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.
“There are three unmistakable truths,” says Paul Gauthier, founder and chief executive officer of MedicareCompareUSA. “The first truth is that approximately 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, making Medicare recipients the fastest-growing segment of the American population. The confluence of aging baby boomers, better lifestyle habits, and incredible advances in pharmaceuticals has resulted in 41.5 Read More
One patient, one blanket, a world of difference. That’s the theme of a recent campaign at Scripps Health to inspire people to donate $100 to buy a soft blanket for a woman undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Donors also are encouraged to include personal encouragement with their gift to support the recipient. Scripps is a Read More
Veteran copywriter and regular SHCM contributor Peter Hochstein suggests an interesting proposition: “Run some hospital advertising that flat out calls your potential patients nerds. Nah, come to think of it, that probably wouldn’t work, and might prompt some irate letters to your CEO. Well then, how about offering advice that sounds financial, and encourages people to ‘go Read More
Sometimes the best marketing opportunities come from just naturally doing the right thing for the people you serve. That’s certainly been the case for Beaumont Health, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. Its commitment to caring for the community extends beyond addressing people’s physical health to also supporting their mental and spiritual well-being through an array of Read More
Some of the greatest champions for your health care organization no doubt come from your service communities. A new campaign from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) shows how champions are newly motivated and empowered to take the lead in raising funds for causes they care about. Millennials and Generation Xers often naturally add viral elements Read More
“Before anything, Rachael Kagan, director of communications for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, wants you to know that the campaign her department launched is not an advertising campaign. It’s a branding campaign, she insists,” says veteran copywriter and regular SHCM contributor Peter Hochstein. “It wasn’t about drawing more people or business,” she explains. Read More
“One of the great pleasures of [Strategic Health Care Marketing] is tracking the innovative marketing approaches that are key to building consumer engagement,” says Linda MacCracken, senior principal at Accenture (and member of the SHCM Editorial Advisory Board). After numerous conversations with providers and technology innovators, and from reviewing trending analytic indicators, she has identified Read More
Do you wear a fitness tracker to count your steps or follow other health-related measures? Many people who access health care services within your system also probably use the latest devices to monitor details like activity level, amount of sleep, and blood pressure. All of this information can paint a valuable picture of health status Read More
You probably wouldn’t buy an appliance or book a cruise without knowing what it will cost. Yet historically, health care systems have expected patients to undergo various diagnostic tests, procedures, and treatments without any idea of what they will be charged. But times are changing quickly. While most patients are not yet comparison-shopping based on Read More
At the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) in September 2017, a group of health care strategists from the Middle East came all the way to Orlando, Florida to attend the presentations. When they introduced themselves to SHSMD representatives, they revealed that they had made the trip to attend Read More
Close examination of your referral patterns may bring to light some surprising gaps in your current practices that could be impacting your revenues. That was recently the case at Tampa General Hospital (TGH), says Katie Alexander, director of physician relations at TGH. But once her organization identified the problem using a Physician Relationship Management (PRM) Read More
When most people think of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), it’s usually in the context of service line promotion and prospecting for patients. But CRMs present similar opportunities and challenges for fundraising, too. The most effective health system fundraising campaigns focus time and effort building personal relationships with perspective donors. But for many health care organizations Read More
Is your organization truly on the same page as your physicians? If not, you may be missing important opportunities to maximize the quality and costs of the care you provide. Poor alignment among management and medical staff can cost you greatly—in lower patient satisfaction, lower physician retention, and reduced profit margins. “The relationship between physicians Read More
Following the ups and downs of health reform efforts is a lot like watching a tennis match. Spectators may find themselves getting dizzy as they try to follow the ongoing political battle raging in D.C. involving attempts to repeal some or all of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with a Republican-backed plan. Read More
The journey to selecting a health care system is not unlike the way people decide to buy a car, book a vacation destination, or hire a plumber. In fact, the basic consumer journey model can be adapted to almost any industry, according to Stephen Moegling, chief growth officer at Franklin Street, a health care brand Read More
Think back to the last time you went to a restaurant or store, and your server or sales clerk took the time to ask how your day was going or made an effort to form a personal connection. This probably made you feel welcome and left you with a favorable impression of the establishment. Incorporating Read More
Health care marketers today face many conflicting priorities, such as: Promote your organization widely. Protect patient privacy. Develop strong relationships with the media. Prevent journalists from coming into protected areas. Personalize your service lines. Don’t share patient names and details. Can all of these goals happen simultaneously without violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Read More
Health care marketers have lots of hurdles to overcome to achieve their organizational goals, and one of the biggest to conquer is ensuring your organization meets HIPAA requirements in all that it does. In a new story, we discuss how to effectively engage health care consumers via social media without violating patient privacy concerns. Jay Hodes, Read More
Duluth, a four-season city with 11,000 acres of green space alongside the great Lake Superior, has miles of trails and over 100 parks, providing a suitable back drop for a multitude of recreation activities. “The quote above, from Duluth, Minnesota’s Parks and Recreation website, helps to explain a population trend that inspired a hospital advertising Read More
Is your health system marketing its laboratory services to people outside your network? If not, there may be untapped opportunities worth pursuing. “Laboratory outreach, the practice of making hospital lab services available to customers other than patients, is gaining traction as hospitals increasingly view labs as potential revenue generators. In fact, lab outreach programs today Read More
When it comes to marketing your health care services, you may find yourself grappling with the challenge of personalizing your promotional materials without being able to share any specific information about your patients. This paradox can make it difficult to market your organization to the full extent. That’s also the case for pharmaceutical companies, which Read More
A quick search of the Psychology Today online directory for therapists in New York City turns up close to 5,500 options. With that much competition, the most successful practices are hard-pressed to find a way to stand out. Robert Reiner, PhD, executive director and founder of Behavioral Associates, a behavioral health practice on the Upper Read More
Health care organizations increasingly focus on improving the patient experience as reimbursement levels are now tied to this essential measurement. Further, when patients aren’t satisfied with their medical care or how office staff treats them, they are apt to shop around for a new provider. Yet all too often, areas where health care organizations invest Read More
“You know you’re in rural America when the front page of the local newspaper features a story about one of its delivery truck drivers finding his route blocked by a pair of obstinate moose,” observes Peter Hochstein, veteran copywriter and regular SHCM contributor. “It happened in Gloversville, New York, population 15,315, and once the center of Read More
“The health care sector lacks the rich marketing history of industries like retail or automotive, but today’s patients are more empowered than ever and the behaviors they display when seeking health care services or products largely mirror their shopping journeys for apparel, electronics, or any other household product,” says Susan Gullion, associate director of search Read More