Growth

Unlock Health Aims to Fulfill Industry Need for Unified Growth Platform

Brandon Edwards, CEO, Unlock Health

Whenever there’s an announcement about a major M&A move, it makes you wonder about the backstory. Why did Company A decide to acquire Company B? What did both sides hope to gain? What market needs did they solve for? And how will customers benefit? Unlock Health announced its acquisition of SPM Group on November 28, Read More

What Unlock Health’s Acquisition of SPM Group Means for the Industry

Amanda Seaford, CEO, SPM Group

The leaders of the two companies believe a combined organization, with a broad portfolio of capabilities, fills an industry need for a unified partner for all health care marketing needs. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // Whenever there’s an announcement about a major M&A move, it makes you wonder about the backstory. Why did Company 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

Meeting the Right People at the Right Time in a Fragmented Media Universe

Melanie Graham

Today’s media landscape is a far cry from the days of print magazine ads and TV spots. It’s fragmented across countless channels and media formats, making media planning more complex than ever. We sat down with Kara Rozek, VP, media at SPM Marketing & Communications, to learn how health care marketers can adapt to today’s 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

Virtual Care Stays True to the Brand at CHRISTUS Health

Jane Weber Brubaker

There are many options for expanding access through virtual care. CHRISTUS Health’s thoughtful approach is guided by its mission, and its recognized brand attracts new patients. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // When CHRISTUS Health launched its “On Demand Care” urgent care service in May 2022, some clinicians were concerned about visit erosion from the Read More

Physician Relations: Increasing Referrals and Driving Growth

Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA, principal at Barlow McCarthy

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

Jane Weber Brubaker

While health system marketing departments largely focus on consumers, physician relations professionals, aligned with business development, focus on building relationships with referring physicians, overcoming barriers, and growing referrals. // 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 Read More

Have You Created a Sustaining Health System Brand?

Suzanne Bharati Hendery, Renown Health

A strong and sustaining health system brand is a living organism. It is conceived from the system’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan. It is hatched from empathy. It is nourished and allowed to flourish when expressed in one voice. So how does a health system bring its brand to life? What steps must be Read More

Renown Health Brand Builds on Generational Legacy of Grit and Tenacity

Susan Dubuque

A strong and sustaining brand is a living organism. It is conceived from a health system’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan. It is hatched from empathy. It is nourished and allowed to flourish when expressed in one voice. And it is up to everyone within the organization to bring it to life. // By Read More

Successful Physician Relations Require a Multifaceted Approach

Endeavor Management

“Successful physician relationship management has been a longstanding goal of health care leaders,” says John McKeever of Endeavor Management. “No doubt its importance remains, but success requirements continue to evolve. If your organization is questioning what industry leaders are doing to maximize results from physician relations, you are not alone.” Here’s an excerpt from McKeever’s Read More

Struggling with Referral Growth? Align Your Physician Relationship Management Channels

John McKeever

// By John McKeever // When marketing, outreach, and operations collaborate to meet the needs of physicians, everyone wins. Successful physician relationship management has been a longstanding goal of health care leaders. No doubt its importance remains, but success requirements continue to evolve. If your organization is questioning what industry leaders are doing to maximize Read More

Report From the Front: Weathering COVID’s Ongoing Storm

Ann De Los Santos, director of physician relations and strategic growth, Ascension Texas

In spite of the population of Austin, Texas growing by a net of 150 people a day — and with it, an increase in demand for services — surgical volume at Ascension Texas dropped during the pandemic’s early days, when Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order mandating a pause in elective surgeries. “Our leadership Read More

A Strong Retail Presence is a Gamechanger for Summit Health

Summit Health

The story of health care over the past two years is the story of provider organizations adapting to extreme circumstances and constant change, which continues to this day; as of this writing in late December 2021, the U.S. reported 488,000 new COVID-19 infections, breaking its single-day record. But back in August 2019, no one knew Read More

Riding the Waves of COVID and Pushing Progress in Physician Relations

Jennifer Lofgren, regional director of network development, Loyola Medicine

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // The urgent need of health care organizations to make up for lost business during the pandemic creates an opportunity for physician relations teams to become the critical communications link between service-line leaders and high-priority referring physicians. In spite of the population of Austin, Texas growing by a net of Read More

Summit Health: Why a Health System Without a Hospital Makes Sense

Matt Gove, chief marketing officer, Summit Health

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // The story of health care over the past two years is the story of provider organizations adapting to extreme circumstances and constant change, which continues to this day; as of this writing in late December 2021, the U.S. reported 488,000 new COVID-19 infections, breaking its single-day record. But back Read More

How To Build an Extraordinary Patient Experience Program

Brand

“Truly exceptional patient experience programs thrive at the intersection of culture, engagement, and experience,” says Sally Mildren of Boss Lady Consulting. “This has played out in study after study by Monigle, PwC, McKinsey, Medallia, and many others. Good experience equals growth — in revenue, reputation, loyalty, satisfaction, and employee engagement. “Yet inconsistent consumer experiences, misaligned Read More

Expansion Facilitates Cancer Treatment for Orange County Residents

City of Hope

Getting a cancer diagnosis is bad enough. Having to jump on the freeway and drive two hours each way to access care adds significantly to the stress. But that’s what many residents of Orange County, California did when they needed highly specialized cancer care. “Your first shot is your best shot, because it’s really important Read More

Patient Experience + Brand + Culture = Growth

Sally Mildren, CEO and managing partner of Boss Lady Consulting, LLC

// By Sally Mildren // For patient experience to be successful, it must be woven into the culture, expressed through your brand and marketing, and demonstrated first and foremost to your employees.  Truly exceptional patient experience programs thrive at the intersection of culture, engagement, and experience. This has played out in study after study by Read More

City of Hope Expands to Orange County

Nisha Morris, vice president of marketing communications, City of Hope Orange County

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // To meet the expected demand for highly specialized cancer services in Orange County, City of Hope has opened four cancer treatment sites and is currently building a 190,000-square-foot cancer center, scheduled to open next year. A separate specialty hospital will be ready to open its doors in 2025. The Read More

Learn How (and Why) to Partner With Your Finance Department

Paul Szablowski, independent marketing consultant

Increased economic pressures caused by the pandemic and other factors are making it more important than ever for marketers to partner with their chief financial officers to develop a deeper understanding of finance and demonstrate return on investment for marketing spending. In this COVID-19 age of tight budgets and heightened expectations to produce results, it Read More

5 Keys to Building Stronger Relationships Between Marketing and Finance

Elizabeth Ward, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Tidelands Health

// By Brian Griffin // Partnerships between CMOs and CFOs can raise marketers’ profile in the C-suite and enhance marketing effectiveness. Increased economic pressures caused by the pandemic and other factors are making it more important than ever for marketers to partner with their chief financial officers to develop a deeper understanding of finance and Read More