Finn Partners, a global independent marketing and communications agency, has acquired Agency Ten22, a leading Atlanta-based communications and marketing firm that serves health information (health IT) and health tech clients throughout the U.S. The addition of Agency Ten22 further strengthens the FINN position as one of the world’s largest independent Health Practices, with almost $35 million in revenues.

“Agency Ten22 is an amazing addition to the FINN community and further reinforces the leadership of our award-winning Global Health Practice,” Peter Finn, CEO and Founding Partner, Finn Partners, said in a statement. “We are also proud to welcome Agency Ten22’s people, who share our values and collaborative approach to client success. Our acquisition strategy continues to concentrate on growth industry sectors such as Consumer Goods, Digital Services, Finance, Travel, Technology and Health, and the addition of Agency Ten22, and the immense talent of its people, is firmly in keeping with that focus. In addition, concentrating talent in hubs such as Atlanta best positions us to fully serve our clients.”

Beth Friedman, Founder and CEO of Agency Ten22, will join FINN as a Senior Partner and become part of the agency’s Global Health leadership team, chaired by Gil Bashe. Friedman will also continue to run Agency Ten22, which will become part of FINN Southeast, led by Beth S. Courtney. For the next six months, Agency Ten22 will keep its branding and be known as Agency Ten22, a Finn Partners company. After that period, it will simply be fully integrated into Finn Partners.

Beth Friedman, Founder & CEO, Agency Ten22 and Senior Partner, Finn Partners (left) and Erin Wabol, VP, Marketing, Agency Ten22 and Finn Partners (right).

“We had been looking for another agency to partner with for several years, mostly to expand our service offerings and also to leverage our deep knowledge and expertise in the healthcare industries, specifically health IT,” Friedman said in an interview with PM360. “FINN was the perfect match for us due to their deep roots in healthcare and ‘best place to work’ culture. The timing was also perfect as the pandemic ignited a lot of health systems to adopt new technology, and we don’t see that ending anytime soon.”

According to KPMG’s first-ever “Global Healthcare CEO Future Pulse,” 97% of the 200 surveyed global healthcare leaders believe that COVID-19 has significantly accelerated the change agendas of the hospitals, health systems, and care provider networks that they are responsible for running. Furthermore, 80% of the respondents also said that the industry is in need of disruption and change. In another survey of 200 IT, C-suite, and finance decision-makers in hospitals and health systems by Change Healthcare, 65% said they are already using some form of artificial intelligence in their revenue cycle management (RCM)—and 98% said they believe AI will be incorporated into their RCM by 2023.

“One big trend we are seeing in this space is hospitals and health systems turning to technology like AI and ML to take some of the administrative burden out of healthcare,” Friedman explained. “Whether it’s billing, electronic health records, other types of patient information, or other information in need of processing, these organizations are looking to improve the back end of healthcare. But we also see a lot of our clients working on the ‘digital front door’ of healthcare to improve the patient experience through tools and technology such as telehealth or mobile apps. For example, an app that helps patients get access to no interest loan programs available through their local hospital or health system.”

Courtney, Managing Partner and head of FINN Southeast, said in a statement: “The nation’s provider system prioritizes innovation in technology to accelerate its potential. Beth Friedman and her team bring depth in health IT to many of the best innovators in the sector and, with the strong support system of our FINN Southeast Health Group, will bring their knowledge and expertise about this sector to an ever-wider client base.”

Friedman adds that she hopes her new role at FINN will also allow her to apply her expertise to other areas within healthcare, including medical device and pharmaceuticals. “I’m looking forward to providing some insights from the provider side, because healthcare is so disconnected these days,” she explains. “But COVID enlightened the whole world about the disconnectedness of healthcare information and I would like to play a small role in helping our health ecosystem become more connected.”

Bashe, Managing Partner and chair FINN Global Health, said in a statement, “The addition of Beth and the Agency Ten22 team sends an important message to colleagues, clients, and the industry community: everything we do must improve people’s lives. Whether it is accelerating care decisions or placing people with health urgencies in a better position to advocate for their needs, Agency Ten22’s expertise furthers this work for clients in this space and across our global network.”

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