Delivering dynamics

The best thing about ending one year is looking forward to the next one. Long-term and post-acute care providers will grapple with crucial issues in 2015, as our December print issue cover story explains, and will have to put the pieces together amid new business models and new initiatives. Only one thing is for certain: Change happens.

2014 has been a fantastic year of energy and new initiatives at Long-Term Living. Two years ago we embraced the digital age with open arms and haven’t looked back. We wanted to provide the practical advice and business leadership strategy that Long-Term Living is known for via every content delivery platform that our readers deemed meaningful and useful.

Thousands of readers have opted in to our new series of seven weekly e-newsletters, which allow readers to choose the type of Long-Term Living articles they want to read most and have them delivered right to their inboxes. Others prefer to scroll through the latest articles, expert analyses, Q&As and news stories themselves on our website—where unique page views have risen 25 percent since 2013.

In the past year, Long-Term Living’s Facebook page has exploded from 680 early adopters to more than 5,413 (as of this posting). More than 5,200 readers follow us on Twitter, and our LinkedIn group membership has grown to 1,935. Our social media platforms have become places where groups of readers have joined because they know they can interact with us—and know that we’ll communicate back.

More than anything else, 2014 has proven to us just how diversified and engaged our audience has become. Although the printed magazine continues to be the most-preferred delivery medium for many, we’ve learned that others prefer to read our content in a digital or online formats.

The rapid expansion of horizons that digital communication platforms are providing has definitely challenged the imaginations of editors and publishers, since it smashes the old-school definitions of what constitutes "circulation." It also has changed the whole realm for advertisers, too, whose options have expanded into types of engagement that few dreamed were possible five years ago. The old rules are gone—this new world needs different math.

We’ve got more exciting initiatives on deck for 2015, including new road trips! The Long-Term Living editors are planning several regional events that take a deep dive into the intricacies of the issues that affect long-term and post-acute providers, and get those conversations going on a local level. Stay tuned, and have a happy and healthy holiday season.

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.