Responding to public queries for health care information –

Consolidating Program Content

APHA RoundtableDecember 13, 2005

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The Problem:

• Consumers are confused where to find answers

• Difficult to locate a definitive answer

• Content is not always appropriately presented within the audience context

• Content is often out of date

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Why Are We Experiencing This?

• Organizations distribute information using a wide variety of channels

– Phone

– Fax

– Websites

– publications

• These channels often deliver conflicting messages or at the very least are duplicative and different in tone

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How Have Agencies Responded?• Consolidated channels

– 1 800 Number

– 1 Website

• Centralized publishing control

– Office of Communications

– Organizational Style Guides

• Application of Information technology

– Enterprise Content Management infrastructures

– Search engines

– Standardized content taxonomies

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Challenges Consolidating Content

• No clear lines of ownership

• Not consistently written (tone, reading level, terminology) with audience in mind

• Confusion between organizing for consumer usefulness and internal chargeback

• How do you provide feedback to content sources?

• How do you measure ROI?

• Scale has it’s own impact

• Formatting, coding for new uses can result in invalid content

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Critical Issues Delivering Content

• Ability to locate relevant content

• Fastest, lowest cost means of delivery of content

• Measuring utility of content provided

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Technologies That Can Help

• Search engines

• Enterprise Content Management

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Techniques That Can Help

• Corporate style guides

• Standardized data dictionaries, terms

• Uniform content taxonomy

• Implementing content quality program

• Tracking how content is used and valued – EVA/ROI

• Mystery Shoppers

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Questions

Rick VerrillConstella Group301-562-1014rverrill@constellagroup.com