Press Release & Media Outreach
Challenge: The main part of my role at Cerner was to increase media coverage and improve the sentiment associated with Cerner in the industry leading publications.
Project: I created a strong network of contact within Cerner which helped me quickly source and write stories. I also worked very closely with the communications offices at the NHS Trusts in order to create aligned messages and reduce story-telling discrepancy/conflicting statements. I also developed good relationships with industry journalists, which helped Cerner become the go-to source for comments on market trends and industry events.
Results: In my first year in the communications manager role, I increased positive media coverage by 53%. I also increased the number of press hits, going from 72 positive and neutral hits, in 2014, to 149 in 2015.
PR Profiling
Challenge: Cerner and its clients used to be perceived as not very open and transparent. This overly cautious behaviour was due to previous negative experiences with some of the industry publications.
Project: In order to showcase our clients’ achievements and position Cerner as a tech and innovation leader, I organised interviews with both Cerner and NHS Trusts leaders. I worked with the Trusts Communications offices and journalists to identify spokespeople and organise onsite media visits.
Results: All interviews resulted in multiple articles and only positive coverage.
Crisis Management
WANNACRY RANSOMWARE
Challenge: WannaCry was a ransomware worm that spread rapidly through across a number of computer networks in May of 2017. After infecting a Windows computers, it encrypted files on the PC’s hard drive, making them impossible for users to access, then demands a ransom payment in bitcoin in order to decrypt them. In the UK, the NHS was the worst hit and this included some of Cerner’s clients.
Project: Working alongside the NHS Trusts and a team of senior Cerner executives, we quickly established that neither the Cerner Millennium patient administration system and the clinical system used for radiology were affected, we then developed a statement and shared it with the industry media outlets.
Results: News coverage highlighted that although some of Cerner’s clients had been affected by the attack, Cerner’s electronic patient and had not been compromised. Examples of associated coverage: The Evening Standard, Digital Health, Cybersecurity Insiders, National Health Executive.
Claire Delplancq 