Free Weekly Ezine

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.

How Marketing and PR Collaboration Can Help Address Staffing Shortages

Suzanne Bharati Hendery headshot

According to a recent report in Becker’s Health IT, health care marketing budgets have declined by 8 percent over the past year — down markedly from 2019 when budgets peaked. Marketing leaders also indicate that they are experiencing increased pressure to quantify results and demonstrate a return on investment. Aligning marketing and public relations efforts Read More

Geisinger Unifies Efforts to Establish a New Brand Platform

Don Stanziano, chief marketing and communications officer, Geisinger

In the aftermath of COVID-19, hospitals and health systems are pressured to do more with less. The 2023 Healthcare Marketers Trend Report reveals that marketing and advertising budgets have shrunk by 8 percent. At the same time, marketing departments are being asked to produce measurable results and contribute to business objectives. One strategy to make Read More

Healthcare PR: Strategies for Navigating Today’s Complex Media Landscape

Bryan Kawasaki, director, national communications, Providence

Public relations, or PR, is first and foremost about building and maintaining trusted relationships externally, with consumers and patients, providers, the media, and the larger community. We spoke with two healthcare PR leaders about how they forge those connections and raise the profile of their organizations to key audiences. Their work requires a multifaceted approach Read More

What Marketing Teams Can Do to Bring Awareness to Women’s Health Disparities

wendy-margolin-headshot

“When it comes to women’s health, there’s a lack of attention, funding, research, and education,” writes Wendy Margolin in a recent article. “From the moment we start menstruating, it’s a secret. Girls are often embarrassed to tell their mothers, which is partly what makes Judy Blume’s book and recent movie, Are You There, God, It’s Read More

Aligning HR and Marketing to Enhance Recruitment and Retention

Rian Brooks, manager of workforce planning and talent acquisition, Michigan Medicine

Health care industry experts have been sounding the alarm about the staffing shortage for decades, with a variety of factors contributing to the problem — the aging population, lack of nursing faculty, competition from other industry sectors, and burnout. Now, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and health systems face unprecedented challenges as Read More

How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market? Lessons From Emory Healthcare’s Rebranding Success

Amy Comeau, vice president of marketing, Emory Healthcare

Emory Healthcare’s rebranding initiatives enable the health system to stand out in Atlanta’s crowded market. Emory’s success should serve as an example for other hospitals and health systems looking to develop a successful rebranding strategy and drive growth. There are hospitals and health systems with reputations verging on veneration. But for all the world-renowned research Read More

Navigating a Health Care Rebrand: A Guide to Managing Your Assets

Brian Bekins

A successful health care rebrand requires two things: effective project management and clear communication. Your brand is more important than ever, especially for organizations seeking to be recognized over an expanding number of marketing platforms and sales channels. Shifts in the market, mergers and acquisitions, and other company changes also drive the need for brand Read More

How Aligning HR and Marketing Can Bring Your Recruitment Brand to Life

J.L. Grayson, director of brand strategy, Moffitt Cancer Center

The scarcity of health care workers is not new. Since the 1980s, there has been significant industry chatter, particularly surrounding the critical shortage of nurses. When COVID hit, demand skyrocketed, just as the “Great Resignation” struck. Workforce shortfalls threaten patient care and have significant financial implications. One study finds that labor shortages have cost hospitals and Read More

Conference Preview: SHSMD23 Connections Aims to Inspire and Challenge

Ryan Younger, vice president of marketing, Virtua Health

Each fall, the SHSMD Annual Conference brings together the best and brightest in our industry — from seasoned veterans to tomorrow’s leaders — for three days of sharing, growing, and learning together. This year, the health care strategy and marketing community will convene in Chicago from September 10-12 at SHSMD23 Connections. The conference is an Read More

Marketing’s Role in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Victor Reiss, vice president— Consumerism & Insights, UNC Health

DEI is about more than representation. It’s all about creating an environment where everyone feels heard, respected, and empowered. No other industry has more of an imperative to embrace DEI than health care as the path to a healthier future for everyone. At this year’s Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS23) in Austin, Texas, Read More

How Digital Wayfinding Improves Patient Navigation and Saves Money

Clay Anderson, global product manager of software, CenTrak

As a health care provider, how can you ensure your patients are able to easily navigate your facilities to access care when they need it? Health care facilities lose an estimated $200,000 per year due to scheduling conflicts directly caused by patient navigation challenges, reports Clay Anderson in a new article. First impressions are crucial. Read More

Hospitals Step Up Efforts to Curb Workplace Violence: What You Need to Know

Mark Moore, corporate director of protective and support services at Dayton Children’s Hospital

U.S. hospitals are seeing a dramatic rise in workplace violence. While some organizations are taking active steps to address the issue — including developing internal and external campaigns — more is needed: Only 43 percent of workers believe their organization’s policies against workplace violence are effective. In most hospitals today, electronic medical records and patient Read More

How to Navigate Today’s Fragmented Health Care Media Landscape

Kara Rozek, VP, media, SPM Marketing & Communications

Today’s health care media landscape is drastically different from the era of print magazine ads and TV spots. It is now characterized by a fragmented array of channels and diverse media formats, which has made media planning more complex than ever. Do you recall what media buys looked like five, 10, or even 20 years Read More

Empathy in the C-suite: The Role of the CXO in Patient-Centric Healthcare

Eugene Scioscia, MD, chief experience officer for the Allegheny Health Network

As hospital systems have merged and grown over the years, so have the number of executives occupying their C-suites. The chief information officer (CIO) was a creation of the 1990s, as hospitals began relying on electronic medical records. A more recent admittee to the C-suite is the CXO, or chief experience officer. So, what is Read More

Improving Health Equity: A Framework for Sustainable Change

Whitney Haggerson, vice president of health equity at Providence

Getting access to care has been difficult in many parts of the country for years. Even in densely populated urban areas, a shortage of physicians and clinicians often made setting appointments for primary and specialty care a frustrating experience. And then 2020 hit. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the staffing shortage and further restricted access. Today, Read More

Cleveland Clinic Reshapes Patient Access Through Process Improvement

lisa-yerian-squared

Continuous improvement of patient access is an enterprise-wide initiative, deeply embedded in and supported by the culture, and now reflected in every patient touchpoint, beginning with how patients start looking for care. Providing start-to-finish patient care — whether it’s scheduling a patient’s appointment with the right provider, providing directions to the care facility, or determining Read More

Hospital Billing Overhaul: Northern Light Health’s Reputation Rescue

Vince Galloro headshot

Hospital billing practices have a direct and significant impact on a health care system’s brand reputation. Take this first-hand account shared by Suzanne Spruce and Vince Galloro in a new article: “In August 2022, the Portland Press Herald — the paper with the highest circulation in the state of Maine — published a long article Read More

Healthcare Equality Index: How Does Your Health System Measure Up?

Tari Hanneman, director of the health and aging program at the HRC

The Healthcare Equality Index defines industry best practices for LGBTQ inclusion and recognizes progress achieved by health care organizations to reach their health equity goals. How does your health system measure up? Health care is a necessity. But not everyone has equal access to medical services, which can negatively impact a person’s long-term health outcomes. Read More

Expand Your Virtual Care Options to Improve Access and Attract New Patients

Jeff Stewart, system director of strategic marketing, CHRISTUS Health

There are many ways to expand health care access through virtual care. When CHRISTUS Health launched its “On Demand Care” urgent care service in May 2022, some clinicians were concerned about visit erosion from the primary care provider patient base. That didn’t happen. “Our primary care physicians who were initially skeptical, as you can imagine, Read More

Acute Care Telehealth: A Lifeline for Struggling Hospitals?

Teresa Rincon, RN, PhD, FCCM, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Graduate School of Nursing, and senior telehealth consultant with Blue Cirrus Consulting

Acute care telehealth expands access to care by connecting community hospitals with specialized experts, which helps to close gaps in knowledge and keep care local. When patients in a rural community get sick and need access to intensive care or specialized care, the typical small community hospital — if there is one — doesn’t have Read More