April 16, 2021
Interoperability has been a priority and pain point in the healthcare IT space for years, but when ONC started enforcing the long-awaited information-blocking rule in early April 2021, it became mission critical for the industry – and for Aria client Life Image.
Life Image has been working towards helping the healthcare industry achieve true interoperability for the past 15 years, with a digital platform that streamlines the rapid exchange of medical images and related data. Now the largest global medical evidence network specializing in the sharing of imaging data and related clinical information, Life Image solutions are used by 90% of the top hospitals in the U.S.
After ONC first unveiled the Final Rule of the 2016 Cures Act in March 2020, Life Image hit the ground running to start educating its customer base and the broader industry about the rule. As Life Image continued this mission over the next year, it found many organizations were either confused about, or woefully unprepared for, the rule. By Q1 2021, Life Image still saw the same issues, even though enforcement was slated to begin on April 5.
When Life Image brought this issue to us, the Aria team strategized a public relations campaign that would establish Life Image as the go-to expert on the info-blocking rule as well as educate the industry about the pivotal nature of the mandate and how to prepare. We worked with Life Image to develop an interoperability readiness survey, and then crafted a press release highlighting the survey results and underscoring how critical interoperability is for advancing patient care and healthcare innovation.
From a PR perspective, the campaign was a big success and serves as a useful case study. We secured a very healthy number of press release hits as well as received several comment and interview requests from high-value healthcare trade media wanting to do a deeper dive into the rule, and noting how important this expertise is for their readers.
Some coverage highlights from the campaign include:
- Healthcare Innovation, “What’s Information Blocking? Survey Reveals Lack of Awareness Around New Rule”
- AuntMinnie, “Life Image: Most healthcare orgs fail to comply with new rule”
- Healthcare IT News, “Confusion remains about ONC information blocking rules, even after start date”
- Inside Health Policy, “Providers Want More Guidance on ONC Information Blocking Rules”
- Imaging Technology News, ““Survey Shows Widespread Lack of Awareness and Readiness to Comply with Federal Mandate by April 5, 2021 Enforcement Date”
If you want to make some PR magic like this happen, shoot me a note at aowen@armarketing.com and let’s talk about how Aria can support your PR and marketing goals. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
