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Brits spent over £2bn to replicate their coffee experience at home during lockdown

Stockwood Strategy

Keen not to miss out on their regular coffee fix whilst working from home during the lock down, Brits spent a whopping £2.15bn on coffee machines and products to replicate their regular coffee experience. Coffee roastery Volcano Coffee Works surveyed Brits on their coffee habits and sought their expectations of coffee companies for International Coffee Day. The survey* revealed more than four in 10 (42%) admitted to drinking more coffee since lockdown - with almost a quarter (23%) drinking four cups a day - equating to over 112m cups nationally every 24 hours. With these sorts of figures, it should not be a surprise that 82% of coffee drinkers felt that they rely on good coffee to set them up for a productive day of work. Emma Loisel , Co-Founder and Chair at Volcano Coffee Works commented: “We’re more in love with coffee than ever, with consumption up and millions investing in recreating their caffeine fix at home. Coupled with working longer hours from home, it seems we’ve never been more reliant on coffee. And interestingly, it’s great to see the trends for ethically sourced coffee and that companies showing they care about people and the environment are more important than ever when it comes to purchase decisions.” Coffee is big business, the UK’s annual caffeine bill is £14.9bn. However, the study reveals this set to accelerate further - driven by ethical coffee drinkers - with more than three in five (63%) people willing to pay more for coffee if it benefits coffee farmers, up 18% compared to 2019. Emma Loisel continued: “Coffee could be a bell weather of things to come. Consumers are making themselves very clear, they want more from brands than just great products. 85% told us they expect the companies they buy products from to behave sustainably and ethically towards the environment and people.” “Perhaps this is one of the greatest silver linings from the lockdown, consumers have found their voice and if they continue to hold companies to account, they will drive change, faster than any government” added Emma Loisel . ENDS Notes to the Editor * Research based on a survey of 2,000 British people between 25th and 28th September 2020. Survey conducted by consumer research agency YourSay. About Volcano Coffee Works Volcano Coffee Works, founded in 2010, is an ethical and carbon neutral coffee roastery. They bring people great tasting coffees, whilst supporting the livelihoods of small hold farmers who grow their coffees. Their coffee is consumed in hotels, restaurants, cafes, and offices across the UK and Paris. Consumers can also buy coffee direct from their website. A team of 30 passionate people produce over 4,000 kgs of coffee every week, an average of 850,000 cups of Volcano Coffee Works delicious coffee is consumed each month. The business was founded on the belief that coffee can be a force for good. It all started with a coffee cart on the streets of West Norwood, now they have a state-of-the-art roastery in Brixton, where Volcano Coffee Works produces great tasting coffee that has a real and positive impact. Their ethical trading principles ensure that the entire supply chain and beyond benefits. They pay fair prices, committing to buy their farmer’s coffees on long term contracts, giving them security of income so they can invest in their farms and families. They support local community initiatives and are the Crisis Homeless Charity’s coffee partner, enabling consumers everywhere to support Crisis by buying Crisis Coffee here . Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@marketfinance.com Company Website https://volcanocoffeeworks.com/

October 06, 2020 03:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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PBM INDUSTRY REGULATION TO BE ARGUED BY SUPREME COURT

Alliance for Transparent & Affordable Prescriptions

As policy makers in Washington, DC debate the next appointee to the United States Supreme Court, patient advocate groups are optimistic existing Justices and the nominee will support rights of states to impose regulations on the Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) industry. The case, Rutledge v. the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association , will argued before the Supreme Court on October 6, 2020. The Alliance for Transparent and Affordable Prescriptions (ATAP), a coalition of patient and provider groups concerned about the role PBMs play in the rising cost of drugs and reduced patient access to affordable treatment, filed an Amicus Brief with the United States Supreme Court in an effort to support the rights of states to impose regulations on the PBM industry. ATAP’s Amicus Brief argues in part that PBMs are engaged in abusive practices with serious practical and policy consequences – including upward pressure on prescription drug pricing. “The relationship that really matters is the doctor-patient relationship, not the relationship with the middlemen” stated Dr. Robert Levin, ATAP’s President. “Every day, we witness first-hand how the PBM industry drives up costs and interferes with patient access to the medications they need. Doctors, patients, and legislators are saying ‘enough is enough’ and are fighting back. We welcome the opportunity to lend our voice and arguments on behalf of patients as the Supreme Court weighs in on regulating this industry.” The debate over the PBM industry is gaining traction in Washington as additional regulations are proposed, and even Presidential Executive Orders crafted in part to reign in PBM activity in the prescription drug marketplace. “PBMs construct formularies and utilization management tools not based on science but on profit, often leading to higher drug prices,” Dr. Madeline Feldman of the Coalition of State Rheumatology Organizations (an ATAP member organization) stated. “The Supreme Court should agree to allow states to protect ALL patients from the machinations of PBMs – whose only fiduciary responsibility is to shareholders. Perhaps if the federal government demanded transparency and regulated PBMs appropriately, the states wouldn’t have to step up to do the job.” "Countless healthcare stakeholders have waited eagerly for this day to come and will be closely watching the proceedings since this is the first case involving a PBM before the United States Supreme Court," stated Kathleen A. Arntsen, President & CEO of Lupus and Allied Diseases Association (an ATAP member organization). "As a patient-led organization who represents people that deal with serious health conditions on a daily basis, we have firsthand experience with the frustration in struggling to access affordable and appropriate treatments due to the existence of the unnecessary middleman industry. We are thrilled that the Justices will finally weigh in on these momentous issues and hopeful that they will stand with patients and rule in favor of fair drug pricing." In an earlier statement on the matter, the plaintiff, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge stated, “Our fight to protect Arkansans’ access to affordable prescription drugs will finally have its day before the Supreme Court. With arguments to be aired live, Americans will hear how we are protecting local pharmacists who play the vital role as frontline healthcare providers in rural Arkansas and across the country every day and particularly during this pandemic.” ATAP has been an active advocate for patients in a variety of federal and state battles to amplify the voices of patients and physicians. ### For more information, or to schedule an interview with an ATAP spokesperson please contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357. ATAP's mission is to address prescription drugs costs and patient access to affordable treatment by regulating PBM practices and reforming the drug industry through educational outreach and grassroots advocacy initiatives at both the state and federal level. Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 daniel.rene@kglobal.com Company Website http://www.atapadvocates.com

October 05, 2020 05:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Convey Services Launches Virtual Event Platform Exclusively for Sales & Annual Conferences

Convey Services

Convey Services , a SaaS solutions company, today expanded its Cloud Conventions product line by launching Cloud Kickoffs™ , an online portal solution exclusively for sales and annual conference management. Cloud Kickoffs brings elements of a live sales kickoff or conference into a virtual environment to promote engagement, make connections and support team interaction. It’s content-rich experience maximizes the effectiveness of virtual events for yearend or sales kickoff programs. “Canceling live annual meetings or sales kickoffs has become a reality, but it doesn’t mean that those events can’t be effectively executed virtually,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Convey. “In many ways you can achieve better, more focused results without the time and expense of bringing everyone together physically. Using Cloud Kickoffs, the management team can align the organization around a common strategy, allow remote teams to foster relationships and at the same time deliver and reinforce critical training. Cloud Kickoffs helps you deliver the tools needed to succeed and provides access to training and content long after the live event is over.” Cloud Kickoffs manages live and on-demand education, brings teams together for forum and roundtable discussions, promotes one-on-one connections and offers a platform for networking and social interaction. After a Cloud Kickoffs event is over, the portal can retain its structure, extend the life of content and training and easily be repurposed for virtual sales events throughout the year. A virtual kickoff event can be fully managed by Convey or by your sales or marketing team. “Sales staff or association members look forward to annual conferences because they value the insights, connections and opportunity to walk away energized with a clear focus for the coming year,” added Bradfield. “Cloud Kickoffs provides an efficient solution to bring teams together virtually, saving tens of thousands on logistics planning, travel and entertainment.” Cloud Kickoffs comes complete with templates for branding, delivering email messaging, creating attendee dashboards, setting-up live and virtual sessions and gamification while always tracking attendee engagement. It’s designed for the non-technical user and doesn’t require any coding or development. Participating partners and sponsors can have virtual booths that remain intact or can be refreshed for future events. Each portal has online training and a support database to answer frequently asked questions. Sales and event managers can experience Cloud Kickoffs by visiting https://cloudkickoffs.com or explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com . About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions is a Virtual Trade Show and Conference Platform from Convey Services that brings new capabilities to a marketplace looking for solutions to replace the thousands of live trade shows, annual conferences and association meetings cancelled in the wake of COVID-19. Originally launched as ConveyLive, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, attendee registration, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

October 01, 2020 11:55 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Homegrown: UK premium CBD brand, Infused Amphora launches

Infused Amphora

British premium CBD wellness brand Infused Amphora launches today. Their product range includes a variety of vape cartridges designed to address and capture the needs and moods of society. Everything from tackling anxiety, muscular aches and stress to helping inspire, calm and focus minds. The cartridges were designed in collaboration with Vessel Brand, an industry leading California-based vape hardware company. The launch features four premium CBD-infused cartridges: INSPIRE : delivers an earthy and herbal vibe with lilac undertones, and a lemon-pepper nose. Allowing you to brainstorm, be unique, think differently or create a masterpiece. PEACE : combines a sweet woody flavour with a tickle of green peppercorn and a clean grapefruit finish. You will feel the embrace of a warm hug that removes the edge off stress. MEND : allows you to slip into a relaxing bath of sweet stone fruits, savoury herbs and a pine finish. Find relief from tension and release muscular aches and pains. ZZZ : offers the sensation of walking through a forest after the rain. Like the perfect cup of tea to be taken at bedtime - hints of juniper and lemon. Infused Amphora’s CBD products enhance health, wellness and help achieve personal lifestyle goals through their pesticide-free, non-intoxicating and THC-free CBD cartridges. All products contain two simple ingredients, 100% organic CBD distillate and plant-sourced terpenes. Products retail at £35 and are launching with a 20% discount at £28 each, for a limited time. All Infused Amphora products are rigorously third-party lab-tested* for content and purity. Angus Taylor, CEO of parent company, Infused Products International LTD, commented: “Infused Amphora is about creating an unmatched customer experience by offering easy to understand products that deliver a specific and predictable experience such as athletic recovery, sleep, inspiration, and tranquility. We are aiming to grow this international brand to 24 exciting products in 2021. We’re on track to build our own supply chain and will be able to quickly move high quality products to market that meet the needs of our customers. We will use the UK as a launch pad to expand and enter additional international markets, such as Brazil and India, next year”. On the partnership with Vessel Brand, Angus Taylor added: “As Infused Amphora thoughtfully considered its entry into the UK market, we intentionally sought out the best-in-class market partner, Vessel Brand, a company with complimentary visions of supporting mental and physical health through an exceptional customer journey. Premium CBD is at the core of our customer experience, it’s a crucial step of many that also includes third-party testing to guarantee compliance, education, premium hardware technology and unparalleled customer service.” James Choe, CEO and Co-Founder Vessel Brand, Inc. commented: "We are honoured to partner with Infused Amphora because of their dedication to quality product and their willingness to challenge the industry status quo by designing a better experience for every customer. We’re seeing countless CBD-related brands hitting the market but majority of them are battling for the customer’s attention with the same commodity offering, or in some cases, a step up with fancy packaging. “The customer experience needs to push well beyond this. ‘Premium’ in our eyes, has little to do with a price point and everything to do with delivering on a brand promise - the customer experience doesn’t end at the point of quality consumable product, that is just the beginning. The thoughtfulness to extend the experience to the battery that powers your oil, the control you have over your consumption, the way you charge and store your oil, and how you feel when you interact with their support team - that is what makes their offering compelling and that shared philosophy is what makes our partnership so strong” added James Choe . * Each product comes with a Certificate of Analysis from an accredited testing lab. Notes to the Editor For further information please contact the Amphora press office: Bilal Mahmood on b.mahmood@marketfinance.com or +44 (0) 20 3640 7759 and +44 (0) 771 400 7257. About Infused Amphora Infused Amphora is a premium CBD wellness brand formulated in the UK. It is owned by Infused Products International LTD, a global health-and-wellness product business. Infused Amphora is dedicated to providing all-natural, symptom-targeting and high-quality CBD products. Elevating users on their wellness journeys, each product is designed with a specific purpose, whether it’s sparking creativity, relieving stress, calming their thoughts before bed, or soothing muscle aches & pains. With only two simple ingredients (CBD distillate sourced from 100% organically grown hemp and plant-based terpenes to supply that beneficial entourage effect) we keep our customer’s health as our top priority. All of our products have zero harmful additives & solvents, are nicotine-free, pesticide-free, and THC-free to ensure no intoxicating effects, just pure bliss in every breath. Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@marketfinance.com Company Website https://www.infusedamphora.com/

September 30, 2020 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Aspira Women’s Health has Emerged as a Global Leader for Innovations in Ovarian Cancer Risk Assessment Starting with OVA1®plus, OVANex™, OVAInherit™ and ASPiRA GenetiX℠

Aspira Women's Health Inc.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer¹, impacting women of all ages and ethnicities. Early warning signs, such as bloating, weight loss and constipation, are vague, difficult to recognize and usually go undetected². As a result, most ovarian cancer is diagnosed in its late stages, leading to a five-year survival rate of less than 30%³. Aspira Women’s Health Inc. ("Aspira") (Nasdaq: AWH) is evolving and accelerating risk detection solutions for this lethal disease using multi-marker proteins and state-of-the-art genetics panels. The company’s core mission is to transform women's health, globally, starting with ovarian cancer. We aim to ensure that women of all ages, stages and ethnicities have the best solutions available to assess their personalized risk of cancer at the earliest stage when it matters most. Our end goal is to serve a large global pelvic mass population and overall women’s health sector with a platform coupled with proprietary science and data tools which will drive better health and wellbeing for each patient we serve. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaBYDFxQg0 “We are focused on accelerating our research and delivering these potential lifesaving tools to women. We offer FDA-cleared, ACOG guideline-endorsed protein solutions coupled with comprehensive genetic testing panels for all known hereditary gynecological cancer risk. Each product serves to increase a woman’s awareness of her risk and to provide more opportunities for early detection," stated Valerie Palmieri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspira. "Also beyond ovarian cancer, we are beginning to tackle other gynecological diseases with risk management and early detection solutions. Many gynecological diseases are connected from a proteomic and genetic perspective, and we are leading the charge. Ovarian cancer is the only gender specific cancer with a greater than 50% mortality rate³. Aspira offers testing to assess genetic risk, which can change care and surveillance for high-risk women. In patients with pelvic masses, OVA1plus has been shown to be able to detect ovarian cancer at its earliest stages, where survival rate for Stage 1 and 2 ovarian cancer is 70-90%³. “OVA1plus is my go-to test as soon as I see an ovarian mass, especially since everyone is so scared of cancers and missing cancers. It just gives you a lot of confidence in diagnosis and treatment of patients,” says Kathy Anderson, MD an obstetrician-gynecologist in Costa Mesa, California. In addition to early detection of ovarian cancer, Aspira works to lessen the disparity in ovarian cancer detection that exists among different ethnicities. It has been documented that Black women have a lower expression of [the CA-125 protein], which means that using CA-125 for risk assessment will disadvantage these women⁴. OVA1plus improves the detection of the risk of ovarian cancer in Black women because of its superior sensitivity and its multi-biomarker algorithm which measures changes in nutrition and inflammation which are not ethnicity specific. In summary, Aspira provides peace of mind to both physicians and patients by increasing the ability to detect ovarian cancer at its earliest stages or, conversely, providing high negative predictive value, as most pelvic masses are benign. We are dedicated to supporting women of all ages and ethnicities, and at all stages of ovarian cancer, as we strive to detect ovarian cancer risk as early as possible. We “Aspire” women to take control of their gynecologic health and “Empower” providers to deliver optimal care. Media Contact: Jaime Abrusci RX Medical Dynamics Tel 646-599-8606 jabrusci@rxmedyn.com References “Ovarian Cancer Statistics.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 June 2020, www.cdc.gov/cancer/ovarian/statistics/index.htm . Tanne, Janice Hopkins. “US Cancer Groups Highlight Symptoms of Early Ovarian Cancer.” BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) , BMJ Publishing Group Ltd., 23 June 2007, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1895679/ . “Cancer of the Ovary - Cancer Stat Facts.” SEER, seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/ovary.html Dunton, Charles, et al. “Ethnic Disparity in Clinical Performance between Multivariate Index Assay and CA125 in Detection of Ovarian Malignancy.” Future Oncology , 9 Aug. 2019, www.futuremedicine.com/doi/10.2217/fon-2019-0310 . About Aspira Women’s Health Inc. Aspira Women’s Health Inc. (formerly known as Vermillion, Inc. Nasdaq: VRML) has transformed women’s health with the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative testing options and bio-analytical solutions that help physicians assess risk, optimize patient management and improve gynecologic health outcomes for women. OVA1®plus combines our FDA-cleared products OVA1® and OVERA® to detect the risk of ovarian malignancy in women with adnexal masses. ASPiRA GenetiXSM testing offers both targeted and a more comprehensive genetic testing options with a gynecologic focus. Our focus is on delivering products that allow healthcare providers to stratify risk, facilitate early detection, and optimize treatment. Visit our website for more information about our products at www.aspirawh.com. Contact Details Emily Granger +1 508-341-9331 egranger@aspirawh.com Company Website https://aspirawh.com/

September 28, 2020 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

US companies spending billions each month to return staff back to work

Huma

Getting businesses back up and running and employees back to work is critical to the US economic recovery. However, there’s confusion between employers and anxiety for workers returning to work. Digital health and therapeutics company Huma asked 5,000 US employees and 2,000 US employers about their views on returning to work. Only one in five businesses feel suitably informed on the specific policies/procedures they need to ensure a safe working environment for their employees. Yet employers are spending loads of money to reopen workplaces safely. Employers estimate that they will spend $3.4 billion per month overall, and $61.23 per employee each month to ensure employee health and safety. Nearly 9 in 10 employers (86%) have instituted new hygiene protocols, updated workplace layouts, and have a smaller workforce. While employers are readying the workplace, they have not planned for managing COVID-19 cases. Few employers have made accommodations for managing COVID-19 exposure. Only one-fifth of employers have updated sick leave policies (22%) or communications policies for exposure (19%). Economic realities are scaring employees more than health and safety risks Shockingly, two-thirds of employees believe their health and safety could be compromised in the workplace. Despite these fears, most employees are eager to get back to work, with over half of workers (52%) ready to get back to work today. Of those employees who have already returned to their workplace, only one in four (27%) employees are confident in the measures in place to ensure their safety and wellbeing. What’s driving employees’ concerns are interactions with other people, with respondents citing their co-workers’ hygiene (17%) and commuters (25%) as two of the three factors they were worried about, along with the workplace environment (21%). What causes the greatest fear for nearly three-quarters (72%) of employees is their coworker’s hygiene, which they rank as the single most significant factor in COVID-19 transmission at the workplace. Managing employee health for a safe workplace Employers have invested in the physical workplace, but have not put systems in place to manage employee health and COVID-19 case communications to ensure safer workplaces. Overwhelmingly, two-thirds (67%) of employees would be willing to do a daily symptom check-in with their employers, and the majority (75%) would be comfortable with employers tracking their symptoms. Moreover, nine in ten businesses (87%) are comfortable monitoring their employees' symptoms. This research shows that there’s a willingness on both sides to manage employee health, yet few are doing so. Dan Vahdat, founder and CEO of Huma, commented : “What this research identifies are the concerns of employers and employees in managing health and safety at the workplace during the COVID-19 era. Employers are spending millions to create a safe work environment, but not on solutions to manage employee health.” “Employers need new solutions and guidance on how to manage their health and wellbeing of their employees and provide assurance that they are prepared for COVID-19. Without new solutions to help manage workplace safety, businesses and the economy are going to take longer to recover.” Digital health and therapeutics company Huma is helping businesses and employees return to work safely. Huma Health Shield gives employees an easy-to-use mobile app to confidentially self-report their symptoms, track vital signs, and see their exposure risk. Employers have access to a secure web-based portal to see their workforce’s overall health while still protecting employee privacy. Ends Notes the editor Research findings based on a survey of 5,000 US employees and 2,000 US companies conducted in September 2020. About Huma Huma partners with scientists, technologists, and healthcare professionals to understand, treat, and ultimately prevent ill health. Giving knowledge and power to those with medical conditions, while saving clinicians time, energy, and valuable resources. Because, by collectively benefiting from the data we individually generate, we can all live our longest, fullest lives. www.huma.com Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 bilal.mahmood@huma.com Company Website https://huma.com/

September 16, 2020 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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SullivanCotter Launches New Physician Needs Assessment Application to Support Critical Staffing and Service Line Requirements

SullivanCotter

SullivanCotter, the nation’s leading independent consulting firm in the assessment and development of rewards programs and workforce solutions for the health care industry and not-for-profit sector, announces the launch of its new Physician Needs Assessment (PNA). SullivanCotter’s PNA is an interactive, cloud-based application that delivers actionable, data-driven insight into physician supply and demand to help organizations identify, monitor and respond to changing service line needs and physician workforce staffing requirements. By leveraging real-time market intelligence, custom analyses and tailored forecasting scenarios, this innovative new PNA application enables organizations to dynamically address emerging market trends, changing population demographics and evolving physician practice patterns. Using proprietary benchmark data from over 1,500 organizations and 400,000 physicians, SullivanCotter’s advanced methodology analyzes more than 1 billion unique claims annually to accurately calculate the physician surplus or deficit within a specific area by determining supply, forecasting wRVU utilization and adjusting to various market-specific demographics – including geography, economic factors, age/gender, payment types and managed care – to calculate subsequent demand projections. “In today’s increasingly uncertain marketplace, health care organizations remain acutely focused on recovery and what lies ahead in a post-COVID-19 operating environment. As hospitals and health systems look for better ways to support financial sustainability, assess clinical optimization opportunities, drive performance, and manage physician resources and service line needs, organizations must determine the right amount and type of physician specialties to operate effectively in the markets they serve ,” said Ted Chien, President and Chief Executive Officer, SullivanCotter. Additional features and functionality include: A rigorously researched, call-verified and editable physician and APP supply roster based on multiple data sources that includes tracking of employment and affiliations Interactive mapping tool with the ability to select specific zip codes for strategic consideration and to account for any shifts in demographic mix Predictive modeling to assess the impact of virtual care, urgent care, retail health and more Advanced Practice Provider calculator to measure the impact of this workforce across specialties and their corresponding effect on physician supply and demand Comprehensive, customizable reports with 5-year rolling projections and automatic annual updates to demand defined by demographic and geographic data Archived reports providing strategic service area information and annual Stark compliance insights for measuring community need and assessing fair market value and commercial reasonableness considerations Designed with the unique needs of leadership, physician and administrative stakeholders in mind, SullivanCotter’s PNA combines data-driven technology, industry-leading benchmark data and years of physician workforce consulting experience to provide organizations with the information and insights they need to inform key service line, practice and payer strategies in an evolving health care environment. To learn more, request a demo, or view a full list of features and functionality, visit sullivancotter.com/PNA or call 888.739.7039. About SullivanCotter SullivanCotter partners with health care and other not-for-profit organizations to understand what drives performance and improve outcomes through the development and implementation of integrated workforce strategies. Using our time-tested methodologies and industry-leading research and information, we provide data-driven insights and expertise to help organizations align business strategy and performance objectives – enabling our clients to deliver on their mission, vision and values. Contact Details Becky Lorentz +1 314-414-3719 beckylorentz@sullivancotter.com Company Website https://sullivancotter.com/

September 15, 2020 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

How to Break Through in Telehealth with Marketing and PR

Merritt Group

Contact Details Katie Pesek +1 703-390-1505 pesek@merrittgrp.com Company Website https://www.merrittgrp.com/

September 15, 2020 10:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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5 Tips to Turn Your CEO into a Telehealth Thought Leader

Merritt Group

Sporadic tweets, the occasional blog post, or distributing a one-off press release and believing that, “if you write it, they will come,” simply does not work when it comes to establishing industry thought leadership. For a company to be seen as an innovator in telehealth, it’s vital that you have a holistic strategy for positioning your CEO (or other execs) in the public eye. But building credibility and clout is not as easy as just “being there.” He or she must demonstrate a willingness to take a stand on critical (and sometimes controversial) telehealth issues and be a sentinel for where telehealth delivery is headed. Here are five tips for helping your company stand out in the crowded market by positioning your CEO as a true thought leader. Define Your Thought Leader’s Brand CEOs (and their personalities) come in all shapes and sizes. Before doing anything else, the CEO and communications team must work together to understand and define the executive’s brand and tone of voice. Research shows that 90 percent of consumers view authenticity as an important factor when choosing brands to support. Your CEO’s personal brand should be true to their own personality, strengths and vision—both personally and professionally. At Merritt Group, we do custom persona building to help build an executive’s persona, as well as the channels that will be most effective to communicate with audiences through. For example, is the CEO a medical provider? An academic? A technical innovator? What are they passionate about? What is their vision? Are they casual or formal? Pragmatic or idealistic? The answers to these questions determine the topics, channels and opportunities most appropriate to deliver the thought leadership platform and your CEO’s message. Have a Compelling and Consistent Point of View Nobody wants to hear more of the same. Help your CEO flip norms on their head, take a counter-intuitive approach and be edgy . Audiences want a fresh take, so position your CEO as the leading authority to listen to. To develop a unique voice and point of view (POV), use tools such as BuzzSumo and Google Trends to search for trending topics and identify ones that are most important to your target audiences — such as providers, medical professionals and insurers. From there, develop a solid message platform (value proposition, elevator pitch, positioning statements, proof points, etc.) to determine how those topics are discussed externally—from industry or customer challenges to competitive differentiators—and the unique perspective the CEO adds to the discussion. Where possible, infuse new data and research into your messaging to back your POV to add something new to the conversation and lend credibility. Update and refine the CEO platform as needed, but the key messages should always be clear and consistent with supporting talking points or soundbites to match. Whether it’s a virtual webinar, an op-ed, a media interview or LinkedIn post, any public remarks from the CEO should reflect the central message of his or her key POV. CEO thought leadership is most effective when it’s consistent across all channels. Master the Art of the Soundbite Thought leadership isn’t just about what you say, it’s also about how you say it. With the CEO’s personal brand, tone of voice and unique perspective defined, it’s time to focus on their delivery. As much as your CEO wants to pontificate on their favorite topics, media train your CEO to talk in short, punchy phrases that have a greater likelihood of being picked up by media—and understood by customers. Work out those quotes in advance alongside your messaging platform and put your executives in the “hot seat” to practice. Conducting mock interviews can help refine their delivery skills, but also get executives comfortable with key message points so delivery is more natural and powerful. Keep practicing the key messages and soundbites until it becomes second nature. Drive Home Thought Leadership via Earned, Paid and Owned Channels Your perfect soundbites mean nothing if no one can hear or see them. Whether your buyer is reading an online article, listening to a podcast or watching a publication video, your CEO/execs need to be front and center. Develop PR platforms for your executives around key telehealth issues and trends and bring those to market in leading healthcare publications your buyers are reading, such as Healthcare Innovation , Modern Healthcare and others. Focus your thought leadership campaign on multiple strategies, including proactive media pitches, bylines, rapid response, paid content, (virtual) events and social media platforms. For example: Leverage breaking news stories, data and timely hooks to connect to develop media pitches, op-eds and bylines that showcase your CEO’s fresh perspective. Use your company’s owned channels to create thought leadership-driven assets like blog posts, LinkedIn content and videos that use the CEO’s platform to deliver the company’s vision and approach to the market. Have your CEO meet your prospects and peers where they are online, from landing a keynote at now virtual conferences like ATA2020 and HIMSS21 to hosting an intimate remote roundtable discussion with press and/or analysts on the latest telehealth trends. Use paid promotion via social, SEM and programmatic media buying as a complementary tool to amplify the CEO content you create. Stay Engaged A proper thought leadership campaign takes time and effort—building credibility and visibility doesn’t happen overnight. To achieve the ultimate goal of reporters coming to your CEO for comment and perspective (versus you pitching them ), you’ll need to keep your foot on the gas. This includes reading news headlines and social media feeds to proactively develop commentary that showcases the CEO’s perspective on important issues through some of the tactics above. Above all else, make sure you’re regularly checking in with your CEO and adjusting your efforts as the business evolves. Your campaign will lack authenticity if it doesn’t reflect their current thinking, and key audiences can tell when thought leaders are truly knowledgeable and passionate about a topic (or not). Want more information developing a thought leadership strategy for your CEO? Download our Telehealth Marketing & PR Guide or contact Alisa Valudes Whyte to discuss more. Contact Details Katie Pesek +1 703-390-1505 pesek@merrittgrp.com Company Website https://www.merrittgrp.com/

September 15, 2020 10:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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