O'Dwyer's Newsletter - May 7, 2012 - Vol. 45 - No. 19 (download PDF version)

MEDICARE PLANS E-HEALTH RECORDS PUSH

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is planning a closed RFP among its pre-selected group of PR firms to create a campaign touting electronic health records and other forms of health information technology, as well as incentives for healthcare providers.

The PR effort is called for under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, part of the 2009 stimulus.

Five agencies are pre-qualified to pitch the fed entity’s assignments – Fleishman-Hillard, Ketchum, Ogilvy PR, Porter Novelli and Weber Shandwick – following a review last year.

Ketchum has handled multimillion-dollar PR efforts for the federal entity covering electronic health records. It currently has a pact running through August.

The campaign expected to be out for bids will be primarily aimed to educate healthcare providers eligible for incentives, with a secondary component targeting Medicare and Medicaid consumers about digital health records and how they lower costs and increase quality of care.

The federal agency, known as CMS, runs programs affecting 102M Americans and is being expanded and revamped under the Obama administration’s healthcare overhaul.

DOWLING HEADS EAST OPERATIONS FOR F-H

Robert Dowling, president of Weber Shandwick's New York operation, has shifted to Fleishman-Hillard to lead the eastern region – New York and Boston – as GM and senior partner in the Big Apple.

Dowling

F-H/America’s president Jack Modzelewski said the east is having an “outstanding year” so far.

He wants Dowling “to take us to the next level of reputation and successful performance.”

The firm has also promoted senior VP and senior partner Ron Guirguis as deputy GM for New York, where he leads the corporate and public affairs group.

Dowling exits Weber Shandwick after seven years, during which he led its Silicon Valley operation and North American tech practice, as well as New York.

He was previously an executive VP for Ruder Finn and VP for Peppercom and Progressive Strategies.