Maybe It’s Not Marketing’s Fault

// By George Danner // I am not a marketer, but I have listened to conversations among our marketing team members and their clients about the difficulty of the marketing role in health care. When patient volumes and/or market share are down, the organization’s reflex is to push a single lever — marketing — in hopes of re-establishing normal business activity that the system depends upon for survival. “If we had more billboards…” “Competitor X is marketing more than we are…”

6 Key Strategies for Health Care Marketing Success in 2023

Health care marketing has entered a new “era of change,” according to Amalia Stanton, senior vice president and chief strategic communications & marketing officer at Memorial Hermann Health System. 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 Read More

Making Health Care Better for Underserved Communities: Viewpoints from HLTH 2022

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Which is better — Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) or Medicare Advantage (MA)? Sachin Jain, MD, MBA, president and CEO of SCAN Group & Health Plan, doesn’t think it’s the right question. “We all know we have a broken health care system, and we have to try in our own ways to make it better,” he says. Jain was joined by Cheryl Pegus, MD, MPH, executive vice president of Health & Wellness at Walmart, in a session at HLTH 2022 in November, “Removing the Filter from the Business of Healthcare.” The panel discussion was moderated by Matthew Holt, founder/author of The Health Care Blog.

Moffitt Cancer Center Partners With Corporations in Effort to Address Health Disparities in Underserved Communities

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 Read More

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

// 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

// 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.

Physician Relations: Increasing Referrals and Driving Growth

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 Read More

The Role of Physician Relations in Driving Growth

// 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.”

Health Care Trends That Dominated 2022 and What to Expect in the New Year

“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,” says Lindsay R. Resnick in a new article. “I hope my newfound perspective on these trends can serve as thought starters going into 2023. “This past year Read More

Options for Achieving the Strategic and Operational Imperatives of Call Centers

// 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.

Tips to Reduce Stigma in Your Health Care Marketing

Let’s talk about something that often isn’t talked about enough in the health care industry: health care stigma. But more specifically, the role marketing can play in impacting social stigma around medical conditions. If you’re embarrassed by your medical diagnosis, you will probably keep it hidden. You may not seek help, or if you do, Read More

Health Care Consumerism, Up Close and Personal

// 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.

Has Your Health System Adopted Person-Centered Care?

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 Read More

Health Care Marketers’ Critical Role in Reducing Health Care Stigma

// 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

// 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.

Tips for Effective Service-Line Marketing at Your Health Care Organization

As a health care marketer, you’re acutely aware of how important it is to not only acquire patients and drive patient volume, but also to engage and retain those patients in order to establish long-term brand loyalty and improve ROI. The history of service-line promotion dates back to the early 1980s when marketers built brand Read More

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

// 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.

Remote Patient Monitoring: Improving Outcomes and Reducing Costs

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 Read More

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

// 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.

Tips for Mastering Short-Form Video Production for Your Health Care Brand

“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?” says John Ferin, content strategy and development lead at ddm. In a new article, Ferin shares three tips that will serve you well Read More

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

// 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.

The Value Attack: Defend Your Health System’s Reputation

Gain control of the health care cost narrative, combat the tsunami of negativity, communicate the value your organization provides, and protect your brand.

A new Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar for healthcare marketers and strategists

Presented on Dec. 14, 2022

Your Presenters:

• Cynthia Charles, Vice President, Public Relations and Communications, North Carolina Healthcare Association
• Ryan Colaianni, Executive Vice President, Communications and Crisis/Issues, Revive Health

Watch Now »

Community Health Needs Assessment: Targeting Your Community’s Unique Needs and Concerns

Hospitals meet a vital need in the communities they serve. In 2016, hospitals spent $157 billion on financial assistance and community benefit activities across the country. To better understand the needs of the communities they serve, triennially, nonprofit hospitals are required by the Internal Revenue Service to complete a community health needs assessment (CHNA). The Read More

Southwestern Vermont Health Care Creates a Magazine to Meet Information Needs Identified by Its CHNA

Giving back to the community is a requirement of nonprofit health systems. This New England health care organization identified four priority areas and developed a print and online publication to provide information and resources for community members. // By Althea Fung // Hospitals meet a vital need in the communities they serve. In 2016, hospitals Read More

How to Set Your Health System Apart From Competitors? Try Niche Marketing

If niche marketing is defined as the business of promoting and selling a product or service to a specialized segment of a market, then Geisinger has powered its expertise for a specific population and area that is expected to grow going forward. Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA) is rapidly becoming a distribution and shipping hub for e-commerce Read More