In 2014, Edward-Elmhurst Health, a newly merged two-hospital system in the Chicago suburbs, wanted to find a way to differentiate itself from the dozens of other hospitals in the area. “We are in a very crowded health care market. We knew it would be a challenge to break through all that clutter,” says Sheri Scott, Read More
// By John Gonda // Investing in a physician engagement program may achieve better ROI than traditional consumer-facing mass media marketing efforts. Physician burnout is on the rise. Across the country, the ability of doctors to practice medicine and care for patients is increasingly affected by ongoing regulations and administrative requirements. As physician burnout increases, Read More
// By Howard Gershon, LFACHE // With the shift toward value-based care and the assumption of risk, many health care organizations are beginning to understand that they must address behavioral health in conjunction with physical care for patients. Behavioral health issues are in the news every day, whether it’s a national sports figure who has Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // Can simple charm compete for share-of-mind in a hot health care marketplace? Yes, if the charm is really charming enough. Here’s how it works in Richmond, Virginia. This probably isn’t the first time you’ve seen a bicycle treated so callously. It stands in a dusty garage, surrounded by other carelessly Read More
// By Sheryl S. Jackson // A newly formed alliance of three Federally Qualified Health Centers provides an example of how shared expertise and pooled resources are laying the groundwork for value-based care, with the ultimate goal of driving better outcomes and lower costs in Medicaid managed care contracts. One of the keys to success Read More
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Whether you’re at the pinnacle of your career or working your way up, the value of meeting with your peers and heroes face to face cannot be overstated. Twenty-five years ago, Judy Neiman founded what is now called the Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (the Summit). She had Read More
// By Althea Fung // Increasingly, brands are turning to celebrity endorsers with loyal and aligned audiences — and large social media networks — to influence consumer behavior. As social media has evolved, the Federal Trade Commission has also evolved its guidance on disclosure of relationships between influencers and advertisers. In 2014, Edward-Elmhurst Health, a Read More
When you have a great story to tell, you need great storytellers. Skip Hidlay came on board as senior vice president, chief communications and marketing officer, at the University of Chicago Medicine in 2016. His 30 years in journalism prior to making the transition to health care has served both organizations well. Hidlay was one Read More
“Value-based care models are on the rise, and health care providers and payers are increasingly aligning to control costs while providing quality care,” says Jordan Pisarcik, vice president of growth and customer engagement at DocASAP. Here’s an excerpt from Pisarcik’s new article: According to a recent report by Humana, value-based care initiatives are proving to Read More
Does your contact center delight patients and uphold the promise your health care organization makes to them? Or is it a pain point with long wait times, less than empathetic associates, and questions not answered? Kristen Bishop, associate director at Brandtrust, a Chicago-based market research and branding strategy firm, recently discussed strategies to improve the Read More
Quality and star ratings matter, according to Healthgrades: Patients treated at hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have a 49 percent lower risk of dying, and a 59 percent lower risk of experiencing one or more complications during a hospital stay than if they were treated at hospitals receiving a 1-star rating in that procedure or Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // Sometimes there’s more to hospital advertising than recruiting and reassuring patients. One thing’s fairly certain. When a hospital with facilities that are pretty much limited to the Boston area starts advertising in New York and other major metropolitan centers around the nation, they must be doing something other than trying Read More
// By Wendy Stark Healy // It’s essential to understand the emotional aspects of a patient’s interaction with a contact center, as people ultimately make decisions based on their feelings. Does your contact center delight patients and uphold the promise your health care organization makes to them? Or is it a pain point with long Read More
View from the C-Suite // By Jane Weber Brubaker // Under Skip Hidlay’s leadership, UChicago Medicine launched a new brand and a new website that helps the organization stand out in a crowded market. When you have a great story to tell, you need great storytellers. Skip Hidlay came on board as senior vice president, Read More
How to make the shift from transactions to relationships // By Jared Johnson // Health care is really good at creating transactions, but not so good at creating relationships. Today’s consumers are frustrated at health care brand experiences that fail to meet their expectations. Visionary health care organizations are listening more and more to the Read More
// By Jordan Pisarcik // Most providers do not have a digital access strategy in place that accounts for health plan initiatives, but greater payer-provider financial alignment will accelerate the need for a coherent strategy. Value-based care models are on the rise, and health care providers and payers are increasingly aligning to control costs while Read More
// By Marcia Simon, APR // Quality and star ratings matter, according to Healthgrades: Patients treated at hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have a 49 percent lower risk of dying, and a 59 percent lower risk of experiencing one or more complications during a hospital stay than if they were treated at hospitals receiving a Read More
“As health marketing strategists, we find ourselves on a frantic pace to reinvent,” says Linda MacCracken, a senior principal at Accenture and SHCM board member. “The new mantra for 2020 is to find, reach, and engage a higher purpose — that of unleashing trapped value. “Trapped value is the common challenge where digital and related Read More
“If you didn’t know the whole story, you’d think last October 20 was a less-than-glorious Sunday in Seattle,” writes SHCM contributor Peter Hochstein. “It was a football day, of course, and the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Baltimore Ravens 30-16. But for two local hospitals, Virginia Mason Health System, with about 600 licensed beds, and Read More
“Not that many years ago, you would commonly find ‘senior services’ programs in almost every hospital across the country,” says Daniel Fell, a senior strategist at Optum. “But somewhere along the way, despite the demographic trends confronting the health care industry that clearly point to a seismic shift among the health care population — mainly Read More
Hospital marketers have to be active on social media and online review sites, right? We know the answer is ‘yes,’ but who is it for and how do you do it well? A recent national consumer survey conducted by Wax Custom Communications showed surprising results about who follows social media channels and to what extent Read More
If you’re a big, distributed health network with multiple locations and thousands of employees, how do you make sure your employees keep you top of mind when they’re out in the community? “We’re a large 10-hospital network — soon to be 12 — with over 15,500 employees,” says Mary Beth Golab, director of internal communications Read More
// By Peter Hochstein // Properly done, the participation of sports teams can create impressive visibility and emotional involvement for a cancer awareness promotion. Here’s what it produced for the State of Washington’s Virginia Mason Health System and CHI Franciscan. If you didn’t know the whole story, you’d think last October 20 was a less-than-glorious Read More
// By Daniel Fell // How should hospitals and health care delivery systems think about serving the growing “senior” population? How can health systems better leverage data and technology to meet the needs of consumers and caregivers who will be using health care services at the highest rate over the next several decades? Not that Read More
// By Marlene Kurban // Hospital marketers have to be active on social media and online review sites, right? We know the answer is ‘yes,’ but who is it for and how do you do it well? A recent national consumer survey conducted by Wax Custom Communications showed surprising results about who follows social media Read More