as attendees. Investment in attendee passes is much less expensive than sponsoring a booth, plus it gives executives the time to walk the show floor, and network with other vendors, potential partners and the media. Register before January 23 for the standard rate. And while you’re there, take advantage of Las Vegas in February and dip another toe in the pool at Venetian’s Tao Beach. 

Schwartz MSL has had a long-standing presence at HIMSS and will have HCIT practice group members at the 2012 show. We’re less than eight weeks away, but there’s still time to plan and make a significant impact.  Schwartz MSL created a Road to HIMSS 2012 Planning Guide to help you navigate the PR and marketing opportunities at the show. Download the guide for free here. 

For further advice or information on how Schwartz MSL can partner with you, please contact Dave Close or Doug Russell in our Boston office at 781-684-0770, or Shannon Murphy in our San Francisco office at 415-512-0770, or send an email to healthcareIT@schwartzmsl.com.

Posted by Mercedes Carrasco on January 4, 2012 at 11:39 AM
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