Cummings Design Services

We helped a 24-person company that, through acquisitions, became a company of 1000's almost overnight.

Eclipsys Corporation® is the recognized leader, providing solutions that help healthcare providers reduce costs and improve outcomes through knowledge-driven, process-improving software and related service solutions to major healthcare providers.

When a 24-person company bought its much larger subsidiaries and became Eclipsys, I helped create the new corporate culture, bring everyone together and maintain focus, and inform the clients and staff of the subsidiaries that this was a change for the better.

The acquisition.
The major acquisition added thousands of employees and several companies that became subsidiaries of the 24-person company.

The story:
I got the call on a Monday. By Wednesday lunch I was meeting with the VP in Palm Beach for an initial briefing. The next morning I was in front of the board being introduced. Within an hour I was describing what needed to be done and getting initial approvals. I spent the next five hours sketching out storyboards, writing positioning copy, and determining scheduling. The board members returned to the board room in the afternoon, I received the go-ahead, and was off to the airport and back to Southern California.

Since the acquisitions happened so quickly, we needed to select methods that were fastest and most effective for all involved in various states, countries, and time zones. My recommendation was an introductory video, an Intranet Site, and an Internet Site.

There were numerous goals and objectives that needed to be met very quickly.
There were two main aspects, internal (for staff) and external (for customers and the industry).

Internally, we developed an Intranet to unify, create corporate culture, stimulate and educate all staff, enable communications amongst all 'new' employees and between all new subsidiaries; and easily distribute information between all new offices, as well as train and motivate.

Externally, via an Internet, we made existing customers feel comfortable with and understand the product offerings and advantages of the acquisitions, and how the acquisitions would or would nor affect them.

The overall objective was to bring Eclipsys to an IPO, which occurred successfully. The company remains successful and is trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol eclp.

Eclipsys is a company that enables Internet-based healthcare services to improve patient outcomes and increase profitability for the 1400 member hospitals it serves.

What was done in the first 20 days.

A light pass created for the introductory video The Future of Healthcare is now.

The acquisition was to be announced at a symposium, however, this symposium was in 20 days. I immediately returned to Southern California.

On the plane back to California I refined the storyboard. I then wrote directed, produced and delivered the introductory video in 20 days. This video kicked off the symposium and was the first announcement of the acquisitions and the new company name (which I also advised on).

I created all of the graphics in the video, chose and obtained all the stock footage as well as the music bed, and edited in Hollywood and Burbank California.

To make this happen in 20 days simply took commitment, organization, (and a lot less sleep). If I was unable to do nearly all of the work myself, completing this in 20 days likely would not have been possible.

This video was played in a ballroom on big screens in front of a large audience.

You can see and hear the video used to excite, educate and interest member hospitals and new employees that was created start to finish in 20 days - with sound bed and sound effects. The video is edited for the Internet with some clips removed.

The title of this video was 'The Future of Healthcare is now' which I conceived in the board room and which became its theme as well as the theme of the symposium. Since improving outcomes is the result of Eclipsys' products, I created the positioning statement for Eclipsys, 'The Outcomes Company'.

To hear what the client had to say just after the video was played at the symposium, you can listen to the actual phone call.
All media files will open in Windows Media Player.

Since the video also was distributed to the symposium audience on CD, while in the editing bay cutting the master, I was making arrangements. The moment we had the final cut to tape, I rushed the master out for CD duplication and was able to have the CDs duplicated in 3 days (and off to the symposium on time).

What was done next.
I then developed, wrote and designed an Internet and an Intranet Site. Planning ahead and since was charged with the entire repositioning, I was able to re-use modified versions of the graphics from the video for the web Sites. I was also able to insert many of the positioning and conceptual copy from the video.

Within two weeks we had the Sites up and running and functional. We then continued to add to them and ultimately in-house staff took the projects over.

Click to see the home page of the Internet Site.

Return to case histories.

Return to Cummings Design.