Iris Telehealth, a telepsychiatry provider serving health systems, partnered with PANBlast in July 2024 to elevate its brand from a telehealth solution for community clinics to a national leader driving systemic change in behavioral health.
With ambitions to expand deeper into the top 100 health systems and engage COOs and executive decision makers, Iris sought to be present in larger industry conversations about access, integration with primary care, sustainability and the future of behavioral health care.
By February 2026, the partnership had delivered sustained, high-impact visibility, built a credible national spokesperson and aligned earned media directly to account-based marketing and sales priorities.
Challenge
Although Iris Telehealth delivers comprehensive behavioral health services across all care settings and acuity levels, it was sometimes perceived primarily as a community-focused telehealth vendor rather than a strategic partner to large health systems.
The broader behavioral health conversation is highly competitive and policy-driven, often dominated by workforce shortages, mental health concerns and AI regulation. Iris needed to:
- Reach executive buyers within top health systems
- Shift perception from vendor to systemic partner
- Position its leaders as credible voices in national behavioral health conversations
Strategy
PANBlast built a multi-layered PR program centered on spokesperson authority, proprietary data, proactive issue positioning and ABM alignment.
Elevate Dr. Tom Milam as a national voice
PANBlast positioned Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Milam as a trusted expert on timely issues such as:
- Equity and access disparities
- Youth and adolescent mental health
- Telehealth and AI regulation
- Women’s behavioral health
Rather than pitching generic commentary, the team developed issue-forward storylines such as:
- Why quick medication-first approaches fail to build resilience in children
- The risks of stalled women’s health research funding
- The national shortage of mental health clinicians
This approach has secured 20+ features and commentary in publications like Parents, Sacramento Bee and Healthcare IT News, positioning Dr. Milam alongside policymakers and mental health experts. Notable placements :
- A USA Today interview quoted Dr. Milam on proposed cuts to LGBTQ+ lifeline services
- The Peloton blog quoted Dr. Milam on the differences between behavioral health, mental health and emotional health
- A Healthgrades feature shared personal insights from Dr. Milam’s family health journey
Fuel the narrative with proprietary data
To strengthen Iris Telehealth’s authority in conversations about AI and behavioral health, PANBlast partnered with the team to develop and launch a proprietary consumer survey on perceptions of AI in mental healthcare.
PANBlast supported by brainstorming timely survey themes, drafting questions, fielding the research, analyzing results and leading a coordinated PR launch. The goal was to give Iris an ownable, newsworthy hook that would elevate its voice in a crowded AI debate.
The survey generated seven pieces of coverage, including placements in PYMNTS, HuffPost, Forbes and Digital Journal. Beyond the initial launch, the data became a recurring proof point in reactive commentary and content, extending its lifespan well beyond the announcement.
Integrate ABM targets into earned media
PANBlast aligned PR efforts with Iris Telehealth’s account-based marketing strategy, ensuring coverage reached priority health system targets. The campaign has delivered 13 earned placements, a few examples include:
- A CEO quote from a target prospect health system in an Iris byline for HIT Consultant
- A target health system featured as an example of AI adoption in telehealth in Healthcare Business Today
- A target health system profiled for AI implementation and patient outcomes in Healthcare IT Today
This approach transformed PR from a top-of-funnel awareness engine into a coordinated sales enablement tool, creating timely touchpoints for the Iris sales team with priority accounts.
Campaign Results
From July 2024 through February 2026, the program has delivered sustained momentum and brand elevation. PR results included:
- Average Domain Authority of coverage was 58
- 115 total pieces of coverage (that’s almost 20 unique pieces every quarter)
- 60% of placements qualified as “high impact,” meaning they were on message and rich with keywords (quotes, features, interviews and podcasts)
- 16 top-tier mentions, quote inclusions, features and syndications
- 20+ pieces of coverage specifically featuring Dr. Milam (over 18 months!)
Interested in hearing more about our client success? Let’s schedule a call or connect with me, Grace Williams, on Linkedin.
The PANBlast team that worked on this campaign included: VP Kelsey Sowder, Account Supervisor Maegan Ratts, Senior Account Executive Annie Cumming and Senior Content Specialist Gizzelle Sandoval.