With healthcare costs increasing and ever-larger shares of state budgets being allocated to Medicaid, more states are looking to managed care as a solution. Managed care organizations (MCOs) are tasked with delivering quality health outcomes while absorbing risk and ensuring strong fiscal stewardship. A highly regulated and fiercely competitive Medicaid managed care market has emerged, with some of the largest companies in the world vying for market share.

In this environment, AmeriHealth Caritas has achieved phenomenal growth, expanding to serve nearly 5 million members across 12 states and the District of Columbia, operating under multiple government contracts. Most critically, the company has grown in size without losing its mission-driven commitment to caring for those most in need.

Through this period of growth and industry change, AmeriHealth Caritas has relied on Brian Communications as a trusted partner and strategic advisor.

From helping to rename the company and create its iconic tagline, “care is heart of our work” — instantly recognized by customers and now absorbed into the company’s ethos by associates — to developing compelling advertising and strategically targeted events, our ongoing collaboration extends beyond day-to-day communications.

Rooted in deep understanding and shared commitment to the AmeriHealth Caritas mission, Futuretense Health is helping the company to reach more people in more states — and expand its innovative focus on resilience and life outcomes.

Representing 34 independent and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that provide coverage to 114 million people — one in three Americans — the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) has an unmatched wealth of data on critical healthcare topics.

To reinforce and expand its position as a trusted thought leader and source of information, BCBSA looked to Brian Communications and the team behind Futuretense Health.

The agency helped facilitate a partnership with The Poynter Institute, a renowned leader in journalism education that trains more than 85,000 journalists each year from over 90 countries. Visibility-raising events in Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco delved into timely topics — including the opioid crisis — and brought BCBSA leaders together with journalists, policymakers, and celebrity activists.

Prompted by BCBSA’s startling report that millennials are far less healthy than the generation before them, we concepted and executed the first-ever Health of America Forum – Millennial Health: A Call to Action, attracting high-caliber speakers and 450+ attendees from across the country. All the while, behind the scenes, we leveraged our strong media relationships to introduce top BCBSA executives to leadership of major news organizations.

Through a strategic mix of substantive, issue-based touchpoints, the team behind Futuretense Health ultimately helped BCBSA positively engage leading national media — the Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the LA Times, Hearst, NPR, NBC Universal, and more – and secure speaking opportunities at top healthcare events such as HLTH, Fortune Brainstorm Health and Health Evolution Summit.

In 2013, 25 orthopaedic private practice groups representing 128 physicians across 50+ locations turned to Brian Communications to breathe life into an ambitious idea: to preserve private practice medicine by pioneering an innovative model focused on collaboration and embracing new technologies. Their goal? To enhance the patient experience, improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Today, that ambitious idea has become the second largest orthopaedic group in the country, and a highly respected national leader in clinical care.

Our agency was first tasked with developing the name, brand, digital identity, mission and ethos of what would become The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics (CAO). We audited each practice location, many of which had been trusted in their communities for decades, and evaluated every patient touchpoint to ensure the new brand would resonate. While preparing foundational communications materials and an aggressive go-to-market strategy, we also carefully considered internal culture and integration of the formerly distinct practice groups.

Through thoughtful messaging, media training for top clinical leaders, introductions to key regional and trade outlets, and internal communications across practices — e.g., a newly established intranet and company-wide newsletter, as well as in-person experiences designed to foster unity, culture, and pride — we brought the brand to market in a strong position.

Brian Communications has remained a trusted strategic communications partner for nearly 10 years, and the Futuretense Health team is continuing to work with CAO to shape the future of private practice medicine — for the better.

When COVID-19 emerged, Independence Blue Cross – the leading health insurer in southeastern Pennsylvania, and one of the five largest Blue plans – knew it could play a key role in driving education and awareness to help stop the spread.

As a longstanding strategic partner to Independence, our team jumped into action.

We worked around the clock to help various teams at Independence concept, design, and launch the “Beat COVID-19″ campaign within just 36 hours of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic. The comprehensive public service campaign – which is still active today – has featured local officials, health experts and influencers, blanketing the region in critical and timely messages through earned and paid media.

It was no accident that the region looked to Independence for leadership during this time of great need. A decade earlier, as the Affordable Care Act became law, Independence had resolved to revolutionize the way people think about health insurance. And we were proud to be a trusted partner. Over the years, our work has included rebranding and log development, media relations, executive visibility and thought leadership, event planning, social media support, content development, and more.

We have helped to secure placements in top-tier outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Morning Joe, among others, garnering billions of impressions. Independence executives have been named among the most influential leaders in healthcare, sought out for expertise, and recognized for community service and social impact.

This strategic communications partnership stretches back over a decade — with countless positive outcomes and a few COVID-related curveballs along the way — but its most exciting days are ahead.

When you are the largest employer in the region and one of the country’s preeminent healthcare institutions, effective communication is everything. That is especially true in times of crisis — like when the COVID-19 pandemic was disrupting life as we knew it.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine) looked to Brian Communications – now Futuretense Health — to help rapidly deploy informative and impactful communications across channels.

Internally, the health system wanted to provide substantive guidance and reinforce its world-renowned culture during a time of tremendous strain for frontline caregivers; externally, Penn Medicine was looked to as a trusted source of information on the pandemic — a global research anchor where the mRNA technology behind today’s vaccines was developed.

Recognizing that video messages could cut through clutter and connect more personally, the team collaborated to quickly execute compelling content — and help Penn Medicine remain a trusted beacon and sought-after employer in uncertain times.

With the support of our team, dozens of frontline workers from across Penn Medicine’s 130-mile network of locations sent video messages to their colleagues — part of a larger series that helped to express gratitude, offer encouragement, and inspire ongoing resilience. Other support included media relations, internal messages, and social media engagement.

When it matters most, Futuretense Health is a trusted strategic and creative partner, executing on today’s needs while envisioning tomorrow’s opportunities.

In 2014, Independence Blue Cross (Independence) and DaVita Health Care Partners recognized the promise of value-based care. As a result, they launched a physician-centric population health organization working with primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists to create a new paradigm of high quality, affordable healthcare. Its mission was to empower physicians through data, systems, clinical resources and facilities to provide care beyond that which they were previously capable of.

Independence and DaVita approached Brian Communications with a three-week timeframe to propose a name and tagline, closely followed by launch communications. Always up for a challenge, we eagerly accepted. Our team conducted a brand discovery process including name generation, exploration, and trademark and usage research. We gained insights through focused conversations with internal stakeholders and PCPs. Through this critical, intensive process, we produced a distinctive name and tagline: “Tandigm Health. Tradition Meets Innovation.” We then supported with logo, website and brand video development to communicate the company’s unique mission and vision.

We didn’t stop there. Brian Communications also supported the announcement of Tandigm Health at a press conference and media briefing. We facilitated a national media exclusive with Bloomberg Businessweek, and subsequently secured coverage with outlets including CNBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Business Journal, 6ABC, KYW Newsradio, WHYY, CBS3 and a blanket across trade publications.

We have remained a trusted partner since Tandigm’s launch – through an expansion beyond primary care to now support specialists – with an ongoing focus on media relations, executive visibility, event support and a wide range of strategic communications counsel.

As part of a brand positioning refresh, Teleflex (NYSE: TFX) — a global, publicly traded medical devices company with 12,000+ employees across 40 countries — approached Brian Communications for expertise in brand-building and internal communications.

To effectively introduce the company’s new brand, Teleflex needed a partner to help create and implement a unified global internal and external communications policy and strategy. Futuretense Health, Brian Communications’ dedicated healthcare practice, was eager to help.

Our work on any project — regardless of scope or industry — is grounded in research. We began by gathering insights to inform our approach, including ten global employee focus groups, an audit of Teleflex’s existing communications materials and processes, and extensive peer research to assess the best (and not-so-best) practices of other companies in the space.

We next created new global internal and external communications policies with clear guidelines for how the global Teleflex workforce develops and shares messages, as well as a standardized framework for all communications processes. To educate Teleflex’s global workforce on the new policies, we also drafted content and provided creative direction for all-employee digital training courses.

Ultimately, our work will help Teleflex communicate effectively — for the long term — and own a unique brand position as it continues to grow.

Expectations were high when the nationally renowned Reading Hospital expanded its footprint to form Tower Health. But COVID-19 threw a wrench into the new system’s integration and expansion plans. Executive leaders turned to our agency for strategic support. 

Members of Brian Communications’ healthcare practice — now Futuretense Health — embedded alongside a strong in-house communications team to help chart a path forward. With clinical excellence and compassionate care as guiding themes, the agency got to work earning targeted media placements and capturing a larger share of voice within the system’s service area. But this ongoing partnership has extended beyond media relations. 

When a group of physicians went above and beyond to supply free books for pediatric patients, we went above and beyond to coordinate private kudos from Gayle King. (A big fan of kids and books!) When negotiations with a national payer hit a roadblock, we leveraged our deep knowledge of the playing field — in and out of healthcare — to help precipitate a successful resolution. From introducing a new CEO to helping recalibrate the system’s relationship with key stakeholders, we have supported each step of this ongoing journey. 

When you partner with Futuretense Health, you get more than a healthcare PR firm; more than crisis communicators; more than “marketing people.” We are a true strategic partner, with you in the trenches – and ready to help create your future on your terms.