(Apr 17, 2010) The pressure has finally taken its toll: PositiveID (PSID), the microchip implant company formerly known as VeriChip, has hired a PR firm to clear up inaccuracies in the media about its products -- many of which originate from PositiveID's own Web sites and its annual report.

There's a lesson for managers here: hiding in a bunker and hoping that bad press about your business will go away on its own is a rotten strategy.

Only by being upfront, transparent and above all quick in your response to negative coverage can you nip PR challenges in the bud.

PositiveID has suffered for months from dismal headlines about its experiments on elderly Floridians with Alzheimer's and its plans to inject as many people as possible with RFID-enabled microchips that grant doctors access to their online medical records.

Until now, PositiveID had rarely responded to the press, and even turned down a request by BNET for a Q&A with CEO Scott Silverman to rebut allegations about the company.