Professional Communications

What Professional Communications does

Professional Communications, Inc. (PCI) is a privately-held medical publishing company founded approximately in 1990 and headquartered in West Islip, New York. The company produces a catalog of more than 50 practical, evidence-based clinical reference handbooks spanning 23 medical specialty areas — including cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, neurology, psychiatry, rheumatology, vaccines, and others — and is positioned as a trusted reference source for clinicians for over 30 years. Its flagship product is "The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians," widely known in the field as "The Purple Book," currently in its 12th edition (2024).

The company's core offering is pocket-format clinical handbooks authored by recognized medical experts and designed as point-of-care references providing diagnostic guidance, treatment algorithms, medication information, and disease management protocols. Publications are available in both print and digital (PDF) formats, priced between $9.95 and $59.95 per title. The catalog is anchored by named physician-authors across specialties, and titles are issued in numbered editions (e.g., Vaccine Handbook 12E, Ulcerative Colitis 3E, Obesity 3E, Antithrombotic Therapy 5E), indicating a recurring refresh model aligned with evolving clinical guidelines.

Professional Communications operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model. Books are sold primarily through the company website (pcibooks.com), with additional distribution via the Amazon marketplace, phone-based PDF ordering, and a dedicated bulk/corporate sales channel for orders of 500+ copies managed by Publisher J. Malcolm Beasley. Primary customers are healthcare professionals — physicians, specialists, surgeons, and hospitalists — with secondary segments of medical students/residents and patients (via titles such as Taking Control of Your Diabetes). Revenue is generated through one-time book sales (print and PDF). The company has a strategic partnership with ASER (Society for Enhanced Recovery after Surgery), for which it publishes an official handbook. The company operates with 1-10 employees, has no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no public financial filings.

Name

Professional Communications

Legal name

Professional Communications, Inc.

Website

https://pcibooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Professional Communications, Inc. is a privately-held medical publishing company producing 50+ practical, evidence-based clinical reference handbooks across 23 medical specialties for healthcare professionals, sold in print and PDF formats via its website, Amazon, and bulk channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Reference Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical & Clinical Reference (Physicians, Nursing, Allied Health) (EDAGAGAA)

Keywords

• Medical reference publishing
• Clinical reference handbooks
• Physician point-of-care guides
• Healthcare professional books
• Medical specialty handbooks

Headquarters

HQ city

West Islip

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: One-time purchase model for physical and digital (PDF) clinical reference handbooks. Books are sold directly through company website and Amazon marketplace. Pricing ranges from $9.95 to $59.95 per book.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Professional Communications, Inc. publishes and sells a portfolio of practical, evidence-based clinical reference handbooks in pocket-book format for healthcare professionals. The catalog spans 70+ titles across 23 medical specialty areas (including cardiology, endocrinology, dermatology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, vaccines, and more), with titles available in Print and Digital (PDF) formats priced from $9.95 to $59.95 per book. Sales occur directly through the company website, Amazon marketplace, phone ordering for PDFs, and a bulk/corporate sales channel for institutional orders of 500 or more copies.

Product overview

Professional Communications, Inc. is a medical publishing company that produces a portfolio of practical, evidence-based clinical reference handbooks for healthcare professionals. The company offers over 50 titles across 23 medical specialty areas including Anesthesia/Surgery, Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Hospitalists, Infectious Diseases, Medicine and the Arts, Nephrology, Neurology, Obesity Medicine, Ophthalmology, Pain Management, Patients, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Sleep Medicine, Urology, and Vaccines. The flagship product is 'The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians' (The Purple Book). Publications are available in both Print and Digital (PDF) formats. The handbooks serve as trusted practical guides for clinicians, providing diagnostic guidance, treatment algorithms, medication information, and clinical management protocols across various medical conditions. The company has been trusted by clinicians for over 30 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Reference Handbooks (Catalog) Core catalog of practical, evidence-based clinical reference handbooks for healthcare professionals across 23 medical specialty topics, including Anesthesia/Surgery, Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Infectious Diseases, Neurology, Psychiatry, Respiratory, Rheumatology, Vaccines, and more.
• The Vaccine Handbook: A Practical Guide for Clinicians, 12E ("The Purple Book") Authoritative immunization guide covering vaccine program infrastructure, standards, regulations, recommendations, schedules, and vaccine-preventable diseases; the 12th edition (2024) includes COVID-19 vaccine information. Authored by Gary S. Marshall, MD. Listed at $59.95.
• Clinical Management of Ulcerative Colitis, 3E

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ASER (Society for Enhanced Recovery after Surgery)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnhanced Recovery for Major Abdominopelvic Surgery is an official publication of ASER. ASER is a nonprofit organization with international membership dedicated to the practice of enhanced recovery in the perioperative patient through education and research. The handbook serves as a key educational resource for ASER to provide to those interested in establishing enhanced recovery protocols at their institutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Elsevier: Publishes major medical textbooks, journals, and ClinicalKey — a clinical decision support/search platform. Comparable as a broad medical reference publisher whose portfolio overlaps with PCI's evidence-based clinical handbooks.
• Springer Nature: Major medical and scientific book publisher with extensive specialty handbooks. Comparable in producing authoritative clinical references for practicing physicians, though at a much larger portfolio scale.
• Wolters Kluwer: Operates UpToDate and Lexicomp, the dominant subscription clinical decision-support and drug-reference platforms. Competes with PCI for the point-of-care clinical reference use case, but at vastly larger scale and via digital rather than print delivery.
• Wiley: Publishes medical books, clinical references, and specialty handbooks across multiple disciplines. Overlaps with PCI's catalog in primary-care and specialty reference content.
• Oxford University Press (Medical): Publishes Oxford Medical Handbooks — a leading series of practical clinical pocket references. Direct format and audience overlap with PCI's catalog of specialty handbooks.

Direct peers

• American College of Physicians (ACP): Publishes clinical reference books and guidelines for internists and primary-care physicians — the same core audience PCI targets. Comparable as society-aligned, evidence-based clinical reference publisher.
• DynaMed (EBSCO): Subscription-based clinical decision support tool widely used at the point of care. Competes directly with PCI's handbooks for clinician time and budget, though delivered digitally via subscription.
• McGraw Hill Medical: Publishes well-known pocket medical references and clinical handbooks (e.g., Harrison's, Current). Directly comparable in format, audience (physicians/clinicians), and evidence-based clinical content positioning.
• Merck & Co. (Merck Manuals): Publishes the long-running Merck Manuals — clinical reference handbooks for physicians and consumers. Closely comparable in mission, audience, and pocket-reference format; offers the same practical point-of-care guidance.
• Lexicomp (Wolters Kluwer): Drug and clinical reference tool used by clinicians. Closely comparable to PCI's Drug-Drug Interactions handbook in subject matter (psychiatric and general medication references).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Professional Communications