AMICAS, Inc.

Newton-based AMICAS, Inc. developed and sells the first complete Web-based alternative to medical X-ray film. Using AMICAS technology, radiology images can be managed, stored and shared via the Internet. AMICAS software and services challenge the traditional systems known as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems).

The PACS market can easily be broken into two sets of players. First, the healthcare divisions of multi-billion dollar corporations such as General Electric, Agfa, Siemens and Kodak, and second, small to medium-sized private healthcare technology companies such as AMICAS. In the past, the smaller players generally won business by offering add-ons or improvements to existing PACS installations provided by the big players.

The Castle Group was charged with helping AMICAS to convince the industry that not only could AMICAS offer an enterprise-wide PACS solution, but that its product was superior to anything currently on the market. This was easier said than done. High visibility giants such as General Electric and Kodak have firmly entrenched installations in hospital groups around the world. After spending years pouring money into installation, maintenance and upgrades, PACS purchasers are naturally highly reluctant to abandon these traditional systems.

Our efforts culminated with an aggressive PR campaign centered on AMICAS’ most important event of the year, the Radiological Society of North America’s Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, or RSNA. The agency determined that the best way to anchor the AMICAS campaign was to secure a sponsored supplement in the RSNA floor edition of one of the industry’s most widely read trade publications, Decisions in Imaging Economics. The supplement would enable AMICAS to leverage its most notable customers for testimonials and provide flattering depictions of its most valued partners.