SALT helps launch the iHealthRecord from Medem

May 9th, 2005 – Launched by Medem™ to national acclaim with support from the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and a wide group of leading U.S. medical societies and physicians, the iHealthRecord™ is a breakthrough service in the US health industry. It’s the first step in President Bush’s call for a free, personal health record for every American within 10 years.

“We believe that electronic personal health records are an important service for physicians and patients, and a key element of the national information technology infrastructure,” said Dr. James Rohack, chairman of the American Medical Association.

The iHealthRecord is a no-cost, secure and confidential interactive record that lets the patient keep their health information organized, accurate, secure, and all in one place. It enables patients or caregivers to have immediate access to medical information in case of emergencies, or simply to keep track of medications and treatments for any physician they visit.

“The iHealthRecord ends the long history of over-reliance upon the patient’s memory, spotty communication, and a clip board – and replaces it with simple processes that increase patient safety and convenience,” said Gloria Austin, Chief Executive Officer for the 1,600-physician Brown & Toland Medical Group of San Francisco, one of the first groups to adopt the record for its network.

As easy and practical as the iHealthRecord is, like any new idea or technology it must overcome a number of simple behavioral issues. At the heart of these issues is the need to clearly communicate the benefit of “why a patient would need one?” This was where Medem turned to SALT® Branding. SALT originally partnered with Medem in the creation of it’s own brand and now needed help to define and launch the iHealthRecord.

“SALT is unique among the partners we have worked with to build our brands and our business – which is why we turn to them for all of our branding needs,” said Debra Del Guidice, President and COO of Medem.

“They understand the business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketplaces at a very fundamental level, and they apply this expertise to our needs – to produce a total solution that accomplishes our goals.”

SALT quickly helped map out the positioning for the new brand, and prioritized the language and messaging necessary to support it. The focus for communications was clarity: What is it? – and why does it matter? To reinforce this directness, a simple, iconic logo was created that visually illustrated the three elements of the name – online, health, and information.

“We explored a wide range of creative solutions,” said Paul Parkin, SALT’s Creative Director. “Ultimately, we returned to the directness of a symbol. Like a freeway sign, a brand needs to be immediately recognized and understood by anyone.”

That need for clarity was further developed by SALT in the creation of the iHealthRecord website. Visitors are given a number of simple choices, and encouraged to see if their physicians already offer the iHealthRecord. Sign-up and completion is simple, and the immediate peace of mind gives reassurance and confidence.

The iHealthRecord is already available through 100,000 physicians and is gaining widespread support within healthcare, public corporations, and government groups keen to create a single industry standard. The branding is helping patients to understand and value the benefits of why an iHealthRecord matters.

For more information on or to complete an iHealthRecord please visit http://www.ihealthrecord.org

About SALT
SALT is a full-service branding, design, and communications company that helps build leading brands. With its distinctively practical mindset, SALT provides a full range of integrated branding services including brand strategy, naming, design, communications, advertising, and corporate culture. SALT has developed leading brands and programs for a diverse set of companies ranging from Fortune 500s to VC-funded start-ups, including Avaya, Bank of Hawaii, Coca-Cola, Disney, EMBARQ, Fatbrain, Genentech, Glu Mobile, Microsoft, Mobile365, Nissan, Palm, Sprint, Wellpoint, Wi-Fi, and Xerox. SALT – the essential ingredient for branding leaders.

For more information on SALT, please contact:

Paul Parkin
SALT Branding
415.616.1506
paul@saltbranding.com