Monthly Archives: January 2010

Mapping Science

Posted on January 29, 2010 by | Leave a comment

“Mapping genetic interactions is old hat, but now scientists are mapping science itself, and looked to see how it’s been changing.” This according to Jef Akst with in a Jan. 28 posting on TheScientist.com. In a report published online in PloS ONE, scientists at Umeå University in Sweden and the University of Washington have developed a mathematical model to track more than biodivergence: they have assessed how life science has changed in terms of divisions using citation information. Over ten years, with 35 million citations and 7000 scientific journals, they discovered that neuroscience had emerged from interdisciplinary study to become an autonomous field in itself: a conclusion is based on scientific literature as the guideline for defining trends and fields.

PLoS ONE: Major Shifts in Science

Science is still a field where “the journal publication” is still the basic currency of success.  In this study, the flow of information, particularly in written form, between researchers and their readership is quantified by journal clusters (i.e. how a journal defines its primary focus).  This serves as a reminder that science and writing are mutually determinative.  Not only must one understand the thoughts behind the science, but clear expression is important for announcing discovery, and in this case, defining fields of research.  Even basic scientific writing for the mainstream requires the analytic background to explain the most complex of processes with clarity.

Effective healthcare communications essentially blends a deep understanding of science  and medicine with the well written word.

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Facebook Is Still Not Face to Face

Posted on January 27, 2010 by | Leave a comment

There are 350 million active users of Facebook today.  Considering the emergence of e-mail as the primary mode of business communication, it would appear that this generation favors the time and cost savings of e-relationships.  Not surprising.  We can find old colleagues on Facebook, perhaps to the benefit of our business, or we can carry out negotiations by e-mail with an investor in Hong Kong.  With video-conferencing on the rise, there is certainly something to be said for an eleven o’clock team meeting with the London office via Skype, and a client lunch in Chicago at noon. But as we begin to rely on the fast-pace and efficiency of e-mail, Facebook and video-chats, we must remember the limitations: much can be lost in e-translation.

In the Jan. 26 article, “E-Mail Saves Time, but Being There Says More,” in The New York Times, Joe Sharkey speaks with Don G. Lents, the chairman of Bryan Cave, an international law firm.  Lents undoubtedly believes in the benefits of electronic interaction.  However, he is quick to remind us that difficult conversations are best handled face to face.  E-mail is often insufficient to convey the nuances of body language or attitude when dealing with more sensitive discussions, and as a result deals and relationships can be compromised.  Conversely, meetings in person serve to strengthen friendships and to establish trust.

Healthcare public and investor relations are predicated on strong relationships. We at Russo Partners believe in relationships cultivated and maintained in person, and encourage our clients to do the same.

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Healthcare’s New Information Technology

Posted on January 22, 2010 by | Leave a comment

There is no doubt that the healthcare industry is one of today’s most technologically advanced sectors.  And yet surprisingly, it is also one of the most inefficient when it comes to information technology (IT), leading to billions of dollars in wasteful spending annually.  David Cutler, a professor of applied economics at Harvard University, and an expert in the economics of healthcare, estimates that of the $2.5 trillion spent on healthcare this past year, around $800 billion was wasted spending.  Of that $800 billion wasted, between $20 and $100 billion are likely the result of preventable errors, many derived from IT inefficiency.

In a video interview from Dec. 31, 2009 with James Surowiecki of The New Yorker, Cutler discusses the Senate’s health care reform bill and the $30 billion stimulus designating for improving healthcare IT.  He argues that the healthcare industry must not only invest in new IT, but more significantly, it must commit to using it.  Value will not only be derived from the elimination of errors, but from the integration of high priority information into the daily work flow.   Business will run more smoothly, money will be saved, and patients will get better care.

Information can only work for you when it gets to the right people at the right time, in medicine and in communications.  At Russo Partners, we are at the forefront of communication technology, assuring our clients prompt delivery and specific targeting of high priority information.  Healthcare PR must grow with the healthcare industry, and we at Russo Partners strive to keep our clients in sync with everything communication innovation has to offer.

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Crisis Communication

Posted on January 20, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Spearheading communications for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the first few weeks of the swine flu pandemic was Richard Besser, the acting director of the CDC and now an ABC News health reporter.  Besser is considered by experts to have handled the swine flu crisis communication skillfully and effectively, and in a recent article in the Jan. 14 issue of Nature, Brendan Maher’s, “Swine flu: Crisis communicator,” details Besser’s communication strategy and how it played out in the early days of our most recent global pandemic.

In the early days of the swine flu little was known about the virus, but the data that was available to the CDC indicated that a serious pandemic outbreak was a fearful possibility.  Without much solid information to offer the public, Besser knew that this emerging crisis would require rapid and “candid communication to engender trust, not panic.”  To this end he took advantage of three principles from a CDC pamphlet on crisis and emergency risk communication, ‘Be First, Be Right, and Be Credible”:

Be first. Though being first is a challenge when facing a global audience with limited information, Besser believed that early communication was necessary to confront the imminent threat of a widespread outbreak.  To gain the public’s trust, as the chief communicator for the CDC, he adhered to the following principles: “tell everything we knew, everything we didn’t know and what we were doing to get the answers.”

Be right. At the time, Besser admitted that the CDC’s handling of the swine flu outbreak would be more like a marathon than a sprint.  Only correct and supported information would be communicated as it was available to avoid any rash decision making based on faulty assumptions.

Be credible. Experts credit Besser’s calm, consistent, and up-front messages with enhancing his credibility.  A conservative and honest approach to communication strategy helped to eliminate the chances of missteps that would compromise the public’s confidence.

Crisis communication is a part of any media relations plan at Russo Partners, and we are committed to straightforward and clear messaging, even in moments of unforeseen circumstances.  We build messages that are consistent, and consistency builds trust.  Trust is important to any company’s strong public profile.

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Multimedia content in news releases

Posted on January 15, 2010 by | Leave a comment

An article in the January issue of PRWeek  discusses the type of multimedia content that will broaden the appeal of press releases.  A team of experts expressed their views on the importance and effects on adding multimedia to effectively communicate a story.

 Multimedia content such as photographs, graphics, video or audio clips, and links may draw greater attention to a story and facilitate in amplifying its appeal.  Journalists, as well as the general investment community are increasingly becoming more interested and in actuality expect more personable and visual content in a news release.  Multimedia tools facilitate this need and expand a story’s online presence while creating a deeper impression of the news.  There may also be an economic benefit in using multimedia tools as less words may be necessary in telling a story and therefore cutting down costs when distributing the news release.

 At Russo Partners we understand this need and recommend the use of multimedia tools in several cases to expand the outreach of our clients’ news and meet expectations.

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Taking the internet to heart

Posted on January 13, 2010 by | Leave a comment

A perspectives column in the Jan. 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine by Shaili Jain, M.D., described her experience when she ventured onto Web sites that rated physicians.  She was curious how patients reviewed her on a number of physician rating Web sites. 

One sensed some frustration when she first described sites that posted only scores (1=bad and 5=good).  She did not know the basis of her 2.5 score nor could she offer any rebuttal.  On the other hand, she discovered stories by patients describing the care provided by their physicians.  She read stories by patients treated by a number of physicians, many that she knew, and found a general pattern of what constituted a good doctor from a patient perspective.  Rather than ignore the sites because of the simplicity and misleading conclusions from some sites she took to heart the core messages of what patients looked for in a physician.

The internet is here to stay and whether through chat rooms, message boards or bloggers, there will be comments, both good and bad, correct or misleading, about your company.  Many messages, even critical ones, could be of value as you improve communications programs.  Like Dr. Jain, one can use internet communications as a weather vane to gauge the sentiment of your audiences and improve your communications with them.

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