The Partnership to Protect Patient Health (PPPH) is a national, Washington D.C.-based coalition of patients, health care providers, researchers, caregivers, and others raising awareness among policymakers and the media about the implications of misleading “bad drug” ads (often aired by personal injury lawyers). PPPH aims to protect the relationship between patients and his or her health care provider by:
Ensuring patient health and safety are top priorities;
Facilitating a dialogue about how misleading drug-injury advertising puts patient safety at risk by circumventing the critical relationship between doctor and patient;
Supporting the education of patients, health care providers, policymakers and other stakeholders; and,
Encouraging patients to consult their health care providers with questions or concerns about their prescribed medications.
Bridge was retained to create and execute a public and lawmaker awareness campaign about the danger to patients associated with the ads and to help pass legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly to ensure consumers were protected from misleading claims and other misinformation that could lead to adverse health outcomes.
OUR APPROACH
Before the legislature convened, Bridge engaged in early strategic outreach, assessed the legislative landscape, and laid the necessary groundwork required to achieve success — doing so by securing meetings with key leadership, identifying and securing the optimal bill sponsors, identifying key members and securing co-sponsors, and accurately identifying opposition and other impediments to achieving success.
Bridge helped build a coalition of associations to drive the legislative message, stress the pro-consumer rationale for passage, and blunt opposition and disinformation efforts from opponents. Bridge led and managed the overall coordination, communications, and strategy among all stakeholders.
Based on tactical and political considerations, including the fact a new administration had just taken power, Bridge recommended a specific legislative approach starting with successful passage in the Senate to achieve the momentum necessary to subsequently pass the House.
THE RESULT
On April 9, 2019, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the legislation into law. With careful planning, a strong coalition, the right positive message detailing the rationale and public benefit, and the right legislative relationships in the General Assembly — and the experience of the Bridge team — Tennessee is the first state in the nation to have consumer protections to stop harmful “bad drug” ads from continuing to mislead the public.