By Heather Schablik

Movement – it’s part of our daily life.  And according to a recent study in HealthDay News, there is new evidence to show that getting older adults to move – and keep moving – is a challenge, albeit one with extremely positive  benefits.

Incorporating exercise and proper nutrition into our daily lives is something we all aspire to do. But how many of us can say we succeed 100 percent of the time? Sure, every little bit helps and makes a difference. But this is about making a lifestyle change. Consciously choosing to do those little things each and every day – the stairs instead of the elevator, the far parking spot instead of the closer one, the apple instead of the bowl of ice cream – that make a huge difference.

As we gear up for the Tennessee Senior Olympics state finals this weekend, I couldn’t help but read the HealthDay article and gulp a little bit. Getting older adults to become – and stay – active is a challenge because in many cases, we aren’t embracing this habit at an early enough age. We don’t need to wait until age 70 to start walking more. This needs to be something we consciously do now, to build the framework for the future.

And if that isn’t motivation enough for you to get moving, join us in Williamson County this weekend as we cheer on some of the state’s top athletes while promoting BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s MVMT for Life campaign. We all believe small steps can make a huge difference – and I can assure you this audience of athletes 49 ½ and older will back us up on that.

By Aileen Katcher

Most of us in Nashville know it is not only Music City USA, but Health Care City USA too.  But it is not always known outside of the market.  When KVBPR joined the Worldcom Public Relations Group some years ago and became active in the Health Care Practice Group, many members from around the world seemed surprised that we had the health care expertise that we do.  I got the usual music industry questions – what stars do you work with?

The truth is, other than my musician son, the only celebrities with whom I have worked were as a result of my health care public relations work here.

Before we started KVBPR, I was marketing director of Nashville’s Baptist Hospital, then the hospital of choice of the music industry union’s health plan and thus, many of Nashville’s biggest stars.  They often helped us promote the hospital, my only professional connection to the music industry.

Now, thanks to the Nashville Health Care Council’s 2010 Economic Impact Study, we have hard data to back up the claim that Nashville is indeed Health Care City, USA.  According to the study, Nashville’s health care industry contributes nearly $30 billion and 210,000 jobs to the local economy, 56 health care company headquarters (more than 100 employees) that generate nearly 400,000 jobs and more than $62 billion in revenues worldwide.

Nashville is home to a diverse sector of leading health care companies not found anywhere else, including hospital management, health information technology, disease management and more.

More than 250 health care companies have operations in Nashville, an industry concentration that ranks us above 13 other similar cities including Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis and Louisville based on the number of health care companies, industry revenues and employment.

And, 300 professional service firms here, including KVBPR, provide expertise in the health care industry.

Health Care City USA:  Nashville Rocks!  KVBPR is proud to be a part of it.

Note:  The Nashville Health Care Council 2010 Economic Impact Study was conducted by Business and Economic Research Center  at the Jennings Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University.

By Holley Stein

My confession: It’s been 30 years since I last paid my respects to an ice cream truck.

I’ve heard the music, I’ve watched it drive by, I’ve seen euphoric kids swarm to it and I’ve been tempted. I’ve even pulled out the $1.25 or so needed to get an orange creamsicle only to put it back in my wallet. I wondered if treats from the ice cream truck are as good as I remember. Surely it has to be. Children still promise parents all sorts of things to get them.

I helped plant flowers in the front and side flower beds up in the country last weekend. The weather was hot and sticky and I was thoroughly out of my comfort zone. Picture Eva Gabor in Green Acres. While knee deep in soil and all that comes with it, I heard the ice cream truck coming up the street. I ran inside, grabbed my $1.25 and bought an orange creamsicle.

Was it as good as I remembered? It was awful. I gave my dogs a bite of the ice cream off my fingers and threw it in the sink.

I don’t think the treat has changed. My tastes and what appeals to me, has.

The same is true for healthcare. Consumers are more educated. They’ve read the media and websites and as a result, their tastes are more defined. The promise of reform and technological advancements is changing expectations and the tastes of consumer audiences have most likely matured. Healthcare companies should not wait a decade to review how it communicates its plan to address issues and opportunities to internal and external audiences.

Here are tips to ensure your communication is still relevant and doesn’t come off artificial and sticky:

• Conduct employee surveys. Do your employees know how changes in healthcare reform affect your company and its services? Design an internal communications strategy to help keep them engaged and informed.
• Have your internal R&D team or an outside company conduct focus group research on your external audience. What is your marketing and communication telling them? What do they want to hear?
• Research what customer bloggers are saying about your company and its competition. If they are saying a lot, create a social media strategy to make sure you are communicating with them directly.
• Review company key messages to address what you’ve learned and update your communication and marketing material

By Aileen Katcher, APR

A Google search of “how will health reform affect me” garnered millions of results.  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Health Tracking Poll, more than half (55 percent) of Americans say they are confused about the new health care law and 56 percent say they don’t yet have enough information to understand how it will affect them personally.  If you are an employer that means more than half of your employees are in need of information and clarification.

It’s a classic case of the WAM (what about me) factor.   While there are still many unknowns, now is the time to begin internal communications about what you do know about the law and how it may affect employees’ health benefits options, so they don’t have to peruse those one million sites looking for answers.

But first, educate yourself and key managers.  There are many resources available.  Our benefits broker, First Horizon Insurance recently conducted a webinar for key managers.  Several law firms also have great resources. Bass Berry & Sims regularly updates its reform website.  Your insurance carrier may have a Web source, i.e., BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has a section on its site dedicated to reform news.

Then, review your current internal communications program to determine the best way to integrate information about how the law will affect your benefits offerings as it is implemented over the next several years.   Here are some steps to consider:

• Develop a list of Frequently Asked Questions with corresponding answers.  Some answers may be “we don’t know yet.”  Where possible, include a time frame of when the specific rule is set to be issued.  Post it on your intranet or internal network where employees can access it.  Update it as needed.
• Schedule employee meetings to provide information on a periodic basis.
• Send employees emails as new information and rules are determined that will affect them.
• If you have an internal company blog, include information about health reform’s impact on employee benefits.
• Include information in your employee newsletter.  Create a special section or column for reform updates.

Want more ideas?  Contact KVBPR.  We’d be happy to help you develop and implement a plan.

By Nancy DeKalb

Jargon is a communication killer.  You can’t have open and honest communication with your audience if they don’t know what you’re saying.

While I’m not going to argue for or against health care reform, the debate surrounding it is a good example of the overuse of jargon and unnecessary phrases.  A quick search on the Internet turns up hundreds of articles and Web sites offering translations.

Every industry uses jargon. Health care. Insurance. Technology. Yes, even public relations. But, if the response to what you say or write is “huh” or “so what are you saying?” you’re not really communicating.  Step back and ask, what are we really trying to say here?

Here are a few examples of confusing and unintelligible language:

“a mechanism to obtain greater process”  (huh?)

“customers are saying they need more than your usual operational business intelligence and dashboard reporting capabilities…” (really?)

“The robust, out-of-the-box, short-term content factor can be summed up in one word.” (then use that word)

What are some of your favorite examples of communication killers?

by Aileen Katcher, APR

I am conducting focus groups with baby boomers for FiftyForward to get input on programming and service offerings for that demographic (ages 50-65).  When talking with one group about how to best communicate, Facebook was mentioned.  A 64 year old retired technology business owner said Facebook will be gone in the next two years.

The others agreed.  I was surprised as baby boomers and seniors are the fastest growing segment on Facebook.  So, I decided to see what my friends and followers thought.  I posted the following on my Facebook and Twitter accounts:  

“Conducted a focus group with baby boomers today. One said Facebook is dying and won’t be around in a couple of years. What do you think?   

Now, granted, this is not a scientific sampling, but I got some interesting responses.  While two tweets simply responded “loco,” I received some interesting predictions, all from Baby Boomers (what can I say – they’re my friends and followers).  Here are some of the comments: 

Roy:   I think they said the same for Google at some point… depends on if they evolve Facebook like Google has… with other media streams for example 

Brady:  FB has reached critical mass, and cannot die easily. In two years it will be bigger. By then, even Dan will use it more.  Have you played a CD this week? That technology is 30 yrs old… I know my 32 yr old has NO CDs, in a world of iPod and mp3  BUT! YOU still buy CDs. And you will still be doing Facebook in two years    (Note – Dan is my husband, a reluctant Facebook member.)

Sally:  MySpace fell out of favor with the older, more settled market because of who it attracted Boomers don’t jump ship as easily. It think they’ll stay with Facebook if FB stays relevant (and responsive) to them.

Peg:  Relevance is a key. The recent change in format where I see all the stuff I could skip before by going to status updates has decreased my interest and use. 

Lynn:  Given the pace of change in technology, I think social networking will enter another “generation” by then….not sure what it (Facebook or the replacement) will look like, but the concept of connecting with others may be the only similarity. 

Kay:  Another generation in tech will come along, using the mistakes of FB and others, to become easier and faster. I too have lost interest. 

Stephanie:  I think facebook will be more of a tool for the baby boomers than the younger generation. They will eventually move on to a new hip website. 

So, what do you think?  Will Facebook be around in 2012?

By Aileen Katcher, APR

My mother recently asked me if what is going on with health care reform would affect my business. While my first thought was “Wow – after all these years, Mom actually gets what I do,” my response to her was, “I’m sure it will, but at this point, I don’t know how.”

I feel certain the focus by businesses, insurance providers and medical providers on personal health accountability, prevention and wellness will continue to increase in importance both for its role in improving health status and controlling costs. As that grows, I am hopeful that businesses who are involved in the delivery of those services will seek the expertise of KVBPR to succeed in reaching their goals.

I am confident that the use of technology to monitor and predict outcomes, to manage health information and to streamline revenue streams and increase efficiency will also continue to grow. The challenge here is to find the best solutions from among the many and identify the options that can communicate efficiently and effectively with each other across many platforms. Again, KVBPR hopes to help those with the best solutions achieve success.

So, while I don’t have a crystal ball and cannot predict what Congress will do with reform this fall, I will predict that health care businesses in the accountability, wellness and technology field have the best prospects for growth, and that those who aren’t integrating those concepts into their business plans and operations need to take a look at how they can.

By the way, check out KVBPR’s new health care micro site, www.kvbprhealthcare.com, to learn more about our health care experience.