The marketing firm for Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health attempted to tilt the results of a survey about the health system’s emergency department, the Valley Roadrunner in Valley Center, Calif., reported.
In late August, the newspaper posted a survey asking readers to weigh in on their experiences at the Palomar Medical Center Escondido emergency department. But the publication noticed several similarly worded, positive responses all arriving within the hour from the same IP address. “The staff I’ve met at Palomar Health are incredibly kind and caring,” one example read. “They go above and beyond and their compassion and professionalism make them stand out!”
The newspaper said it traced the anonymous posts back to 10 employees of InnoVision Marketing Group, which does public relations for Palomar Health. The health system’s board didn’t respond to the news outlet’s request for comment. Palomar Health, through InnoVision, declined to comment to Becker’s.
“We remain open to the possibility that Innovision employees have been spending a lot of time at the ER recently and have had unambiguously ecstatic experiences there while being cared for,” the Valley Roadrunner wrote in the Sept. 2 story. “Our readers can draw their own conclusions.”
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