Last week, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel of healthcare journalists at the New England Venture Capital Association’s inaugural Health Week. After a truly unprecedented year of healthcare-related news, we discussed the current state and future of newsrooms in a post-pandemic world. Here’s what our panelists – Jessica Bartlett of the Boston Business Journal, Megan Hernbroth of Insider and Laura Lovett of MobiHealthNews – had to say.
The Rate of Breaking News is Slowing, but Not as Much as You Might Think
While every panelist agreed that breaking news has tempered since last year, they also said they are still inundated with new content. Jessica shared that at any given time, she has at least ten stories on her plate. As much as she wants to cover everything, it’s not always possible.
Megan revealed how over at Insider, they have expanded their healthcare team from 5 to 12 to keep pace with industry news and heightened demand for market coverage.
To Break Through the Noise, Lead with News
All three panelists shared that the most helpful pitches are those focused on news. As business publications, Boston Business Journal and Insider are particularly focused on financial events, M&A activity and major partnerships. Interestingly, these publications have started to shy away from corporate growth stories because, as Megan pointed out, nearly every healthcare company is growing right now.
Laura shared that at MobiHealthNews, they are also interested in industry studies – so long as they’re peer reviewed by an academic journal. Credibility with research is key.
Lean Into the Hot Topics
The shift to home-based care and hybrid care delivery models was top-of-mind for all our panelists. While telehealth tools have garnered a lot of buzz and momentum, our panelists noted that there’s a lot still on the table in terms of patient adoption of technology, data regulation, reimbursement models and what’s to become of (older) brick and mortar healthcare facilities.
Laura also noted that we could see further disruption and change as tech giants like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft double down on the healthcare industry.
Consider Third-Party Support
While our panelists said they are open to perspectives from health tech company executives on industry trends, they are keen to hear from market experts who bring forth unbiased opinions. Laura said she likes to hear from investors and accelerators because they have done a lot of homework on companies and can speak objectively about what makes them stand out. Megan agreed, adding that she’s always looking for academics and researchers who can go deep on industry trends.
Get Personal
While journalists are still working remotely, our panelists said they are open to in-person meetings, especially when offices open up more in the Fall. They also said they’re looking forward to in-person industry events, calling out HIMSS and HLTH as some that they’ll be attending this year.
To hear the entire panel discussion, check out the recording here.