Minnesota Health Strategy and Communications Network (MHSCN)

What Minnesota Health Strategy and Communications Network (MHSCN) does

The Minnesota Health Strategy and Communications Network (MHSCN) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1996 through the merger of the Minnesota Council for Health Care Marketing and Public Relations and the Minnesota Health Strategy Network, with predecessor roots dating to the early 1970s. Re-established as a registered nonprofit in Minnesota in 2008, MHSCN serves approximately 300 healthcare strategic planning, marketing, public relations, and communications professionals working in hospitals, clinics, health systems, health plans, health advocacy organizations, and medical device companies throughout Minnesota. The organization is governed by a volunteer board and operates from offices co-located with the Minnesota Hospital Association in Saint Paul.

MHSCN's core products and services are membership dues (tiered from $20 for in-transition professionals to $450 for Gold group bundles covering up to 8 members), semi-annual conferences (summer since 1998 and mid-winter since 2004), a monthly Education Series, Member Connect virtual meetups, and an annual Awards of Excellence program with sub-categories including Spotlight (COVID-19 work), Professional of the Year, and Rising Star. The organization is affiliated with the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD), a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association, extending members' access to national conference discounts, free webcasts, and online course group rates.

The technology stack is minimal: membership registration, event sign-up, and the member directory run on the Wild Apricot membership management platform. Revenue derives from three streams — recurring membership dues, conference and event registration fees, and corporate sponsorships — with total annual operating revenue likely well under $1 million given the volunteer-driven structure and small membership base.

Name

Minnesota Health Strategy and Communications Network (MHSCN)

Legal name

Minnesota Health Strategy and Communications Network, Inc.

Website

https://mhscn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MHSCN is a Minnesota-based nonprofit membership organization serving approximately 300 healthcare strategic planning, marketing, public relations, and communications professionals through tiered membership, semi-annual conferences, education series, and an annual awards program, affiliated with SHSMD.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

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. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees at multiple tiers ranging from $20 for professionals in-transition to $450 for Gold bundles covering up to 8 team members
2. Conference and Event Fees: Registration fees for fall and spring conferences, education series events, networking events, and awards programs
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for annual Fall Conference and other events at various levels (Sustaining and Non-sustaining)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MHSCN is a nonprofit membership organization that delivers networking, education, conferences, and awards recognition programs to healthcare strategic planning, marketing, public relations, and communications professionals in Minnesota. Members gain access to a member directory, LinkedIn group, discounted event and conference rates, and SHSMD national affiliation benefits, while the organization runs semi-annual conferences, a monthly education series, virtual meetups, and annual Awards of Excellence and Spotlight award programs.

Product overview

MHSCN is a nonprofit membership organization (not a software product company) that provides networking and educational opportunities for healthcare strategic planning, marketing, public relations and communications professionals. The organization's offerings consist of membership services, annual awards programs (Awards of Excellence and Spotlight awards for COVID-19 work), educational programming through conferences and the MHSCN Education Series, and access to SHSMD affiliation benefits including national conferences and webcasts. There are no standalone software products, modules, or platforms offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Grown from about 175 to nearly 300 members since 1998
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019SHSMD is a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association and the largest voice for healthcare strategists nationwide. MHSCN became an affiliate in 2019, providing members with national conference discounts, free webcast access, and group rates for online courses.
• Minnesota Hospital AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMHA serves as MHSCN's home base and provides operational support. The volunteer board meets regularly at MHA offices. MHA representatives participate on the MHSCN board.
• Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (WHPRMS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Tri-State Conference bringing together healthcare communicators from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
• Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (ISHMPR)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Tri-State Conference bringing together healthcare communicators from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
• Nebraska Healthcare Marketers (NHM)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerJudges from NHM have reviewed and scored MHSCN Award of Excellence entries for multiple years.
• Improving (venue sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerImproving hosted the June 2025 education series event 'Sharper Writing, Smarter Video' at their Minneapolis location.
• Puke Rainbows CreativeminorOthersFounded by Erica Hanna, six-time Emmy Award-winning video director and producer who presented at MHSCN education series event on video production for healthcare communicators.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• AMA Minnesota Chapter: Minnesota chapter of the American Marketing Association serving general marketing professionals in the same geography. Overlaps with MHSCN's healthcare-marketing audience but is not healthcare-specific.
• PRSA Minnesota Chapter: Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America serving general PR professionals in the same geography. Overlaps with MHSCN's audience of healthcare PR practitioners but covers all industries, not just healthcare.

Broad incumbents

• American Hospital Association (AHA): National hospital trade association and parent body of SHSMD. Broadly comparable as a healthcare association with overlapping audience and policy focus, operating at vastly larger national scale.
• Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA): Statewide trade association for Minnesota hospitals and health systems. Provides MHSCN's operational home and infrastructure, while operating a much broader healthcare policy, advocacy, and member-services mission.
• Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD): The largest U.S. professional membership organization for healthcare strategy, marketing, and communications professionals; a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association. MHSCN is an explicit state-level affiliate of SHSMD since 2019, sharing the same customer persona and overlapping programming but operating at national scale.

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society (WHPRMS): Wisconsin state-level healthcare PR and marketing professional association. Explicit Tri-State Conference partner with MHSCN, with a near-identical member/event model and comparable scale.
• Nebraska Healthcare Marketers: Nebraska state-level healthcare marketing professional association. Serves as a partner judging panel for MHSCN's Awards of Excellence, indicating a comparable audience and model in a neighboring state.
• Illinois Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (ISHMPR): Illinois state-level healthcare marketing and PR professional association. Explicit Tri-State Conference partner with MHSCN, mirroring its membership and event structure for a neighboring-state audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MHSCN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/minnesota-health-strategy-and-communications-network-mhscn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Minnesota Health Strategy and Communications Network (MHSCN)