With 30 percent of U.S. medical care considered unnecessary, this ground-breaking campaign catapulted overuse of common medical tests and procedures on the national radar and sparked needed conversations between patients and doctors about what care is really needed. The effort continues at national and grassroots levels and its influence grows.
Our team helped implement a multifaceted effort that put the issue on physician and patient agendas and dominated consumer, trade, policy and academic media. Our approach hinged on our deft understanding of healthcare, tested messaging, deep engagement of consumer advocates and medical specialty societies, national and local events, development of a campaign microsite and intensive media relations.
The results were massive: calls of support from the White House, a lead story on every network’s nightly news, coverage in all top newspapers and a veritable flood of social media. The New York Times alone covered Choosing Wisely more than a dozen times.
