Health Disparities

Reflections on 25 Years in Health Care Marketing and What the Future Will Bring

Alan Shoebridge

// By Alan Shoebridge // Chris Bevolo, author of “Joe Public Doesn’t Care About Your Hospital,” shares his thoughts on the evolution of health care marketing in this Q&A. Here’s how he sums it up: “At the end of the day, we need to make things better, whether it’s marketing, health care, or the world.”

From Adversity to Action

Susan Dubuque, a strategist and writer specializing in health care and behavior change, was a cofounder and principal of Two Tango (formerly NDP Agency).

// By Susan Dubuque // The ACEs ECHO Program at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center brings new hope to children suffering from the impact of traumatic life experiences. Read on to learn more about the program and explore how health care marketing can play a vital role in addressing the needs of this population.

How Riverside Health Boosted Patient Engagement with Automated Audience Segmentation

Eileen Varnson, vice president, marketing, communications, and digital strategy, Riverside Health System

Last year, Virginia-based Riverside Health System set out to enhance digital communications with its patients in pursuit of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim. Eileen Varnson, vice president of marketing, communications, and digital strategy, determined that the best way to achieve this ambitious objective was to partner with Upfront Healthcare to adopt a personalized Read More

How Can Health Care Organizations Bridge the Digital Divide?

David Grandy, national vice president, innovation for Kaiser Permanente

For most Americans, expansion of digital health care at hospitals and health systems across the nation has improved the patient experience and medical outcomes. But for individuals unable to access broadband internet service or lacking ability or desire to use web-based tools, modern medicine’s benefits are beyond their grasp. Innovators at California-based Kaiser Permanente (KP) Read More

An Innovative Approach to Reducing Workforce Shortages and Burnout in Health Care

Debora Goldberg Ph.D., associate professor, College of Public Health, George Mason University

People stay in their jobs when they feel valued, respected, and where relationships and teamwork are strong in high-pressure environments. At a time of unprecedented change in health care, the twin challenges of workforce shortages and burnout have emerged as formidable adversaries that impact the delivery of health care services to patients across the U.S., Read More

Kaiser Permanente Leads the Way in Addressing Digital Health Care Equity and Inclusion

Caroline Franz, associate studio director, innovation for Kaiser Permanente

// By Brian Griffin // For most Americans, expansion of digital health care at hospitals and health systems across the nation has improved the patient experience and medical outcomes. But for individuals unable to access broadband internet service or lacking ability or desire to use web-based tools, modern medicine’s benefits are beyond their grasp.

Should Your Health System Invest in Nontraditional Partnerships?

Jared Johnson

Nontraditional partnerships provide unique opportunities for hospitals and health systems to enhance consumer experiences, expand service offerings, and address emerging health care needs. 2024 is a year of hope and new possibilities for health system leaders who look to do more, with fewer resources, than ever before. Amid uncertain financial forecasts, leaders increasingly look to Read More

The Rise of Nontraditional Partnerships

Dr. Creagh Milford, SVP of Retail Health, CVS Health

// By Jared Johnson // Health systems throughout the country explore nontraditional partnerships and find success as they seek to transform their consumer experiences. In our 2024 forecast, you’ll hear from leading innovators about exciting new partnerships with health systems in retail care, hospital at home, and other areas where they see future opportunities to better serve consumers.

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

How to Combat the Public Health Crisis of Black Maternal Mortality

title of article

// By Wendy Margolin // The U.S. is the only high-resource country in the world with a rising maternal mortality rate. As shameful as that is, it gets worse. One group of women — Black women — are 2.6 times more likely to die from pregnancy than White women, according to CDC. In a 2017 study, Black women were five times more likely to die from postpartum cardiomyopathy, preeclampsia, and eclampsia than white women.

Women’s Health Is Less Discussed, Undertreated, and Underfunded

wendy-margolin-headshot

// By Wendy Margolin // When it comes to women’s health, there’s a lack of attention, funding, research, and education. 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 Me Margaret, so charming.

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

Best Practices for Bringing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to Life

Deb Pappas, chief marketing and communications officer and executive champion for DEI Education & Awareness Pillar, Connecticut Children’s

// By Susan Dubuque // Executives from Connecticut Children’s, UNC Health, and Stanford Health Care share how they integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into the organizational culture. Read on for important lessons on advancing and operationalizing DEI efforts in your own organization.

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

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

Health Equity and Access: Addressing a Challenge That Too Many People Don’t See

Alan Shoebridge, associate vice president of national communications at Providence

// By Alan Shoebridge // 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, access to care remains constrained by that staffing shortage. Yet this is just one barrier to getting care. Systemic societal issues pose additional barriers for many communities.

How HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index Works to Address Inequities in LGBTQ Health Care Access

Althea Fung

// By Althea Fung // 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. In the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities, people of lower socioeconomic status, people who live in rural communities, and sexual and gender minorities often experience disparities in the health care they receive, according to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Improving Access to Care: How Health Systems Can Overcome the Obstacles

Lindsay Resnick headshot

Assuring timely access to care — an individual’s ability to obtain health care services — has always challenged payers, providers, and without doubt, consumers. The industry’s constant back-and-forth blame game over cost and access must end. Customers are listening, and so are competitors. Recent market moves are making care more widely available than ever before. Read More

Access Will Be Profitable — If Health Care Movers and Shakers Are Right

Access Will Be Profitable — If Health Care Movers and Shakers are Right

// By Lindsay R. Resnick, MHA // Assuring timely access to care — an individual’s ability to obtain health care services — has always challenged payers, providers, and without doubt, consumers. The industry’s constant back-and-forth blame game over cost and access must end. Customers are listening, and so are competitors. Recent market moves are making care more widely available than ever before. Billions upon billions of dollars are being invested in products and services that promise expanded access. The combination of retail clinics, telemedicine, homecare, digital health, and public/private insurance options has opened the access floodgates for many Americans. But access continues to be problematic. The thinking is that if you build it, they will come. But can they?

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