Posts Tagged ‘Public’

A Health Care Public Relations Firm Can Protect a Private Practice Reputation

January 21st, 2011

In this day and age, medical practitioners have to focus on what really matters which is providing to quality health care to all of their patients, without worrying about business related matters. Unfortunately for many health care practitioners, this is rarely this case. The recent economic downturn has affected every conceivable business across the United States of America, and health care is no exception. In fact, the business of providing medicine to patients and helping people get better has been hit especially hard by the current recession. Many individuals, when faced with almost impossible financial choices, will choose to forgo traditional health care in order to save money in the short term. This is obviously an untenable situation, and one that needs to be remedied for every one’s benefit, medical practitioners included. That is why in this precarious time for the United States of America, many medical institutions, from small, family owned private practices to large corporately financed hospitals are retaining the services of a health care public relations firm to help them generate business in these all together difficult financial times.

Many of these medical providers, with all different kinds of budgets, are making room for the necessary expenditures to hire a health care public relations firm. Hospital administrators realize that the only way to combat the falling profits of many a formerly prosperous medical office is to mount an offensive posture. This means taking the battle to the consumer, convincing them through any and all means necessary that a particular medical provider is a great choice for providing top quality medical care at affordable rates. This is what most people in the United States of America want. They are willing to pay good money for health care, but they do not want to be taken advantage of. That is where a highly experienced and fully qualified health care public relations firm comes in. It falls to the average health care public relations firm to maintain their medical client’s reputation at high levels. All too often in the medical professional, a particular practice or medical institution will fail because of a growing bad reputation. If people start to think that a particular medical office is not capable of providing the promised services in a timely manner and at the appropriate cost, then they will not be likely to return, let alone become a cherished lifelong customer.

This is obviously unacceptable if the medical office wants to become a thriving business into the next millennium. Therefore, the health care public relations firm has to promote the good attributes that characterize their clients. This means to play up any instance of a particular doctor or nurse going well beyond the call of duty to the local press, so that their client is portrayed in a positive light. If enough of these types of stories come to light, it will begin to shape public opinion about that particular medical institution. It stands to reason then, that if enough people believe that particular institution is doing a job, then they will be more willing to spend their hard earned dollars for health care at that medical office. If this occurs, then the health care public relations firm has done its job in securing new business and keeping old clients for the medical offices and practices that they represent. Any health care public relations firm worth its salt has to keep this up to stay in business for a long time.

Tips on Finding Healthcare Public Relations Jobs

June 4th, 2010

Healthcare Public Relations is an essential part of the overall marketing strategy. Its role is to inform and influence individuals and groups to bring about a desired change in attitude or behaviour. This article relates to healthcare and pharmaceutical public relations, its protagonists and general information regarding how companies, and in particular, Public Relations agencies work with the pharmaceutical industry. Hopefully with will provide some insight into the healthcare public relations arena for those considering it as a career.

Generally pharmaceutical companies have their own public relations staff in-house but they are often assisted and supported by Public Relations Agencies / Medical Communications Agencies, providing services in a number of areas. Public Relations can be practised on many levels, from enhancing reputations at the company level, or corporate PR, to preparing the market for the introduction of a new drug or treatment, product PR.

Working within a PR or Medical Communications Agency you will develop some key and long lasting relationships. You will need to develop contacts with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) within particular therapy areas or indications as 3rd party endorsement by a trusted source can reassure a sceptical audience. You might also become involved with lobbying or advocacy requiring you to nurture contacts in the government and public sector.

Another area where you will develop long term relationships is with the media. It is invaluable to have the trust of, and have a good rapport with media contacts across the media landscape (broadcast, print and on-line). Over time you will learn how to harness different media channels for your needs and those of the client. You can expect to be working with people in TV, newspapers, trade magazines and journals, societies and associations and patient groups.

In whichever area of public relations you practice, you will need some basic and fundamental skills. Much of your work in trying to reach target groups will rely on creating interesting and insightful copy, so you will need strong editorial skills and a clear and concise style of writing. You will write a variety of pieces, typically including, news releases, newsletters and press reports, articles, product information materials and brochures. You will be in attendance at conferences and meetings ensuring events reach their full potential and that your clients feel the maximum benefits.

There is a good and structured career path within medical PR agencies. Teams tend to be structured around products and have a hierarchical structure from account executive all the way up to client services director, by way of account manager and account director. As you career progresses you can expect more management responsibility as well as becoming more strategically responsible for accounts and their success. This is the traditional route but there are rafts of other possible career paths to follow as you develop new skills.

Over your career you can expect to cover products in a myriad of therapy or disease areas. This is why a good understanding of biological and scientific processes is a great advantage. Companies generally look for candidates to hold a life sciences or public relations qualification or degree. As aforementioned, they will look for good writing abilities and may well want candidates to complete a writing test as part of the recruitment process. Any such test will be idiosyncratic to the company and will reflect the importance that they place on certain skills and abilities. Excellent communications skills are a must for a good PR professional – much of your success will be based upon the relationships that you build and cultivate. A lively personality and persuasive character will be useful attributes to potential candidates.

ID Search & Selection has been specialising in providing recruitment services to the medical communications industry and helping professionals in finding health care public relations jobs for many years. During this time we have developed strong relationships with some of the industry’s most prominent companies and individuals and this provides us with an ideal platform to showcase your talents and abilities to our clients. If you are looking for a new opportunity or you would like more information on the role that we are currently recruiting for, please contact us.