HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS: Publisher Takes Leap Into Cyberspace
Health Ink & Vitality Communications, publisher of health care magazines and newsletters for health insurers, hospitals and employees, is beginning to move its business to the Internet, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The company's 30 publications -- including the flagship Health & You that provides consumer information on health conditions, diseases and health maintenance -- now reach 15 million households. This year, the company began to offer health-related information to clients via the Internet, allowing them to integrate Health Ink's articles, assessment quizzes and prescription drug information into their Web sites. WebMD Corp. is one of the sites licensed to use Health Ink's content. Craig Ammerman, Health Ink president and co-founder, said, "We're trying to provide whatever health information solutions our traditional client needs today or tomorrow," adding, "I believe we have more Web-ready consumer health content than any company in the world. But there are probably four to five other companies that think the same thing." Ammerman said that because the company needed to grow and develop on the Internet, Health Ink was sold in 1998 to New York-based Three V Health Inc. After the acquisition, company sales increased by 50% to $18 million in 1999. Health Ink also added the publication "Vitality," which is marketed to corporations for their employees. Ammerman speculates that revenues could reach $25 million this year, a 39% increase over 1999 (Briggs-Gammon, 7/24).
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