• by Tobi Elkin , Staff Writer, July 18, 2017

Video can entertain, educate, and inspire people to action.

For digital health publisher Remedy Health Media, video aims to inspire people with chronic conditions to take better care of themselves.

To that end, the digital health publisher has launched a new video series called “Bridging the Gap.”

Remedy has rolled out about 10 video stories, each supported by an exclusive advertising partner. There are opportunities to connect with consumers via display advertising, native content, and video.

Each video focuses on someone with a chronic disease or condition and their personal journey with a doctor. The patient shares the impact of his or her symptoms and diagnosis and the physician discusses the search for appropriate treatment options. The patient and physician also share the lessons they learned working 8to identify a treatment that worked.

For example, on one video on theBody.com, a man shares his story about living with HIV. In another video, a woman talks about living with ulcerative colitis, while a third video explores the chronic condition multiple myeloma through the eyes of a patient and physician.

In early testing, Remedy Health Media said 88% of visitors to Bridging the Gap video said they plan to work more closely with their doctors on their treatment.

After viewing a Bridging the Gap story, visitors on average consumed more than eight page views per visit, plus 83% of visitors said they’d recommend the story to others. Meanwhile, 93% diagnosed with the condition related to the story. 

Remedy’s portfolio of sites reach more than 35 million unique visitors each month, according to Jim Curtis, president of advertising, strategy & operations.

The network includes digital health brands like HealthCentral, a condition-specific health site, and TheBody.com, an online HIV/AIDS resource. it said 78% of its pages are viewed and 77% of minutes spent are from patients living with a chronic health condition

For pharmaceutical and healthcare advertisers, video content presents a good opportunity to engage with in-market patients: “Each episode can influence treatment decisions and inspire patients to take action," said Curtis. "For advertisers, these custom, rich-media products are inspiring patients to take an active role in their health and empowering them to ask about specific treatment options.”

Further, Curtis said more than 40% of the audience winds up talking to their health care provider about the advertised brand.

“Bridging the Gap provides the platform to show patients what’s possible when they find the right healthcare team. The stories show that you can have a deep relationship with your doctor -- and when you do, you will have better health outcomes,” Curtis said.