Florida Medical Center/Tenet Healthcarel

In a small departure from the previous format, the following pages provide a detailed assessment of the public relations and media work with FMC. We have been associated with Florida Medical Center since 1999. At first we were assigned to promote the open-heart surgery center at a time when neighboring hospitals were petitioning the state for a certificate of need to provide cardiac care services. We did this for a short time. Because of our success, we were then hired to publicize the Surgical Weight Reduction program, Geriatric Health Institute, and later the Sports Medicine Institute.

Surgical Weight Reduction Program.

Objectives

• To create exposure for the Roux-en-Y Laparoscopic Gastric By-pass procedure and educate the public on how it's different and better than similar SRW programs being offered in South Florida.
• To position Dr. Carlos Carrasquilla as the first physician in South Florida to offer the minimally invasive procedure and position him as the most knowledgeable and most experienced.
• To get Dr. Carlos Carrasquilla exposure in the Spanish-language media.
• To lead to more incremental business.

When Florida Medical Center began offering surgical weight reduction, we had an aggressive plan to promote it to the local media, both broadcast and print. We sold the story as a first-of-its-kind procedure in South Florida that was offering morbidly obese patients a real alternative to other methods of weight loss. After lining up patients who were willing to talk to the media we went to bat.

When the program was first rolled out, we were able to get health features done on all of the local TV affiliates in South Florida, the Sun-Sentinel, Miami Herald and community sections. Right away the exposure led to increased bookings in appointments.

After the first pass of stories, we then went back to the TV stations and print media with new angles developed by our Boardroom staff. This included:

• Featuring a husband and wife who were getting the surgery together.
• Going into the Ft. Myers market to showcase patients from the area who came to South Florida for the procedure. We received a significant amount of coverage in the local papers and local TV.
• Getting an FMC patient interviewed for the Sun Sentinel's "Second Chances" column, which profiles people who've had a second chance at life.
• Support groups made up of patients who had the surgeries and were well on their way to losing weight.
• Late last year we tied into Al Roker's surgical weight reduction to get a story done on Channel 6.
• This year, we pitched Dr. Carrasquilla to comment on a story about SWR and kids for Channel 7 and set the up with a teenage patient.
• Currently we are trying to find a new story we can pitch to Channel 6 to tie into Al Roker's upcoming visit to Miami Beach. We are looking for any patients who may have been personally inspired by Al to get the surgery.

Media Hits:

Spanish Language Media:

• July 23rd, 2000: SWR program and Dr. Carrasquilla featured on "Prime Time" on Univision Network.
• July 17th, 2000: Story about morbidly obese people and SWR featuring Dr. Carrasquilla for prime-time Univision program "Primer Impacto."
• December 22, 1999: SWR and Dr. Carrasquilla featured in story that ran on Univision network newscast.
• Cristine Show: Dr. Carrasquilla invited as a guest on the popular Cristina Show that airs on Univision Network.

English Language Media:

• December 22-24, 1999: SWR program featured on Florida's News Channel, a statewide cable news program aired in all of Florida's major markets.
• December 22, 1999: Channel 10 feature story on SWR featuring Dr. Carrasquilla reported by Vicki Frazier Williams.
• December 22, 1999: Dr. Carrasquilla and some patients interviewed for WIOD-AM.
• December 22, 1999: Dr. Carrasquilla and some patients interviewed for WSVN Channel 7. Reported by Alycia Lane.
• December 22, 1999: Surgical Weight Reduction program featured by WTVJ Channel 6's Health and Family Reporter Diana Gonzalez.
• December 22, 1999: Surgical Weight Reduction program reported on WFOR-TV, Channel 4.
• May 9, 2000: Channel 10's Kristi Krueger reports on a different angle of SWR.
• March 4, 2002: Miami Herald features Weston patient who came to see Dr. Carrasquilla for SWR.
• October 2001: Sun Sentinel's Liz Doup does a major feature on SWR that includes FMC patients and Dr. Carrasquilla.
• March 11, 2002: Sun Sentinel Community page does story on Coconut Creek woman who second chance at life with SWR.
• November 2002: Dr. Carrasquilla interviewed by Diana Gonzalez for a "sweeps" story on SWR.
 
Miami Herald:

• January 20: Dr. Carrasquilla and one of his patients interviewed by Channel 7 for story on "Kids and SWR".
• Ft. Myers /Naples: We received great press in the Ft. Myers market after identifying FMC patients who lived in that area: June 26, 2001- WESH-TV Feature; Ft. Myers News-Press, September 11, 2001.

Geriatric Health Institute

In 1999, FMC opened the Geriatric Health Institute, a one-stop shopping for senior health assessment. The institute offered one-day comprehensive assessments for frail senior citizens and then referred them to rehab centers for follow up care. It's a concept that was developed in California and brought here to South Florida.

Our objectives were to promote the center in the local press to:

• Drive more incremental business
• Educate local doctors and loved ones of seniors that such a service existed in South Florida
• Educate the public about serious issues that affect seniors such as Dementia and Alzheimer's

After the center was launched we did a media blitz and received the following press:

• August 6, 1999: South Florida Business Journal did a short article about the GHI.
• August 27, 2000: Miami Herald Health Writer Shari Rudavsky did a major feature on the GHI for its Sunday edition. The story was turned into a reprint that was used for marketing purposes.
• January 21, 2001: Sun Sentinel did a story on GHI as part of its Second Chances segment.
• May 21, 2002: GHI Medical Director Howard Koch interviewed for UPI story that was sent out worldwide.
• July 9, 2000: WTVJ-TV produced feature story on GHI
• August 27, 28, 29, 2000: Florida's News Channel did a feature on GHI
• July 3, 2002: Dr. Sean Kenniff, Health Reporter at WFOR-TV, Channel 4 did a story about GHI as a part of a special series on Senior Health.
• July 23, 2002: GHI Director Lori Grau interviewed live on Channel 6, WTVJ's 4 P.M. Newscast as part of a special series on Senior Health.
• July 31, 2002: Dr. Kevin Lapinski interviewed live on Channel 6, WTVJ's 4 P.M. Newscast on senior dementia.
• Patient Hospital Network: GHI Director Lori Grau interviewed by a production company for a story on seniors and medication. Story aired in several hospitals across the country.

Sports Medicine Institute

In the Spring of 2002, FMC launched a Sports Medicine Institute and we were assigned to get exposure for doctors who were connected to the program. Our objectives are to:

• Promote Sports Medicine doctors as expert sources
• Promote new procedures being offered by Sports Medicine Doctors
• Create awareness for the Sports Medicine Institute
• Promote stories on sports injuries
Since we began working with the Sports Medicine Institute we have been extremely successful getting stories out using docs associated with the program. Here's a sample:
• June 6, 2002: We got Dr. Al De Simone featured in the Miami Herald's Doc Q & A talking about kids and sports injuries.
• August 22, 2002: We were able to promote the Sports Medicine Institute by getting a photo published in the Coral Springs Forum of Preston Wilson's appearance at an autograph signing session. A similar story appeared in the Tamarac Forum as well.
• July, 2002: Dr. Al De Simone interviewed by WPLG-TV for story on new pain pump.
• September 16, 2002: Dr. Al De Simone interviewed by WSVN for story on kids and sports injuries.
• December 26, 2002: Dr. Hajianpour interviewed for story on half-knee replacements.
• February 19, 2002: Dr. Al De Simone interviewed by WPLG-TV for story on arthroscopic knee surgery.

As a result of our coverage, each of the doctors were contacted by new patients who set up appointments. In theory, those appointments are supposed to lead to surgeries at FMC.

Miscellaneous:

Besides the product lines we were assigned to promote, we also promoted FMC in other ways. For example, setting up interviews with psychologists to comment on the aftermath of 9/11, terrorism, or senior depression during the holidays. We also set up a story with FMC's Emergency Room Director with WPLG- TV for a story on how to save your life in an emergency when no one else is around to help.

Summary:

Overall we have had excellent results in promoting FMC's product lines. We have received a fair balance of coverage from local TV news to local print. In many cases our stories have helped provide positive PR for FMC and in other cases, they've led to direct incremental business.

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