Why does the American health care system need EMRs? In 2009, the vast majority of health care transactions in the United States still take place on paper, a system that has been unchanged since the 1950s. All those shelves of paper files in your typical medical office are testimony to our inefficiency. And not only is it inefficient, it’s unsafe.
Data in paper files are often unreadable (the old joke about physician handwriting still holds true). Also, data on paper can’t be easily or efficiently exchanged. When the patient goes from the medical office to the hospital, the data needs to be collected again …. that takes time and it also opens up health care providers to more and more errors.
So, what does this have to do with marketing and communications? There’s the obvious …. there’ll be plenty of health care information technology vendors looking for dynamite salespeople to market their wares. However, there are other imperatives for us. As the nation’s communication professionals, we need to help medical and IT professionals with the huge cultural changes ahead.
Just think of all the shifts afoot …. shifts that demand excellent communicators to help us through them. Health care professionals will experience the changes first. Time spent “charting” in paper files will be a thing of the past. Electronic templates will help them record data much faster. That should be good news all around. It should mean doctors, nurses and technicians have more time with the patient and more time collaborating to ensure the best possible outcome. (Note I wrote “should” …. that’s where communicators can help health care teams make these important changes possible!)
For patients, electronic health records mean better data on their condition and information that is efficiently transferred throughout the health care experience (imagine, not filling out the same form or being asked the same questions over and over at the hospital!). It should also mean fewer communication errors among the health care team. And medical professionals will be able to share important outcome data to identify best practices in medicine …. meaning we will all receive better. care. Again, that’s only if the implementation is well done …. which is partially up to us …. the professional communicators.
There are many critical conversations that must occur in the months ahead. Patients and medical teams will be looking for information on issues such as privacy protection, technical support, patient safety, job security and, the very cost of these paradigm-shifting systems. We as communicators will be needed to play a vital role in fostering communications in this brave new world.
Consider the worst case scenario that can happen at a hospital or medical office. The IT team installs expensive these systems and does not adequately train or communicate all the benefits to physicians and staff. There’s a high probability the entire initiative will fall flat. It’s happened before, and almost every time, millions of dollars are wasted. Given the enormity of our current economic crisis, the health care system can’t absorb such huge losses any more.
Although all the specifics of the health care information technology stimulus funds have not been ironed out, the message is clear — hospitals and physicians should begin planning the rollout of electronic health records systems now. And they need to enlist the support of some very good communications professionals.
Our president has set a clear agenda to make our health care more efficient and more collaborative in the years ahead. As communicators, now is the time to contribute to this mammoth effort.
Editor’s Note: Susan welcomes discussion on health care IT communications. You can email her at sussol@gmail.com.

I’m part of those job-seekers. My days are filled with Simply Hired.com, Indeed.com and any other job board that flashes the same position over and over, week after week. I may have gotten to the ranks a different way (I spent five months teaching abroad and came home to THIS), but that doesn’t really matter. I’m in the thick of it like many of my marketing and public relations brethren.
But I’ve changed my ways this week (officially Week 10 of my no-pay lifestyle). I’m not complaining as much. I’m not calling my working friends, looking for some sympathy. And I’m not Twittering any more messages of devastation. (To everyone I sent that message, “Please help, this can’t go on,” I apologize. Truly.)
Yup, I’ve changed my ways because I seriously believe that the only way this country is going to get out of the mess is if we think collectively, not singularly about our problems. Working or not, we are all in this together and we must all solve this situation together.
My expertise is in health care marketing and public relations. So, I am going to start talking and writing about health care reform. I’m going to be Obama’s message carrier about the way we need to change the current system. Whether or not he ever knows I exist, I’ll be his dedicated, grassroots messenger about the paradigm-shifting changes afoot. That’s one way I’m gong to contribute.
Remember what our president said not that long ago on the cold January morning of his inauguration: “What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.”
How quickly we forget our pride in that inaugural moment. How rapidly our mind turns to other thoughts when the pink slip arrives on our desk or the job board seems empty and the email pops open with, “We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.” Yes, all of it stinks, but wallowing in it only makes us more miserable.
If you are looking for a job, I feel your pain and I will gladly link with you to try to help you out. But more importantly, let’s lend our minds and our muscles to do something positive for our collective future. Go to www.usaservice.org to pitch in at a community event this weekend. And fire up your emails, your Facebooks, your blogs and your Tweets to inspire some grassroots action. That’s right, use your wonderful marketing and communication skills to advocate for positive change, offer solutions and show the world how much our profession can do in these critical times. We are truly all in this together.

It was the adventure of a lifetime. We left a comfortable California home to live in a nation literally half-way around the world. Adjusting to the 12-hour time difference might have been enough of a challenge, but not for us. We jumped in with two feet …. going to school, teaching classes and trying to exchange as much about our respective cultures as possible.
In total, I taught 110 students through the local university and then the country’s marketing association. They were both graduate students and young working adults. Officially, my focus was on public relations, which I have written about in earlier posts. However, what seemed to have resonated most was my instruction in the world of new media.
I tried my best to explore new media communication forms with the students. We experimented by creating a class wiki (I highly recommend this for every educator). We discussed case studies about LinkedIn,
Facebook and other social media platforms. And the assignment that undoubtedly inspired the most creativity was the task of developing that essential instrument of today’s public relations professional ….
the business blog.
I set a few parameters for my students’ blogging. First, they were to use only Wordpress or Blogger. I made this stipulation so that no one would get bogged down in the mechanics of more difficult blogging
platforms. Additionally, the blog had to be about an established business or, if they could not obtain permission, they could create a blog for their university or a tourism blog promoting a certain aspect
of Armenia.
I want to share with you a few of my students’ blogs. I do this not to show what I introduced to the classroom. Quite frankly, anyone could have assigned a business blog to these classes. All the work came from the students …. not me. However, I want to share with you these blogs because I believe they are representative of what some very talented young people can accomplish when provided the tools for great public relations.
I think you will agree that the following examples of student work go far beyond typical templated business blogs. These are good examples of both strategic and creative thinking, produced by young people who will undoubtedly become talented public relations professionals. It was a privilege to get to know the authors of these blogs and a thrill to see their work.
First, I want to show you “I Love My Child,” a blog developed by Arevik Ohanyan and Ani Abgaryan. Arevik comes from a family of educators and a few years ago, she started her own kindergarten in Yerevan. For this assignment, she teamed with her friend and fellow MBA student, Ani, to create a very appealing blog. Yes, it promotes the kindergarten, but it provides so much more information for the reader. Arevik and Ani discuss parenting topics such as television watching and choosing a toy for your boy or girl. I love the design of this cheerful blog. It says “happy childhood” while clearly being a resource for parents who want to learn more about raising happy, healthy kids.
As citizens of the first Christian nation, many Armenians take their Christianity very seriously. The country’s young people in particular are very interested in exploring their religion. My student, Arsen Sargsyan, is one of these dedicated young adults. He is an MBA student and works at the National Leadership Institute, a Christian education center under the auspices of the Armenian Apostolic church. Arsen’s blog, “Explore the Meaning of Life” discusses the work of the institute and a lot more. Arsen uses personal experiences to help elucidate many key aspects of the institute’s message. It is a great start to a blog with lots of promise.
Areg Barseghyan and Yura Yeghiazaryan are also MBA students who chose not to promote a particular business with their blog, but instead help develop tourism to their country. Their blog, “Touch the History,” introduces readers to the sounds, sights and tastes of Yerevan. I especially love their insights into the club scene. With Areg and Yura’s information, you won’t be steered wrong should you find yourself after midnight and looking for somewhere to go in Yerevan.
I hope you enjoy reading these students’ blogs. They’re just three that are representative of the talent and insights of the young people I had the privilege of getting to know during my stay in Armenia. Thanks to Areg, Yura, Ani, Arevik and Arsen for letting me share their work. But most of all, a nod of appreciation to all 110 of my students who taught me much more than I could ever teach them. They showed me that with such bright, creative young people, the world …. and my profession — are clearly in good hands.

Things have moved slower than expected. At the risk of making excuses for my shortcomings as an instructor, I’ve realized that the power of public relations is not easy to grasp, especially when there is little precedent for its practice in a country. Although marketing has certainly made its mark in Armenia, the attributes of a great public relation campaign still evoke some puzzlement.
Of course, as public relations practitioners, we’ve all had moments when we’ve had to explain our profession …. even in the U.S. where Edward Bernays laid a strong foundation almost a hundred years ago. We’ve all had to counsel the director of finance or legal affairs on why they must respond to an insistent reporter. Or we’ve bravely battled the budget sessions where it’s suggested our funds get slashed because “public relations is not our company’s core focus.”
To a handful of my students, though, public relations is truly a head-scratching oddity. Why go through all the gyrations of writing a public relations plan when one can simply buy an ad? Or even better, why not buy a journalist?
Recently, I thought I was making headway when I invited a prominent Yerevan journalist to my class. He was personable, handsome and ambitious. And he was singing the praises of public relations. I really thought he had my students convinced – until he told them he liked p.r. so much he was starting his own public relations agency. “I’ll make money as a journalist and a p.r. professional,” he enthused. When he left, I had to explain that such “double dipping” isn’t considered a good p.r. practice.
In my lessons, I have tried to explain that a well-strategized, ethical public relations program has many benefits. As I have pointed out, good p.r. is:
Flexible …. Ad campaigns take weeks to create; a solid public relations campaign is designed to be much more agile, especially in times of crisis.
Important for elevating brand image …. Public relations zeroes in on target groups to maintain a positive position in their minds; these efforts can complement a marketing campaign or often stand on their own.
More than communicating through traditional outlets …. Consumers around the world are tired of “déjà vu” advertising; public relations goes beyond traditional communication channels.
Less costly …. Public relations can provide superb communications at much lower costs than traditional marketing and advertising.
Critical for credibility …. Public relations focuses on getting that all-important third party endorsement for a service or product. These are the trusted, highly credible recommendations advertising money simply cannot buy.
There is some hope to this report from the Caucuses. Recently, a group of Armenian women health activists launched a public relations effort to stop bus drivers from smoking on their routes. (In Armenia, smoking is a major health issue. As many as 70% of all males smoke and secondary smoke …. especially on crowded public transportation — is a major health concern). The public relations campaign resulted in new legislation and a 20% reduction in smoking among drivers.
I presented the details of this case to my class. “This is the power of great public relations,” I said. The students took note. Most nodded their heads. Yes! The power of PR was clearly understood!

This week, I introduced my public relations students in Armenia to blogging and they are definitely feeling that “buzz” of newly empowered bloggers. Even my biggest doubters are busy picking templates from Wordpress (http://wordpress.com/) and typing their “About Me’s.” Their assignment is to start a business blog, and they are going at it full bore.
Why the excitement over a medium some consider to be ho-hum these days? You have to appreciate my students’ history. These are not the indulged Gen Y’s of America. These young people were born at the end of the Soviet era. After the country became independent in the early 1990s, war broke out in Azerbaijan (http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_History). Borders were sealed and the economy crumbled. The students do not remember the specifics of the war, but they do recall unheated schoolrooms, days without electricity and hours spent waiting on breadlines. Suffice it to say, no one got an Apple Lisa under the Christmas tree.
Now, my students are playing a wicked game of catch-up. Almost all have embraced cell phone technology. In fact, they are always madly texting and most store their lives on the things (pure panic pervades the classroom when someone’s phone is missing). In fact, the cell phone is so revered, waiters stop taking orders in restaurants when they buzz. Bank tellers ignore their customers. Students run out of class.
But a cell phone is not a blog site. There is something much different about a blog site for my students. It is advanced technology, freedom of expression and the chance to tell their stories …. all rolled into one simple Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/) program. They’re jazzed, and I am, too. In a few weeks, I’ll share some of their work with you if you’re interested.
In the meantime, I find that I, too, am blogging more than usual. Whereas posting an entry each day used to be a chore, I now look forward to telling the story of our lives in this so-very-foreign land. I’ve also convinced my husband to blog while in Armenia, and he now checks his stats hourly. After years of attempting to publish editorials in yesterday’s newspapers, he finally has a platform – and he’s psyched.
Yes, there are newer technologies to teach my students and I will address a few. But right now I have a room full of first-time bloggers who are truly “digging” it. For all the snarky comments we now make about self-indulgent blogophiles, there is still something to be said about the power and the thrill of authoring a blog.

Acting collectively has its merits. – OK, collective answer-sharing during tests (which frequently happens) is not good. But you have to admire the principle behind the students’ actions. They share a sense of responsibility for helping out the weakest link. Whereas my U.S. students compete for grades, my class here readily shares notes, books and case studies …. even if it impinges on their own studying time.

Books and paper are precious. …. Most of my students cannot afford $150 textbooks. So, they share (see above), read in the library or make copies of key chapters. But even the copied chapters are costly, so these, too, are passed around. Frankly, my students are shocked by the way Americans mangle their expensive educational materials. The box of used texts I brought from my U.S. campus was received with a tinge of horror. “Who rips pages and writes in these expensive books?” they asked as they thumbed through the tattered texts that were less than a year old.
Skepticism can be healthy. …. I will admit that after having presented my class with scores of examples of smart, highly effective public relations campaigns, I am becoming a bit tired of comments like “that’s just propaganda.” Yet, these students …. born at the end of the Soviet era …. are understandably wary of most marketing and public relations claims. They challenge messaging that has even the slightest scent of insincerity or corporate greed.

Female empowerment is global and exciting. …. Most of my MBA class is female. Twenty years ago, this would not have been the case. Aware that they are part of a new generation of empowered women, my female students are eager to learn – and equally eager to earn. Watching them enter the workforce will be thrilling.

The whole world doesn’t want to be American. …. Americans abroad tend to think everyone wants to be like them. (Just look at all the blue jeans on the streets!) The truth is, while our culture is pervasive, we are not loved. And we are definitely not envied, especially during this time of economic melt-down. National pride runs very deep in most countries …. Americans need to learn and respect this simple fact.
Real connections are always best. …. With dial-up the most prevalent Internet connection, most of my students don’t spend their lives with their noses in their laptops. They connect via traditional media …. simple human conversations. As a result, their relationships are clearly stronger. Women …. and sometimes men — greet each other with kisses and hugs. They actually enjoy each others’ company.
On Monday, we are starting our social networking segment of class. While my students take notes, so will I. I’m eager to get their perspective on the topic.

Um, truth is, I’ve learned some lessons that have sent me back to my computer, performing extensive overhaul on the lectures. Here’s my latest saga.
Last week, I was super-confident about presenting to the class the Harvard case study on Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. For the one percent of the U.S. population who may have missed it, Dove’s re-branding was brilliant. It was based on the premise that women everywhere are beautiful, regardless of what the media and “beauty industry” define as beauty. There are some fabulous video clips from the campaign on Youtube, including “Evolution,” (which exposes the false promises of airbrushing and Photoshop), “True Colors” (pre-teens alarmingly precocious in expressing insecurities about their looks) and “Onslaught” (very young girls exposed to preposterous claims by cosmetic and beauty products).
I figured even if my students hadn’t seen the campaigns, the message was rather simple. After all, sexism is sexism in any culture. And in Armenia 2008, you see it everywhere in their advertising. There’s sexy girls draped over car hoods, holding liquor bottles near their crotches and practically licking the wires off computer accessories. And there’s the other extreme — the happy, completely sexless mother smothering her brood with love, sunshine and the latest snack cakes.
Of course, in the U.S., we like to think of our sexism a bit more sophisticated, but it’s still the same. Dolce and Gabbana puts women in bubbles and other compromising positions. Perfumers glorify date rape. And the diamond industry thinks we’re all just jewelry whores.
Initial student reaction to Dove’s real beauty blitz was similar to what I’ve heard in my American classrooms. Most of the young women loved the spots. The young men who weren’t disinterested in a “women’s product” and “women’s messages” were puzzled. They couldn’t see how this type of “anti-marketing” helped the Dove brand. Of course, it all led to some lively discussion and I was thrilled to have the debate in my class. In fact, everything was going quite well for once. I thought I was really “connecting” with my students.
But one young woman offered a different perspective that left me speechless.
“This worries me,” she said. “When I was growing up we didn’t have electricity or water. So, we didn’t care about how our bodies looked. But now I realize that if I have a daughter, I have to tell her about why she shouldn’t believe the images she sees in advertising. I’m afraid I won’t be able to relate to what she’s thinking.”
Yikes, that was my “anvil on the head” moment. I realized that we really haven’t really shared the same experiences. What bothers us as “stupid sexism” in the States stands for much more in developing countries. It’s a sign that in moving up the Maslow pyramid of needs, societies are faced with a barrage of even more challenges. In 2008, the giant snowball of mass marketing and all its flaws and abuses are coming at Armenia like a giant snowball.
My students will undoubtedly react in different ways. For some, the giant snowball will scare them silly and they’ll actually yearn for the times when things were simpler and concerns were limited to procuring water and electricity. Others will unfortunately get wrapped up in the snowball, buying into it and even perpetuating the worst elements. Still others, though, will want to figure out how the snowball works and fix the onslaught of messaging so that they advance the culture and do some good. I now realize this last group of students may truly benefit from my class.
This strange and often confusing country where I’ve been sent is at a turning point. If I’m truly lucky, I can make a tiny impact and inspire a few young people. This will, indeed, require some revisions in my lectures – but I have a feeling the effort will be worth it.

Public relations in a post-Soviet world is an interesting proposition. Before starting, I read Martin Nunn’s International Public Relations Association piece on public relations in the Ukraine and could feel my stomach bunching into a tight knot. And then I was informed that I was the FIRST to teach public relations at American University in Armenia. Bully for me.
After two weeks of teaching, I can honestly say I think we are seeing some light. It’s true, the students had no idea what public relations was (“relating to the public,” a young woman said confidently the first day of class). Now, after presenting the class with case studies about using public relations to promote public health, change attitudes toward the disabled and promote new technology products, I think I am getting through. A few have told me they understand the power of great public relations.
It’s tough, though. In the back row of the class sit my “dissenters” — a group of young men who associate public relations to Hitler and the worst propaganda abuses. “Public relations can be very dangerous,” they grouse and are convinced that I am just another crass U.S. marketer. I have responded that almost every profession can be used for good or bad. As yet, they continue to keep their arms folded. They will be my challenge, indeed.
I will keep you posted on my teaching assignment and my impressions of this country I have yet to figure out. It is an interesting mix of influence from both post-Soviet Russia and the hugely influential Armenian diaspora now living in the US. I know that I am fortunate to have this opportunity to take “my trade” beyond the borders of the U.S. …. believe me, I am determined to learn as much as my students from this adventure.