by admin | Jul 23, 2019 | News
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 23, 2019 Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and health IT public relations and marketing agency, has announced it has been selected as the public relations and media relations partner for HMS, a leading healthcare technology company that helps healthcare organizations reduce costs and improve health outcomes.
Amendola will utilize a broad range of integrated PR, media relations and content development services to drive greater industry awareness of HMS’ innovative technology, analytics and engagement solutions that save public and commercial payers, as well as employers and at-risk healthcare providers, billions of dollars annually while helping consumers lead healthier lives. Chiefly, Amendola will be driving brand awareness of the HMS’ population health management solutions through earned thought leadership content, media outreach campaigns, conference speaking opportunities, as well as strategic PR counsel and planning.
“We need a savvy and skilled partner to hit the ground running as we expand our fast-growing population health management suite as well as our industry leading coordination of benefits and payment integrity solutions,” said HMS Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Maria Perrin. “Amendola’s decades-long healthcare and health technology expertise and experience is impressive, but what excites us the most is the proven results they’ve delivered for clients across a wide range of trade, national and local media, as well as through social platforms. Amendola is a perfect partner to help us generate the type of awareness and growth we’re pursuing in the highly competitive healthcare market.”
“HMS is an established health tech leader with an impressive track record of saving billions of dollars for their customers, while helping to improve health outcomes for consumers,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications. “That’s why we are excited to partner with them as they expand their footprint in the growing population health management market segment with solutions that are both unique and drive real results.”
Founded in 1974, HMS is based in Irving, Texas, with more than 2,500 employees in 25-plus offices across the country. HMS’ customer base includes more than 40 state Medicaid programs and more than 325 health plans, including 23 of the top 25 health plans nationally based on membership. Customers also include more than 150 private employers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Veterans Affairs, pharmacy benefit managers and risk-bearing provider organizations, including independent practice associations, hospital systems, ACOs and specialty care organizations. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Holdings Corp., traded on NASDAQ (ticker: HMSY), and certified by HITRUST.
Amendola will promote HMS through numerous PR and content development programs, supported by Amendola’s top-tier industry and media relations. The agency will work with HMS to deliver to federal, state and commercial payers and risk-bearing provider organizations a broad range of targeted content, drawing on Amendola’s deep industry knowledge and diverse media relationships in healthcare, business and consumer media. Amendola also will be responsible for driving coverage of HMS’ leaders and highlighting how analytics can identify, stratify and guide members and patients toward healthier and adherent behaviors and away from adverse events, emergency department utilization and hospitalizations.
About HMS
HMS advances the healthcare system by helping healthcare organizations reduce costs and improve health outcomes. Through our industry-leading technology, analytics and engagement solutions, we save billions of dollars annually while helping consumers lead healthier lives. HMS provides a broad range of coordination of benefits, payment integrity, care management and consumer engagement solutions that help move the healthcare system forward.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
by admin | Jun 11, 2019 | News
Healthcare agency to elevate PR and marketing program for drug disposal company
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 11, 2019 Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and health IT public relations and marketing firm, announced today that DisposeRx, Inc., has hired the agency to provide strategic PR and marketing services, including media relations, content creation, marketing materials and social media.
DisposeRx, based in Sanford, NC, is committed to the eradication of leftover medications through its innovative, at-home technology. Through its proprietary blend of FDA-approved materials, DisposeRx provides an eco-friendly, site-of-use solution for the disposal of unused medications, meaning a drug can be safely, quickly and efficiently neutralized and disposed of wherever leftover drugs are kept, including the home medicine cabinet. The ability to bring the solution to the problem of leftover medications is especially important for opioids and other prescription drugs, which can lead to accidental poisonings especially in children and to drug diversion, abuse and death.
When water and the DisposeRx powder are added to medications in a pill bottle and shaken, the drugs dissolve and a gel is formed, rendering the medications unavailable and unusable; the contents can then be thrown away in the household trash, reducing diversion, exposure and harm. This is the only site-of-use disposal method that uses a government-approved prescription vial with a child-resistant closure to capture the drugs and is eco-friendly when discarded.
As John Holaday, PhD, chairman, founder and CEO of DisposeRx says: “Because the powder and water are added to the prescription vial itself, as the leftover pills dissolve, they become part of the gel solution.” Compared to current suggested disposal guidelines, DisposeRx’s packets are met with the highest level of customer satisfaction. DisposeRx is available with opioid prescriptions free-of-charge at leading pharmacies across the United States.
Dr. Holaday says he and DisposeRx leadership decided to work with the Amendola team because of their deep expertise and contacts in healthcare, as well as their understanding of the societal significance of DisposeRx as an extremely important disposal mechanism. “As a nation, we are all extremely concerned about the after-effects of prescriptions that are left in medicine cabinets and can be diverted, contributing to the opioid epidemic and other societal and public health problems,” Dr. Holaday said. “Our mission is to educate consumers about the need for proper leftover medication management, and Amendola is our strategic weapon in reaching decision-makers and influencers quickly, as well as helping us accelerate our continued growth. With our efforts and Amendola’s support, we can tackle the major issue of eco-friendly, at-home, site-of-use disposal, and shed light on the tragic consequences of drug diversion and the environmental consequences of improperly disposing of leftover medications.”
Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola, said that the agency is focusing on advancing DisposeRx’s important mission to educate stakeholders such as retail pharmacists, health plans, pharmacy benefit managers and healthcare providers about practical, convenient, cost-effective and safe medication disposal. “Increasing the adoption of DisposeRx packets can decrease the potential misuse of leftover drugs, including accidental poisonings, overdoses and death,” she said. “Our public relations and marketing programs will directly address the question, “What do I do with my unused medications to prevent misuse, while also protecting the environment?'”
Amendola is implementing a comprehensive media relations plan that will include aggressive media relations to showcase the results of DisposeRx’s innovation, partnerships and social responsibility and community involvement. A multi-pronged communications approach will include press releases and media engagement; bylined thought leadership articles; and speaking engagements and awards to position DisposeRx as subject matter experts and thought leaders. In addition, Amendola will manage multi-media, interactive marketing activities to fuel DisposeRx’s adoption and lead generation.
About DisposeRx Packets
DisposeRx packets contain a blend of proprietary solidifying materials that provide an at-home, site-of-use solution for the neutralization and eco-friendly disposal of unused medications. When water and DisposeRx powder are added to drugs in a prescription vial and shaken, the drugs are chemically and physically sequestered in a viscous polymer gel. DisposeRx is made of materials that are FDA approved for oral medications. For more information and to order DisposeRx packets, please visit our website at: https://disposerx.com/
About DisposeRx, Inc.
Located in North Carolina, DisposeRx, Inc. is a drug disposal company with a mission to eradicate the misuse of unused medications through innovative at-home, site-of-use technology. The company is spearheading programs to educate consumers and communities about at-home, site-of-use medication disposal solutions to prevent drug addiction and poisonings, overdoses and deaths. DisposeRx’s easy-to-use disposal solution empowers users to secure a healthier home by facilitating the efficient disposal of unwanted medications.
Media Contact:
Tara Stultz
Amendola Communications
440.225.9595
tstultz@acmarketing.com
by admin | May 8, 2019 | Blog
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the flowers and trees are blooming. It’s that time of the year when I think about Spring cleaning, especially living in Atlanta where everything inside and out is covered in pollen. As I was dusting my entire house last weekend trying to rid it of the fine yellow dust covering EVERYTHING (the struggle is real y’all); I started thinking about how to spring clean your PR strategy and what would benefit the most from a little extra attention.
Media Lists
The media landscape is constantly in transition. Journalists change positions, beats, contact information, etc. They might have altered their interest in specific topics. Throughout the year, we try to keep our press lists up-to-date, but spending some extra time going over your media list, updating the notes based on feedback from pitches and researching new media outlets can be a great use of time.
Messaging
This is a great opportunity to review your business’ messaging and assess if it needs updating. Perhaps you’ve announced new products in the last six months, or perhaps the industry has developed a new acronym for your niche, or maybe there is a new piece of healthcare legislation that is key to what your business does that should be mentioned in your messaging. Maybe you’ve learned more throughout the year about what your key audiences want to hear. Now is a great opportunity to take another look at your key messages to make sure they are conveying what you want them to and effectively reaching your target audiences.
PR Coverage
With a fresh look at your media lists and messaging, it would also be timely to review your coverage. Where have you received the most placements? Are any angles played out at this point? What outlets have you not gotten coverage in that you want to be in? What angles do you need to push harder? Are you actually reaching your target audiences with these outlets? A review of all of this will help you spring forward to make your coverage blossom even more.
Events
We PR people like to develop our annual plans generally at the beginning of each year. But so many details for events such as conferences and tradeshows are updated throughout the year. Determining which conferences you plan to attend, submit a speaker application to or want to include in your content strategy is a key component to any PR campaign. Take this time to update your events list with deadlines for speaking and any other promotional activities.
Review and Set New Goals
With a fresh perspective on where you’ve been and what you have to work with, it is also a great time to review the progress you’ve made in achieving your goals and updating them or maybe upgrading them. Utilize the S.M.A.R.T. goal format as a best practice.
Some of these recommendations take some ongoing maintenance but think of this time as a chance to really dust off what you are doing with your PR campaign and apply a fresh strategic approach to it. So, before you grab a vacuum, go grab a pen and review your PR strategy to help your business make the most of its PR activities.
by admin | May 7, 2019 | News
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 7, 2019 Amendola Communications, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and health IT public relations and marketing agency, has announced it has been selected as the outsourced marketing and PR partner for Air Methods, the leading air medical services provider that delivers lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year.
Amendola will elevate Air Methods’ position within the industry through a broad range of integrated PR, media relations, digital marketing, crisis planning, messaging and content development services. Through the engagement, Amendola will develop and execute a holistic plan that educates the healthcare and aviation markets on Air Methods’ offerings. The program also will showcase stories of how Air Methods saves lives by delivering high-quality “critical care in the air” and transport for trauma and emergency medical situations.
“We conducted an agency search and it was clear that Amendola would provide the strategic guidance and tactical execution we needed,” said JaeLynn Williams, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Air Methods. “Amendola is hands down the best integrated healthcare PR and marketing partner we could have imagined! They have executed beyond expectations and have quickly elevated our positioning among healthcare providers, insurers and most importantly, patients, demonstrating our vital role within the healthcare continuum.”
Williams added, “Amendola’s broad healthcare industry expertise, along with their strongly established media relationships, will ensure that all stakeholders have a clear view of how crucial air medical services are to millions of Americans, and how Air Methods leads our industry in care quality, safety and patient advocacy.”
Founded in 1980 with one helicopter and a single hospital contract, Air Methods has grown to the largest air medical service provider in the country, with more than 300 bases serving 48 states. Today, Air Methods is an essential healthcare service in rural areas where 85 million Americans are within an hour of critical care facilities only if transported by air.
Amendola will promote Air Methods through numerous PR and content development programs, supported by Amendola’s top-tier industry and media relations. The agency will work with Air Methods to enlighten providers, payers and patients about Air Methods’ critical care value proposition through a broad range of targeted content, drawing on Amendola’s deep industry knowledge and diverse media relationships in healthcare, business and consumer media. Amendola also will be responsible for delivering a range of content demonstrating the thought leadership and expertise of Air Methods leaders and highlighting examples of the many patient lives that have been saved thanks to its skilled and experienced air medical professionals.
“Air Methods’ story of lifesaving and innovative emergency medical care is inspiring,” said Jodi Amendola, CEO of Amendola Communications. “We value their trusted partnership and are excited to share their story as well as insight from Air Methods’ leaders with more providers, insurers and consumers across a spectrum of media outlets, social and digital platforms.”
About Air Methods
Air Methods (www.airmethods.com) is the leading air medical provider, delivering lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year. With nearly 40 years of air medical experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. United Rotorcraft is the Company’s products division specializing in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. Air Methods’ fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features more than 450 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
by admin | Apr 25, 2019 | News
Healthcare IT public relations agency Amendola Communications offers three ideas to help keep marketing and PR programs filled with energy and enthusiasm
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 24, 2019 As we near the end of spring, we’re reminded that vacation season is just around the corner. But while we firmly believe busy marketers and PR professionals deserve plenty of fun in the sun, we know that a good communications strategy never takes a day off.
That’s why Amendola, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare and technology public relations and marketing agency, offers three suggested posts from its blog to keep your PR programs fresh, vital and effective–even during the laziest days of summer.
Take a holistic approach to your content strategy
We’ve all heard that these days content is king. But all too often organizations focus more on delivering a high volume of content rather than whether that content will actually help them achieve their business objectives. The best results come when organizations build cohesive, holistic campaigns based on well-defined strategies instead of posting individual pieces on whatever happens to capture their interest that day. Read the full post here.
Make the most of your professional PR writer
Speaking of content, once the holistic strategy is in place, it’s time to start getting the organization’s subject matter experts together with the writer who will help them turn their expertise into PR gold. While it can be difficult for these experts (especially those at the executive level) to think about adding a call with a writer to their already busy schedules, the rewards are great if those calls are approached correctly. Here are five tips to assure everyone is happy with the process and the outcome.
Follow these tips for a terrific media interview every time
After doing a few successful media interviews it can be easy for busy executives to fall into the trap of feeling like they don’t need to do much to prepare anymore. But interview opportunities are like snowflakes. Each has its own unique characteristics that can throw even the most experienced veterans off-message if they’re not ready. This blog post explains some of the basics interviewees should do every time to optimize every media conversation and to make sure that they don’t inadvertently say something they don’t want to see in a media outlet.
Amendola’s blog covers all things public relations and marketing. A go-to source for communications professionals, the blog publishes on a weekly basis and features subject matter experts in every aspect of publicizing and marketing healthcare technology companies.
Media Contact:
Marcia Rhodes, Amendola Communications / mrhodes@acmarketingpr.com
