Political, social, and marketplace trends crisscrossing the health care landscape going into 2024 present actionable strategic and operational challenges — and opportunities. Overall, the 2024 forecast for the health care sector is “fasten your seat belts.” Investments in technology adoption or replacement, labor costs, spending on infrastructure, and a volatile economy translate into higher insurance Read More
About 1 in 5 people living in the U.S. are Hispanic, an increase of 23 percent from 2010 and 2020. By 2060, it is estimated that 1 in 4 Americans will be Hispanic. How well does your health system understand this population’s needs? If you and your doctor speak the same language, communication is easier. Read More
// By Ross K. Goldberg // Editor’s Note: This article kicks off our Q1 series on Advertising — and what better place to begin than with the ingredient most essential for successful advertising: TRUST.
// By Lindsay Resnick, MHA // Overall, the 2024 forecast for the health care sector is “fasten your seat belts.” Investments in technology adoption or replacement, labor costs, spending on infrastructure, and a volatile economy translate into higher insurance premiums, rising hospital and physician fees, and increased drug prices. It’s time to end the blame game finger-pointing that’s consumed the industry and move the health care sector toward an environment of collaboration.
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // If you and your doctor speak the same language, communication is easier. And if you live in certain neighborhoods, have health insurance, and understand how it works, if you have a way to get to your appointments, you have clear advantages.
What is the greater challenge: identifying challenges that health care public relations will face in 2024 or limiting those truths to a 1,200-word article? The answer is clearly the latter. Year after year health care public relations professionals see unanticipated new challenges pile up on those left over from the year prior until the hill Read More
// By Ross K. Goldberg // What is the greater challenge: identifying challenges that health care public relations will face in 2024 or limiting those truths to a 1,200-word article? The answer is clearly the latter. Year after year health care public relations professionals see unanticipated new challenges pile up on those left over from the year prior until the hill becomes so high that scaling Mount Whitney seems to be an easier task. 2024 looks to be no different.
Among the most important currencies in health care is trust. Meanwhile, trust in leadership today is at an all-time low. According to PwC’s 2022 Consumer Intelligence Series on Trust, 87 percent of executives think customers highly trust their companies. In reality, it’s roughly 30 percent. That makes thought leadership from hospital executives a key method Read More
// By Wendy Margolin // Among the most important currencies in health care is trust. Meanwhile, trust in leadership today is at an all-time low. According to PwC’s 2022 Consumer Intelligence Series on Trust, 87 percent of executives think customers highly trust their companies. In reality, it’s roughly 30 percent. That makes thought leadership from hospital executives a key method of cultivating stakeholder trust. The more leaders are accessible and knowable, the more employees and patients can trust the institutions they guide.
Public relations, or PR, is first and foremost about building and maintaining trusted relationships externally, with consumers and patients, providers, the media, and the larger community. We spoke with two healthcare PR leaders about how they forge those connections and raise the profile of their organizations to key audiences. Their work requires a multifaceted approach Read More
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // No matter how large or small or rural or urban a health care organization is, there are certain universal truths that apply when it comes to being the guardian of its reputation in the community. But the way public relations and communications teams approach things may vary greatly depending on how they are structured, the strategic priorities of their organizations, and the needs of the community.
Health care marketers are sometimes on the defensive when proposing budgets to their CEOs and CFOs, feeling the pressure to justify the expense and project the expected return on investment — especially for “softer” initiatives like brand building. So, it was refreshing to hear a different perspective from Bill Robertson, CEO of MultiCare, a 12-hospital Read More
// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Health care marketers are sometimes on the defensive when proposing budgets to their CEOs and CFOs, feeling the pressure to justify the expense and project the expected return on investment — especially for “softer” initiatives like brand building.
One of the oldest and truest axioms in consumer advertising is that the most successful and persuasive messaging finds a way to turn a feature into a benefit. Nowhere is this on greater display than in health care, and smart public relations professionals have known this for years. The fact that your hospital operates a Read More
U.S. hospitals are seeing a dramatic rise in workplace violence. While some organizations are taking active steps to address the issue — including developing internal and external campaigns — more is needed: Only 43 percent of workers believe their organization’s policies against workplace violence are effective. In most hospitals today, electronic medical records and patient Read More
// By Ross K. Goldberg // One of the oldest and truest axioms in consumer advertising is that the most successful and persuasive messaging finds a way to turn a feature into a benefit. Nowhere is this on greater display than in health care, and smart public relations professionals have known this for years. The fact that your hospital operates a 24-hour emergency department is a feature. The fact that “we’re here to take care of your child at 3 a.m. when you don’t know where to turn” is a benefit.
// By John Marzano // U.S. hospitals are seeing a dramatic rise in workplace violence. While some organizations are taking active steps to address the issue — including developing internal and external campaigns — more is needed: Only 43 percent of workers believe their organization’s policies against workplace violence are effective.
As health care costs in the U.S. continue to rise, hospitals haven taken a disproportionate share of the blame in the media. While they bear some responsibility, current news coverage pins most of the blame on them. So how can your health system take control of the health care cost narrative? The cost of health Read More
// By John Marzano // Health care costs in the U.S. continue to rise. Who’s responsible? There are many contributors, but hospitals are taking a disproportionate share of the blame in the media. While they bear some responsibility, current news coverage pins most of the blame on them. How can health systems take charge of the narrative?
More than 20 years ago, Brenda Reiss-Brennan, PhD, APRN, recalls being invited by Intermountain Healthcare (IH) primary care doctors to help improve the quality of mental health care for their patients and families. She recalls the doctors’ challenge: “Our biggest burden is stress, substance use, domestic violence, and depression our families are coming in with,” Read More
// By Cheryl L. Serra // Fragmentation and lack of coordination in health care are still rampant. Intermountain Healthcare has proven that a team-based, holistic approach to mental health, rooted in primary care and enabled through technology, improves outcomes and reduces cost. More than 20 years ago, Brenda Reiss-Brennan, PhD, APRN, recalls being invited by Read More
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has become the new challenge in conquering the pandemic. Getting vaccines into the arms of vulnerable populations, including underserved communities of color, is a priority despite systemic distrust of the medical field resulting from generations of disparities in health care. “Medical institutions really have to find a way to speak the language Read More
// By Marcia Simon, APR // Who wants to be part of a herd anyway? So why not call “herd immunity” “community immunity” instead? Hip Hop Public Health promotes Community Immunity as the ultimate act of love. Who doesn’t want more of that? COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has become the new challenge in conquering the pandemic. Getting Read More
// By Paula Serios // In Part 1 of this two-part series, we looked at surprising results from a proprietary national study. Two cohorts — Innovators and Early Adopters — have the potential to consume more health services and generate higher revenues than any other. The key is to understand what makes them tick, and Read More