ABC for Health Inc.

Challenge 

The rules are constantly changing in healthcare. Whether it’s about coronavirus treatment coverage, the Affordable Care Act, open enrollment for healthcare insurance in the Marketplace, BadgerCare Plus, workplace requirements in Medicaid or anything in between, the public interest law firm Advocacy & Benefits Counseling for Health, Inc. needed a way to get information out to a large number of people fast.  

The firm, also known as ABC for Health, Inc., serves everyone from patients, parents, and families, healthcare workers and employers, to public health departments and school nurses in Wisconsin and surrounding areas. It is essential to reach the masses in an affordable and efficient way.  

Solution 

The Madison, Wis., nonprofit turned to streaming Mediasite video. It created a non-profit subsidiary HealthWatch Wisconsin, which is essentially its education and advocacy arm, hosting online video with information about hot topics in healthcare. In one year alone, the firm created 250 engaging videos in its one-room studio using Mediasite. The informative webinars enhance the firm’s established in-person educational offerings, reducing travel costs for members while getting the information out in real-time. 

The firm also publishes some of its educational videos on YouTube to give prospective viewers options to access the content.  

They regularly update their channel with helpful information on current events. The firm has shared a number of quick overview videos to explain and give updates on different topics related to the coronavirus, such as insurance coverage on COVID19 testing, health coverage options for workers displaced because of the virus, and the national emergency and related executive orders, and they explain new laws like the Coronavirus Response Act and subsequent stimulus package.  

“Policies and programs change constantly in the healthcare world, even more rapidly in the national emergency we are currently in. We can instantly do trainings and answer important questions in real-time with Mediasite using our HealthWatch Wisconsin training hub of on-demand videos,” said Bobby Peterson, founder and Executive Director of ABC for Health. 

Brynne McBride, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Last fall, we were just beginning the process of transitioning some of our content to pay-per-view webinars. We know to be sustainable, we need to monetize some of our content, capitalizing on our growing viewership. Mediasite was a critical tool in our toolbox to make that possible. During the national emergency, however, we have paused that transition, understanding the importance of getting important content to the broader community in a way that is as accessible and efficient as possible.” 

McBride continued: “As we deal with the new realities of an entirely remote workforce, Mediaisite plays a role in teaching our own staff members. We use Mediasite to host all our internal staff training videos, accessible to our team from their own home offices. It certainly changes how we will onboard and provide continuing education to our own staff.”

Results 

Mediasite makes reaching thousands of members across Wisconsin easy and affordable. Those 250 videos received 40,000+ views in one year alone. Plus, monetizing the content will further allow ABC for Health to continue to expand its footprint by attracting people from around the country to its programming.   

“We can instantly reach thousands of people with Mediasite, compared to when we do in-person trainings with 50 people in a room,” McBride said. “It’s interactive. Participants can ask questions and answer polls within Mediasite. And it diversifies our educational content in a fun way. We can supplement written health coverage guidebooks and fact sheets with engaging, impactful video. When we pivot back to our “normal” workflow, monetizing our videos for a small fee will help us produce the high–quality educational programming the healthcare workforce and public needs.”   

Stay up-to-date on current events, like the everchanging coronavirus situation, by subscribing to HealthWatch Wisconsin.