2009 February | Tell Hetrick

Archive for February, 2009

Clients in the news 2.27.09

Published

on February 27, 2009

. 0 Comments

BSA LifeStructures
Clarian West brings life maternity floor
Hendricks County Flyer
BSA LifeStructures and Maregatti Interiors create a “healing sanctuary” at one of Indiana’s newest hospitals

Cook Medical
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) A Lady Killer?
Medical News Today
Cook Medical provides a solution to one of the body’s silent killers

Atlas Van Lines
People move away from manufacturing-dependent states
The Columbian
Atlas Van Lines’ Migration Study shows people moving out of states that rely heavily on manufacturing

Planned Parenthood of Indiana
Wrap your Shafer: it’s safer
Ball State Daily News
Planned Parenthood partners with Ball State Health Center

Sittin’ on the dock of the bay, watchin’ the tide roll away

Published

Bruce Hetrick

on February 25, 2009

in Communications, Economics, Healthcare and Media

. 6 Comments

True story. One morning on vacation last week, my wife and I were watching the “Today” show on TV. In one segment, a commentator was standing on the floor of a commodities exchange, traders all around him. He bellowed in apparent outrage about the new federal mortgage-relief program. He said, in essence, that this is America, and in America we shouldn’t help those who’ve gotten in over their heads and found themselves foreclosed.

(I wondered whether, in his America, we also shouldn’t help those who’ve found themselves without food, health care or jobs—but that’s another blog post for another day.)

After breakfast, we drove our old rental car across the island on a back road. We passed fancy vacation villas, a small beachfront park, an aging elementary school, lots of run-down cinder-block houses and a shack that served as a tavern.

At the eastern end of the road, we saw an old boat perched on a rusting trailer. There were holes in the boat’s hull. The paint was peeling. There was no sign of a motor or sails.

On the aft port side, in a fading scrolling script, the name of the boat was still visible. Its moniker:

Corporate Greed.

Does that float your boat?

Weekly Insider 2.23.09

Published

Hetrick

on February 23, 2009

in Communications and Weekly Insider

. 0 Comments

“Rightsizing” the Jonas Bros.?
You know times are tough when teen pop idols risk getting the axe. Check out this funny “column” on Disney’s plans to streamline expenses by laying off the least-cute Jonas Brother.

Marketers leverage docs’ referring power
While direct-to-patient marketing efforts are important for healthcare organizations, the fact is that most people go where their doctors tell them to go. This article takes a look at how actively hospitals and other healthcare organizations are marketing to their true customers: physicians.

Stimulus bill allows government to compare medical treatments
Although the government currently regulates drugs and medical devices for safety and effectiveness, the economic stimulus bill includes $1.1 billion to allow federal regulators to comparison-shop. Regulators can study competing procedures, drugs or devices to determine which is the better and more cost-effective alternative. Read more in this New York Times piece.

Selling out
This New York Times story highlights people who agreed to become human billboards by having ads tattooed on their bodies. One group of people agreed to display airline ads on the backs of their shaven heads in exchange for a round-trip ticket to New Zealand. Another had beauty product ads tattooed on their eyelids and agreed to wink at strangers on the street.