Making the Shift from Journey Mapping to Journey Management to Improve Patient Experience and Health Outcomes

// By Rich Phillips // The U.S. health care industry is undergoing tremendous change — some might say disruption. This is driven by multiple factors, including rising consumer expectations, the significant cost of care noncompliance, and the emergence of nontraditional competitors. To thrive within this tumultuous environment, health systems are increasingly focused on two important Read More

How Much Does It Cost? Addressing Price Transparency

// By Althea Fung // Health care is in the midst of a shift toward a consumer-centric model — empowering patients to have a greater role in how their health care dollars are spent. But there’s a problem. It’s hard to shop around if no one can tell you how much services cost. A 2017 Read More

Women Make Health Care Decisions – Does Your Marketing Reflect This?

“While hospitals cater to everyone, their most influential consumers are women, who make 80 percent of health care decisions in America,” says Kathy Selker. Selker is president and CEO of Northlich, an independent full-service marketing and advertising agency. In our new article, Selker discusses how to connect with this key health care demographic. Here’s an Read More

Growing Focus on Outpatient Care Means Shifting Dynamics for Health Care Organizations

The business of medical care has been rapidly changing in recent years, becoming much more focused on outpatient care. Marketers have an increasingly important role helping their health care organizations navigate the shifting dynamics as they align more closely with physician groups to better meet patient needs in new and different ways. “We are seeing Read More

Digital Accessibility: How to Achieve Compliance and Create a Better User Experience

A new Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar for health care marketers, communicators, and digital strategists

Wednesday | May 15, 2019 | 2 p.m. Eastern

Your Presenters:

• John Mulvey, Founder, Digital Echo
• April Morgan, Accessibility Training Manager, AudioEye

Sponsored by Digital Echo

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers much more than ramps and rails. Today, accessibility includes the internet and the digital accommodations required for people with vision, hearing, or mobility impairments.

Compliance with accessibility guidelines isn’t just a moral imperative — it’s a legal one. With web accessibility lawsuits increasing every year, it’s not a matter of if, but when, organizations not in compliance will be sued.

Does your website provide equal access to people with disabilities, including digital content? In the recent past, digital accessibility was complicated, labor-intensive, and expensive, and often required disruptive website redesign. Now, there are efficient and effective technological solutions that take into account your resources, timelines, and budget.

Join us on May 15 and learn how you can remove the compliance burden from your team and offer a website that is more usable for all of your visitors.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How laws and regulations about digital accessibility apply to your health care organization
• The importance of compliance given aggressive legal challenges
• How to meet compliance standards and mitigate risk without burdening your marketing team or incurring expensive redesign costs
• How to ensure that your organization’s website is fully accessible, including improved user engagement, conversion optimization, and SEO considerations

You’ll leave this webinar with the ammunition you need to make the case to C-Suite leaders that digital accessibility is as much a priority as accessible buildings — and the risks of noncompliance are too great to ignore.

Register »

10 Ways Hospital Marketers Can Connect with Women

// By Kathy Selker // While hospitals cater to everyone, their most influential consumers are women, who make 80 percent of health care decisions in America. It’s important to segment and target by gender, but remember that women prefer gender-neutral marketing messages. With recent social media movements toward greater equality for women (in all realms, Read More

Physician Aggregation Helps Health Systems Navigate the Shift from Inpatient to Outpatient Care

// By Lisa D. Ellis // The business of medical care has been rapidly changing in recent years, becoming much more focused on outpatient care. Marketers have an increasingly important role helping their health care organizations navigate the shifting dynamics as they align more closely with physician groups to better meet patient needs in new and Read More

How MetroHealth Accelerated Its Market Research Program to Improve Patient Experience

// By Sheryl S. Jackson // There is no question that the most effective, successful health programs are designed with the patient in mind, but traditional market research — consumer surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews — is costly and time-consuming. The MetroHealth System, a Cleveland, Ohio-based health system with 7,800 employees and more than Read More

What Do Consumers Want From Your Health Care Organization?

Want to increase your health care organization’s market share? Think like a consumer. That’s the advice of Dan Clarin, CFA, senior vice president of Kaufman, Hall & Associates, a health care consulting, software, and data company. Improving access to care, aligning price with value, and providing better patient experience are key to increasing market share, Read More

Think Like a Health Care Consumer to Increase Market Share

// By Wendy Stark Healy // Want to increase your health care organization’s market share? Think like a consumer. That’s the advice of Dan Clarin, CFA, senior vice president of Kaufman, Hall & Associates, a health care consulting, software, and data company. Improving access to care, aligning price with value, and providing better patient experience Read More

Book Takes a Positive View of Health Care Achievements

There are many reasons to write a book, but Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, identifies the need for an objective look at health care that takes positive achievements into account as well as challenges as his reason for co-authoring Health Care Reboot: Megatrends Energizing American Medicine. “I was growing increasingly frustrated Read More

View from the C-Suite: Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health

// By Sheryl S. Jackson // In “View from the C-Suite” we share the insights of health care leaders from across the leadership spectrum — CEOs to CFOs to CMOs and more. This month, we hear from a health system CEO who co-authored a book that provides a different perspective on health care in the Read More

Wayfinding Apps Help Patients Navigate Your Facility

In 2015, The Jewish Hospital — Mercy Health, a 184-bed acute-care facility in Cincinnati, was in the midst of a massive expansion project when a problem arose. “We were almost doubling the size of the hospital. During construction, we had to close our main entrance. So we had all of these altered routes of traffic. Read More

You Are Here: Wayfinding App Improves Hospital Navigation

// By Althea Fung // In 2015, The Jewish Hospital — Mercy Health, a 184-bed acute-care facility in Cincinnati, was in the midst of a massive expansion project when a problem arose. “We were almost doubling the size of the hospital. During construction, we had to close our main entrance. So we had all of Read More

Stay On Top of What People Are Saying About You Online

For better or worse, in 2019, most organizations find that their online reviews have a profound influence on patient choice of a physician. In practical terms, this means you need to stay on top of exactly what people are saying online about your providers and facilities. This will allow you to respond to their compliments Read More

Do Hospital Awards Drive Consumer Decisions?

2018 National Consumer Survey: Value of Hospital Awards Results

A Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar on demand for health care marketers, communicators, and strategists.

Your Presenters:

• Craig Fairfield, Managing Director, Wax Custom Communications
• Amanda Herriman, Marketing Manager, Wax Custom Communications

Duration: 60 Minutes

Sponsored by Wax Custom Communications
This event is free for Strategic Health Care Marketing members to view thanks to our event sponsor.

Watch now »

Why Clarity in Patient Communications Is Essential

Studies show that patients do better when they understand their health and treatments and can speak frankly with their health providers and caregivers. Patient advocacy groups encourage talking in plain language, using everyday words, and speaking in easily understandable terms. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act defines health literacy as the degree to which Read More

How Two Patient-Centric Organizations Prioritize Health Literacy

// By Wendy Stark Healy // Studies show that patients do better when they understand their health and treatments and can speak frankly with their health providers and caregivers. Patient advocacy groups encourage talking in plain language, using everyday words, and speaking in easily understandable terms. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act defines health Read More

Hybrid Model Combines the Best of Emergency Care and Urgent Care

If your health system is in a geographic region experiencing rapid growth, it makes sense to capitalize on that trend and expand right along with the population. Hamilton County, a suburb of Indianapolis, is “growing by leaps and bounds,” according to Seth Warren, president and CEO of Riverview Health. Riverview Health’s primary location in Noblesville Read More

Putting Your Customers at the Center of Your Brand Proposition Leads to a Happy Union

// By Lisa D. Ellis // With a large and growing percentage of people turning to the internet to research their health care options, what your customers say about you publicly can be the deciding factor in whom new patients ultimately choose. This makes it essential to put customers at the center of your efforts Read More

Riverview Health Expands with Freestanding ER & Urgent Care Facilities

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // If your health system is in a geographic region experiencing rapid growth, it makes sense to capitalize on that trend and expand right along with the population. Hamilton County, a suburb of Indianapolis, is “growing by leaps and bounds,” according to Seth Warren, president and CEO of Riverview Health. Read More

Be Our Guest: The Importance of a Stellar Patient Experience

The last time you went on vacation, you probably enjoyed five-star treatment from the staff at the hotels and restaurants you visited. But while customer service is paramount when it comes to dining and accommodations, most health care systems don’t think to treat their patients like valued guests. The danger is that if you’re not Read More

View from the C-Suite: James Whitfill, MD, Chief Transformation Officer, HonorHealth

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // The term “transformation” conjures up a range of possibilities when applied to health care. It could mean technological innovation — new tools and solutions for providers and patients, or digital transformation. Is it the shift from volume to value? Or does it mean business process improvement and finding ways Read More

Five-Star Service: Treat Your Patients Like Valued Guests, or Else

// By Lisa D. Ellis // The last time you went on vacation, you probably enjoyed five-star treatment from the staff at the hotels and restaurants you visited. But while customer service is paramount when it comes to dining and accommodations, most health care systems don’t think to treat their patients like valued guests. The Read More

How To Market When Your Specialists Are Booked Out

In our new article, David Marlowe, principal, Strategic Marketing Concepts, and Strategic Health Care Marketing Editorial Advisory Board member, shares results from five recent nationwide studies he’s conducted of what consumers consider to be “reasonable” wait times for routine, non-urgent visits. Will this type of information give marketers the hard evidence they need to stand Read More