Schmidt Public Affairs

What Schmidt Public Affairs does

Schmidt Public Affairs is a privately held, founder-owned public affairs consultancy headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, with a secondary office in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Founded in 2004 by John Schmidt after 14+ years in senior healthcare and public affairs roles at Edelman, Ketchum, and Ruder Finn, the firm specializes in integrated health policy and healthcare communications, serving healthcare trade associations, industry coalitions, Fortune 500 healthcare companies, and national nonprofit organizations. Engagements focus on influencing federal health policy and shaping public opinion in Washington, DC, with documented work in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, prior authorization, opioid policy, and home-based care.

The firm delivers its services through nine integrated offerings: Strategic Planning & Counsel, Media Relations, Messaging, Grassroots & Issue Advocacy, Events, Advertising, Digital & Social Media, Crisis Communications, and Community Relations. These services are packaged into retainer-based professional consulting engagements rather than sold as a software platform; the firm has no API, SDK, or proprietary product. Differentiation rests on senior-level personal attention, a multi-disciplinary team with backgrounds in journalism, Capitol Hill press relations, health policy, and political campaigns, and a track record of measurable outcomes including billions in funding restored for clients, Medicare cuts reduced from 9% to 3% in one campaign, and 204 million media impressions in another.

Revenue is generated through customized consulting engagements with named clients such as the American Health Care Association, DaVita, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation, the Council for Quality Respiratory Care, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The firm employs approximately 14 people, operates without disclosed outside investors or parent company, and earns industry recognition including the 2023 PR Daily Grand Prize for PR Campaign of the Year and multiple PRNEWS Platinum Awards.

Name

Schmidt Public Affairs

Legal name

Schmidt Public Affairs

Website

https://schmidtpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schmidt Public Affairs is a privately held, Alexandria, Virginia-based public affairs consultancy founded in 2004 that provides integrated healthcare policy communications, media relations, and advocacy services to trade associations, coalitions, Fortune 500 healthcare firms, and national nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Affairs Consulting

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Affairs & Government Relations (MPAAADAE)

Keywords

• Healthcare public affairs
• Health policy communications
• Government relations consulting
• Advocacy campaign services
• Crisis communications healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Affairs Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for healthcare public affairs, policy communications, and advocacy campaigns. Revenue generated through retainer-based consulting engagements with healthcare associations, coalitions, Fortune 500 companies, and national nonprofits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Schmidt Public Affairs is a healthcare-focused public affairs consultancy that delivers integrated health policy and healthcare communications services. The firm helps associations, coalitions, Fortune 500 companies, and national nonprofits humanize complex health policy topics, position healthcare brands, influence key stakeholders, and shape public opinion in Washington DC and beyond through strategic planning, media relations, grassroots advocacy, digital/social media, and crisis communications.

Product overview

Schmidt Public Affairs is a single, unified public affairs service offering rather than a modular platform. The firm provides integrated health policy and healthcare communications services through nine core service offerings: Strategic Planning & Counsel, Media Relations, Messaging, Grassroots & Issue Advocacy, Events, Advertising, Digital & Social Media, Crisis communications, and Community Relations. These services work together as an integrated approach to help healthcare clients with advocacy campaigns, earned media, stakeholder engagement, and policy communications. The firm does not offer standalone software products but rather professional services delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of communications professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Planning & Counsel Designing the roadmap to communications success; providing strategic guidance and advisory services for public affairs campaigns for healthcare associations, coalitions, Fortune 500 healthcare companies, and national nonprofits.
• Media Relations Connecting healthcare organizations to the right media outlets and reporters through earned media placement and media outreach.
• Messaging Crafting clear, memorable, and actionable communications materials including op-eds, press releases, and thought leadership content.
• Grassroots & Issue Advocacy Turning target audiences into advocates through grassroots mobilization and issue advocacy campaigns to influence policymakers.
• Events Planning and executing advocacy events, Congressional meetings, and stakeholder engagement events for healthcare clients.
• Advertising Targeting audiences through online and print advertising campaigns to support public affairs objectives for healthcare clients.
• Digital & Social Media Optimizing messages for a digital world, including social media management, content development, and online advocacy campaigns.
• Crisis Communications Optimizing tools for rapid response and reputation management during healthcare crises and contentious policy debates.
• Community Relations Building connections with communities and stakeholders to further client advocacy and policy goals in healthcare.

Quantifiable outcome

• 46 published media articles and op-eds; 204,275,200 media impressions; $2,024,352.85 in equivalent advertising value for cataract surgery campaign
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Herald Group: Integrated government affairs and public affairs firm with healthcare, technology, and association clients — comparable scale and DC-based delivery model for healthcare advocacy campaigns.
• Mehlman Consulting: Healthcare-focused federal lobbying and public affairs firm working with providers, plans, and life sciences companies — direct competitor for healthcare association and corporate policy mandates.
• Marathon Strategies: Public affairs, communications, and research firm with a healthcare and policy practice. Operates with a similarly integrated service model competing for coalition and association advocacy work in DC.
• GCI Group: Healthcare-focused PR firm specializing in advocacy, policy communications, and media campaigns for patient groups, providers, and life sciences — directly overlapping service portfolio and client base.
• CURA Strategies: DC-based boutique strategic communications firm focused exclusively on healthcare, serving associations, coalitions, and provider organizations — directly comparable in size, vertical specialization, and service mix to Schmidt Public Affairs.
• Forbes Tate Partners: DC public affairs and public strategy firm serving corporate, association, and nonprofit clients on policy and communications — comparable boutique model and overlapping healthcare advocacy work.
• BGR Group: Established bipartisan government affairs and public affairs firm with health policy practice. Named in Schmidt's customer/partner data and competes for similar healthcare association and coalition mandates.
• Subject Matter (formerly Seven Letter): Washington public affairs firm offering integrated communications, advocacy, and crisis support for healthcare and other regulated clients — comparable boutique model serving similar associations and Fortune 500s.
• Avenue Solutions: Healthcare strategic communications firm working with hospitals, providers, and medical societies — listed as a partner of Schmidt's and directly competitive in the same healthcare public affairs and policy communications niche.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Health Practice (DC): Global PR firm's health practice and John Schmidt's prior employer. Operates a much larger, broader healthcare communications practice and competes for premium association and Fortune 500 mandates Schmidt also targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Schmidt_PA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchmidtPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schmidt-public-affairs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schmidt Public Affairs