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.
The evening of January 11, 2018, Steve Long, president and CEO of Hancock Health and Hancock Regional Hospital, got a call he’s not likely to soon forget. “Our administrator on call had received a call from the lab. They said there is something wrong with our computers,” says Long. Not long after, the nursing staff Read More
Consumerism is driving all industries to innovate, and health care is no exception. The ideal state is a digitally enabled, frictionless consumer experience. But in a highly complex industry like health care that has traditionally operated with a command-and-control vs. consumer-centric mindset, it’s a massive change. Adding to the cultural challenges, the pain points on Read More
“Health consumerism continues to revolutionize the health care industry,” says Ken Robbins, founder and president of Response Mine Interactive (RMI). “The days when patients blindly followed their doctors’ recommendations — often without a single question asked — are long gone. Today, physicians and health care organizations face a much more engaged and empowered population. Patients are playing Read More
“In the occupational medicine business, quality service delivery is the differentiator,” says Terri Hanlon-Bremer, vice president of employer solutions at TriHealth in Cincinnati. “If a company is not happy with your service, they will quickly change to another provider.” Health care marketers are always looking for new ways to reach consumers through social media platforms, Read More
Pediatric hospitals and other facilities that treat children face a number of marketing challenges that health providers treating adults do not face. The two most significant barriers health care marketers must overcome are that they are marketing to parents, not the actual potential patient, and that parents do not want to think about children being Read More
When Strategic Health Care Marketing caught up with Marc Cenedella, founder and CEO of Ladders, a popular high-end career website, he reiterated what we first heard last spring: “It’s the greatest market in 50 years.” “Job candidates don’t have the time of day,” he says. “They’re very busy. People have three or four conversations going, Read More
The Strategic Health Care Marketing Editorial Advisory Board is made up of leaders in the health care marketing field who are committed to shaping the future of the industry. They offer ongoing feedback on our editorial coverage, write occasional articles, and point us to developments and people SHCM members like you should know about. I am very pleased to announce that Edward M. Rafalski, Ph.D., MPH, FACHE, and Kathy Selker have joined this elite group.
If you’ve ever had a physician demand a billboard that wasn’t in your budget — and who hasn’t? — you can attest to the value of a well-constructed marketing plan. It gives you a blueprint to guide your marketing activities throughout the year, and arms you to defend against misguided requests. What are the components Read More
“The U.S. health care industry is undergoing tremendous change — some might say disruption,” says Rich Phillips, CEO and co-founder of Customer Evolution. “This is driven by multiple factors, including rising consumer expectations, the significant cost of care noncompliance, and the emergence of nontraditional competitors.” In his new article, Phillips explains why health care marketers Read More
“Telemedicine is more than a nascent trend — it’s here to stay,” according to Kathy Selker, president and CEO of Northlich, an independent, full-service marketing and advertising agency. Selker’s new article explores how technology, such as wearables, can help patients with chronic conditions better monitor their health — and how marketers can connect with and Read More
A 2017 price transparency study published in the journal Hospital Pediatrics found 30 out of 45 pediatric hospitals contacted provided price estimates. Only 12 of the 30 that provided estimates had online price calculators. A new price transparency guideline from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which went into effect in January, is Read More
Your hospital may get high marks for caring for patients, but how well does it measure up in caring for your employees’ health? The Kansas Hospital Association (KHA) is taking a leadership role in encouraging a growing number of health systems to serve up more nutritious options in their cafeterias and vending machines, with the Read More
“While hospitals cater to everyone, their most influential consumers are women, who make 80 percent of health care decisions in America,” says Kathy Selker. Selker is president and CEO of Northlich, an independent full-service marketing and advertising agency. In our new article, Selker discusses how to connect with this key health care demographic. Here’s an Read More
The business of medical care has been rapidly changing in recent years, becoming much more focused on outpatient care. Marketers have an increasingly important role helping their health care organizations navigate the shifting dynamics as they align more closely with physician groups to better meet patient needs in new and different ways. “We are seeing Read More
For well over a century, Flagler Hospital has gone to great lengths to care for the physical health of residents living in St. John’s County in northeastern Florida. But while its commitment to health has remained constant over the decades, in recent years its focus has broadened beyond the physical aspects of providing inpatient care Read More
Want to increase your health care organization’s market share? Think like a consumer. That’s the advice of Dan Clarin, CFA, senior vice president of Kaufman, Hall & Associates, a health care consulting, software, and data company. Improving access to care, aligning price with value, and providing better patient experience are key to increasing market share, Read More
There are many reasons to write a book, but Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, identifies the need for an objective look at health care that takes positive achievements into account as well as challenges as his reason for co-authoring Health Care Reboot: Megatrends Energizing American Medicine. “I was growing increasingly frustrated Read More
Many great stories exist at Cape Cod Healthcare (CCHC), just waiting to be told. Yet until recently, there was a shortage of opportunities and avenues to share most of them, says Patrick Kane, senior vice president, communications and business development of CCHC. This prompted Kane to take matters into his own hands to create a Read More
Permanente Medical Group leaders set out to create a unified brand for its eight medical groups around the country, the health system’s physician leaders went on the road to engage with physicians and patients at every single location. The findings have enabled the medical groups to be developed as an “ingredient brand” to bring value Read More
In 2015, The Jewish Hospital — Mercy Health, a 184-bed acute-care facility in Cincinnati, was in the midst of a massive expansion project when a problem arose. “We were almost doubling the size of the hospital. During construction, we had to close our main entrance. So we had all of these altered routes of traffic. Read More
“There are about 2.5 million people addicted to opioids, but only 10 to 20 percent of them get help,” says Andrey Ostrovsky, MD, chief medical officer at Solera Health (and former CMO of Medicaid). Solera Health is an “integrated health network” that “connects patients, providers, and physicians to a network of partners who are preventing Read More
For better or worse, in 2019, most organizations find that their online reviews have a profound influence on patient choice of a physician. In practical terms, this means you need to stay on top of exactly what people are saying online about your providers and facilities. This will allow you to respond to their compliments Read More
What message is your organization’s culture sending to your employees? If it doesn’t tell the people you employ that you value their input, you’re missing an important chance to get them more engaged in your day-to-day operations. You may also be losing out on a valuable differentiator in a competitive marketplace. At Tri-State Memorial Hospital Read More
Studies show that patients do better when they understand their health and treatments and can speak frankly with their health providers and caregivers. Patient advocacy groups encourage talking in plain language, using everyday words, and speaking in easily understandable terms. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act defines health literacy as the degree to which Read More
If your health system is in a geographic region experiencing rapid growth, it makes sense to capitalize on that trend and expand right along with the population. Hamilton County, a suburb of Indianapolis, is “growing by leaps and bounds,” according to Seth Warren, president and CEO of Riverview Health. Riverview Health’s primary location in Noblesville Read More