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Era of Change for Health Care Marketing: 6 Key Strategies for Future Success

January 11, 2023

// By Amalia Stanton // It has been 34 months since the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted our lives and altered the way we work — perhaps forever. This time period has been like no other for individuals working in the health care field, including the marketing and communications professionals who play a critical role in supporting operations, strategy, and the overall success of a health delivery organization. Similarly changed, consumers became less loyal to their health care brands, had higher expectations for ease of access and shorter wait times, and became increasingly less patient and forgiving.

Moffitt Cancer Center’s Health Equity Program Gives Business Opportunity to Improve Health of Local Communities

January 9, 2023
Althea Fung

// By Althea Fung // Although cancer affects all populations in the United States, because of various social, environmental, and economic factors, some groups bear a disproportionate burden of the disease than others. For example, Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than non-Hispanic White men. In addition, Hispanic women are 40 percent more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 30 percent more likely to die from the disease than non-Hispanic White women. Over the years, many organizations have tried to implement programs and interventions to address health inequities in cancer care and other clinical areas. But many programs have fallen short due to various factors, including funding.

The Role of Physician Relations in Driving Growth

January 3, 2023
Jane Weber Brubaker

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Connections between hospitals and doctors working outside the hospital aren’t as strong as they used to be. “So many organizations have realized we have completely lost touch with our primary care physicians,” says Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA, principal at Barlow McCarthy. “They don’t come to the hospital, they use hospitalists.” The pandemic has added to the challenges. “Everything changed with COVID,” she says. “Now, if a liaison sees the same office person two visits in a row, it’s a surprise, so you’re starting over with relationship building, even to get in.”

Options for Achieving the Strategic and Operational Imperatives of Call Centers

December 28, 2022
Yuriy Kotlyar is co-founder and CEO of American Health Connection

// By Yuriy Kotlyar // The explosion of digital health tools for communicating with patients can make call centers seem like yesterday’s news. Of course, experience shows health care marketing leaders the strategic value of a high-functioning, efficient call center. Many patients enjoy the conveniences of digital communication tools — self-scheduling, receiving test results and appointment reminders, researching specialists — when those tools can solve their problem. But even digitally savvy patients often need human assistance. They need help navigating the widening array of care options. They also need answers to myriad questions about their financial responsibility, insurance coverage, pre-authorizations, and other complex issues.

Health Care Consumerism, Up Close and Personal

December 19, 2022

// By Lindsay R. Resnick, MHA // As 2022 draws to a close, two issues have dominated industry talking points and sparked record-breaking investment in hundreds of specialty ventures: customer experience (CX) and digital health. I hope my newfound perspective on these trends can serve as thought starters going into 2023. This past year I suffered a spinal-cord injury. Multiple hospitalizations and extensive rehab have given me an eye-opening user’s view of the health care system. I’ve learned how little we know about delivering high-quality health care customer experiences and how often we mistake innovation for solutions.

Health Care Marketers’ Critical Role in Reducing Health Care Stigma

December 14, 2022
Cheryl L. Serra

// By Cheryl L. Serra // If you’re embarrassed by your medical diagnosis, you will probably keep it hidden. You may not seek help, or if you do, you may find under-the-radar, less-credentialed and less-qualified people. You likely won’t talk about your condition with others in your social circles, further limiting the availability of helpful resources and information you receive. Your medical care will likely suffer. An often undiscussed symptom of many conditions is the stigma attached to them that results in secrecy and shame around the diagnoses. Some of these include mental health and substance abuse issues, and smoking-related lung cancer.

44 Years of Person-Centered Care: The Power of Planetree to Transform Organizations

December 12, 2022
Jane Weber Brubaker

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: Health care is complex, dysfunctional, and slow to change. But one person can still make a difference. For Angelica Thieriot, it took a horrific experience as patient in a U.S. hospital in 1978 for her to imagine how different things could be if patients came first. Long before the term “patient experience” became a thing, Thieriot, a native of Argentina, took it upon herself to change things for the better in the U.S.

Marketers from Three Leading Organizations Weigh In on Patient Acquisition and Retention and What It Takes to Succeed

December 5, 2022
John Marzano

// By John Marzano // The history of service-line promotion dates back to the early 1980s when marketers built brand awareness of their organizations’ high-end specialty care using visual and emotional imagery to display the prowess of their services, physicians, and organizations. Marketing terminology referenced centers of excellence, and promoted an organization’s distinction as the largest, highest quality, best, or first program in almost all health care marketing and advertising.

Ochsner Health Expands Remote Patient Monitoring to New Patient Groups, with Improved Outcomes and Reduced Costs

November 28, 2022
Marcia Simon

// By Marcia Simon, APR // COVID escalated implementation of remote patient monitoring (RPM). Now, with the door pushed open, healthtech companies are competing to burst through and build clinical partnerships that stretch the boundaries of digital health. The potential for mobile health, which includes smartphone apps, wearables, and other monitoring devices, is massive. The percentage of physicians who feel digital health tools are an advantage for patient care grew from 85 percent in 2016 to 93 percent in 2022, according to recent findings from the American Medical Association, citing clinical outcomes and work efficiency as top factors. The AMA study found that nearly one-third of physicians across a wide range of specialties currently use remote monitoring devices for patients, up from 12 percent in 2016.

How to Make Short-Form Videos for Your Health Care Brand

November 21, 2022
John Ferin leads the content strategy and development team at ddm

// By John Ferin // So, you’ve been assigned to create a short-form video for your health care organization. Maybe you even have a ring light, a tripod, dedicated studio space, or a quality microphone. Now what? Anyone who can hit “record” and “stop” on an iPhone can make a video. To make your video stand out from a crowded pack, it’s essential to first think critically about the purpose of your video and its intended audience, then follow a few basic do’s and don’ts of production. Following these best practices can save time and energy later.

Geisinger 65 Forward Senior-Focused Primary Care Is Pure Niche Marketing

November 7, 2022
John Marzano

The over-65 population in northeast Pennsylvania is expected to double in the next decade. Geisinger is ready. // By John Marzano // Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) is rapidly becoming a distribution and shipping hub for e-commerce to reach roughly 60 percent of the U.S. within a day’s drive. Think Amazon Prime for a 1-to-2 day delivery Read More

Virtua Health Has a Message for South Jersey: We Are “Here for Good”

October 31, 2022
Jane Weber Brubaker

Brand positioning is more than a clever tagline or slogan. It’s a strategy and rallying cry that inspires an organization and connects a community. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // It’s rare in marketing that you get to start from scratch on anything. Wherever you jump on the moving train, that’s your starting point, complete Read More

Marketing and HR Join Forces to Elevate Nurse Recruitment

October 24, 2022
Susan Dubuque

// By Susan Dubuque // Nurse recruitment is vital to the growth and survival of every health care organization today. Here’s how one health system combined the talents of two disciplines — marketing and HR — to tackle it together.

Better Health, One Haircut at a Time

October 19, 2022
Althea Fung

Barbers across the country are helping their customers identify and prevent health problems. For Black men, these trusted relationships can be a lifesaver. // By Althea Fung // We all know the trope — men don’t like to visit the doctor. Unfortunately, for Black men, the cliché has all too real consequences. Black men avoid Read More

What Does the Primary Care Shakeup in 2022 Really Mean?

October 17, 2022
Alan Shoebridge is associate vice president, national communication for Providence

The pace of change in primary care will continue to accelerate. We should not be scared by this change, but we do need to act. // By Alan Shoebridge // Most of us have heard the saying that things change gradually and then suddenly. Is primary care having that moment now? After years of incremental change, Read More

Five Ways to Stop Patient Prospects from Ghosting You

October 11, 2022
Jessica Walker is founder and CEO of Care Sherpa

If you spend scarce marketing dollars to attract new patients to your high-margin service lines only to have them ghost you, a solution may be within your REACH. // By Jessica Walker // Does your practice invest heavily in generating leads through your marketing channels — social media, website optimization, paid search — only to Read More

SHSMD Connections 2022: An Industry Reboot

October 5, 2022
Suneel Gupta headshot

Four keynote speakers encourage conference attendees to rebalance, reassess, rebound, and reset. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // The art of planning a conference involves taking the pulse of an industry, reflecting on the major themes, and creating a program that recharges attendees with inspirational ideas and the opportunity to build deeper connections with each Read More

How to Improve Outcomes and Exceed Patient Expectations with RPM and IoT

October 3, 2022
apexon-logo

Real-time connections between patients and providers — inside and outside the four walls of hospitals — offer benefits to both. What are the strategic implications? // By Chintan Prajapati // Higher consumer expectations, increased digitization, and the Covid-19 pandemic have all contributed to the trend toward monitoring patient health remotely. This new frontier has ushered Read More

Monigle Survey Ranks the Most Humanized Health Care Brand Experiences

September 26, 2022
Althea Fung

When providers demonstrate warmth and an empathetic, human view of health care, it matters to consumers. // By Althea Fung // People respond to people. But with the rise of technology in marketing, many brands sound less and less human. This is particularly true in health care, where organizations haven’t traditionally been consumer-centric. But some Read More

Establishing Brand Relevance with the Language of Love

September 12, 2022
dunlop-gonthier

When we connect with stakeholders on an emotional level, we forge strong attachments that drive the behaviors and bottom-line results we all want. // By Dan Dunlop and Stephanie Gonthier // Health care organizations currently face a number of significant challenges: recruitment and retention, DEI-related reforms, addressing health inequities in the communities we serve, and Read More

Raising Louisiana’s Health Esteem

September 6, 2022
John Marzano

// By John Marzano // Health system brands have been built the same way for 40 years, with a focus on self-promotion: If you get sick, we’re the absolute best to treat you and get you on the road to recovery. But if the past two-plus years have taught us anything, it’s that this approach may no longer be enough to carry us into the future.

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