Each week we email a tip or news that we are covering in Strategic Health Care Marketing. You can view the archives of this weekly ezine below.
When ChatGPT burst into the public consciousness in late 2022, it sent ripples of excitement and concern through many professions. Those working in public relations and communication were especially interested. Questions abounded. Debate ensued. Would AI be a helpful addition to our jobs that we could control? Or something that would end our work as Read More
One in eight women in the U.S. will develop invasive breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. In recent years, the rate of breast cancer incidences has been slowly increasing, particularly in women under age 50. But breast cancer is highly treatable when caught early. The five-year survival rate for women with stage 1 Read More
When a health care conference sends out a call for speakers nine months in advance, you might wonder how current the sessions will be by the time the live event rolls around. That’s where the Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS24) advisory committee — made up of industry leaders convened by conference producer Judy Read More
How do you craft a cohesive message platform that makes sense for an expanding organization comprising three separate religious congregations with hospitals and health care facilities spread across Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico? The answer? Build from your mission and stay focused on purpose. Jeff Stewart, vice president of strategic marketing for CHRISTUS Health, and Read More
For most Americans, expansion of digital health care at hospitals and health systems across the nation has improved the patient experience and medical outcomes. But for individuals unable to access broadband internet service or lacking ability or desire to use web-based tools, modern medicine’s benefits are beyond their grasp. Innovators at California-based Kaiser Permanente (KP) Read More
People stay in their jobs when they feel valued, respected, and where relationships and teamwork are strong in high-pressure environments. At a time of unprecedented change in health care, the twin challenges of workforce shortages and burnout have emerged as formidable adversaries that impact the delivery of health care services to patients across the U.S., Read More
Nearly every health system has a mission statement, and most are a version of “meeting the health needs of the community.” But bringing a mission to life — truly operationalizing it — is a different matter. Health care marketing budgets have declined significantly in the past year, and marketing leaders feel increased pressure to quantify Read More
Whenever there’s an announcement about a major M&A move, it makes you wonder about the backstory. Why did Company A decide to acquire Company B? What did both sides hope to gain? What market needs did they solve for? And how will customers benefit? Unlock Health announced its acquisition of SPM Group on November 28, Read More
Welcome to the first Strategic Health Care Marketing Advertising Showcase. Each month, we feature challenges, tactics, and outcomes of a multimedia advertising campaign — offering you strategic and creative insights from some of the nation’s leading hospitals, health systems, and health-related organizations. Opportunity This past holiday season, the Northwell Health marketing team saw the opportunity Read More
Traumatic injury of the brain or spine can be caused by a sports or work accident, age-related, or other medical issues. Whatever the cause, physical rehabilitation requires a significant amount of follow-up home care after a patient leaves the hospital. But all too often, social determinants of health and barriers to access impact a patient’s Read More
Those entrusted with communicating clear messages during crises know that such communication is successful only if people believe what is said is true. But the time to build that trust is not when a crisis hits. That’s too late. Trust must be built through years of candid, timely, frequent, and honest communication. The same can Read More
Political, social, and marketplace trends crisscrossing the health care landscape going into 2024 present actionable strategic and operational challenges — and opportunities. Overall, the 2024 forecast for the health care sector is “fasten your seat belts.” Investments in technology adoption or replacement, labor costs, spending on infrastructure, and a volatile economy translate into higher insurance Read More
About 1 in 5 people living in the U.S. are Hispanic, an increase of 23 percent from 2010 and 2020. By 2060, it is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans will be Hispanic. How well does your health system understand this population’s needs? If you and your doctor speak the same language, communication is easier. Read More
Nontraditional partnerships provide unique opportunities for hospitals and health systems to enhance consumer experiences, expand service offerings, and address emerging health care needs. 2024 is a year of hope and new possibilities for health system leaders who look to do more, with fewer resources, than ever before. Amid uncertain financial forecasts, leaders increasingly look to Read More
The continued growth in channels makes precision media buying more important than ever. Today, consumers have a seemingly endless array of media options to choose from, causing many health care marketers to ask: “How should I allocate my limited budget to maximize the effectiveness of media buying?” It’s a crucial question that will often determine Read More
When brand promise rings true for employees, organizations have a competitive advantage when it comes to recruitment, retention, and engagement. In health care organizations, the relationship between corporate strategy, culture, and brand is vital, complex, and often overlooked. But it holds immense potential for driving success. Across all industries, successful businesses achieve this relationship by Read More
What is the greater challenge: identifying challenges that health care public relations will face in 2024 or limiting those truths to a 1,200-word article? The answer is clearly the latter. Year after year health care public relations professionals see unanticipated new challenges pile up on those left over from the year prior until the hill Read More
The population of the Phoenix metro area is booming. During the past decade (2012-2022), the region gained 800,00 residents to surpass the 5 million mark in population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is good news for Phoenix Children’s health system, which is benefiting from an influx of young families moving into the area. Read More
Among the most important currencies in health care is trust. Meanwhile, trust in leadership today is at an all-time low. According to PwC’s 2022 Consumer Intelligence Series on Trust, 87 percent of executives think customers highly trust their companies. In reality, it’s roughly 30 percent. That makes thought leadership from hospital executives a key method Read More
Conflict between the sector’s “haves” and “have-nots” has been brewing for years and is coming to an inflection point. Health care in the U.S. has been very good to those who participate on the business end of the enterprise, but the comfort they enjoy is often at the expense of others. Those frictions are likely Read More
How can a health system make a difference in utilization, quality and outcomes, and cost — and improve engagement with underserved members of its community? This was the topic of a recent presentation at the 2023 SHSMD Connections Virtual Conference. Lindsay Cosimano is senior director of marketing communications at Nebraska Health Network, an accountable care Read More
Health systems rely on their communications teams to keep all stakeholders informed during a crisis and help to bring healing to the community in the aftermath, through empathetic messaging. At SHSMD Connections in September, three health system communications leaders shared their experiences following a crisis in their respective communities. “Sometimes the strength of the people Read More
An effective public relations effort can give organizations a megaphone to amplify health care brand recognition. As a faith-based, mission-oriented organization, OSF HealthCare (OSF), founded in the late 1800s, has historically met internal and external challenges through innovation. In the past decade OSF, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois and serving patients in Illinois and Michigan, has Read More
Last year, Central Pennsylvania-based WellSpan Health established two major goals to combat breast cancer and strengthen the health system’s market position: 1) heighten awareness of breast care services, and 2) increase mammography screenings. These relatively common goals for health care organizations are often supported by the same time-worn tactics that marketers have used for years Read More
A recent report on philanthropy trends in the U.S. describes giving as “getting bigger and wider.” The proliferation of big-ticket donations continues, with billionaires pledging to give away their wealth. However, growth in donations is not limited to the super-rich. Online donation platforms and social media campaigns along with the can-do attitudes of younger generations Read More