Physician Relations

Subtopics: Physician Engagement, Liaisons, Onboarding, Referrals, etc.

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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

A Conference Hand-Crafted for You

Susan Alcorn, president, Alcorn Strategic Communications and counsel, Jarrard, Inc.

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // The Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS24) planning team has put together a star-studded program covering today’s top issues that will keep you educated, informed, and connected.

Aligning Advertising and Organizational Purpose Through One Mission

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// By Susan Dubuque // We’re all familiar with the saying “No margin, no mission.” The marketing team at Loma Linda University Health takes that philosophy to heart when it comes to strategy and execution of its advertising. Learn how you can concentrate your advertising efforts to produce the greatest result from a business and mission perspective.

Does Your Health System’s Referral Management Process Need an Overhaul?

Angela Pettigrew, director of Provider Connect, Texas Children’s Hospital

For complex health systems with numerous specialties and subspecialties, referrals are their lifeblood — particularly referrals from external providers. Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), a specialty pediatric hospital, was having difficulty keeping track of referrals. There wasn’t a standard process for sending and receiving referrals or tracking them once they were received, usually by fax, and Read More

HMPS 2023: Join the Crowd in Austin, April 17-19

Jane Weber Brubaker

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves, unwind, and soak up some inspiration for your biggest challenges, the 2023 Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS23) is tailor-made for you. This year’s conference reflects input from a wide range of professionals who helped shape each of the six content tracks. As a result, the program reflects the “voice of the customer,” with sessions that speak directly to the areas of greatest need.

Want More Referrals? Build a Better Provider Experience

Jane Weber Brubaker

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // For complex health systems with numerous specialties and subspecialties, referrals are their lifeblood — particularly referrals from external providers. Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), a specialty pediatric hospital, was having difficulty keeping track of referrals. There wasn’t a standard process for sending and receiving referrals or tracking them once they were received, usually by fax, and sent to individual departments. The number-one complaint from referring physicians was that they had to resubmit them multiple times. Feedback included statements like:

How UAMS Stays in Touch with Referring Providers

Keith Whitworth, director of marketing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Marketing is all about understanding the needs of your market and finding ways to show how your product or service is the best solution for meeting those needs. As marketers, you know that part of your challenge is keeping your solution top of mind when people are in the consideration phase. If your service is not visible, chances are you won’t be considered.

What to Expect From WebMD’s Acquisition of Mercury Healthcare

Jeff Herman, senior vice president of product management, Mercury Healthcare

When WebMD announced its acquisition of Mercury Healthcare in June 2022, the press release focused on patient engagement solutions. The headline reads “WebMD Health Corp. Acquires Mercury Healthcare, Building on Leadership in Patient Engagement Solutions.” But we learned that WebMD’s strategic vision is broader, also encompassing provider engagement. In a video explaining the vision, Ann Read More

WebMD and Mercury Healthcare: What the Acquisition Means for Physician Strategies

Jane Weber Brubaker

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // When WebMD announced its acquisition of Mercury Healthcare in June 2022, the press release focused on patient engagement solutions. The headline reads “WebMD Health Corp. Acquires Mercury Healthcare, Building on Leadership in Patient Engagement Solutions.” But we learned that WebMD’s strategic vision is broader, also encompassing provider engagement. In a video explaining the vision, Ann Bilyew, general manager and senior vice president of WebMD Provider Services, states that physician referral management “is similar to the patient journey in that it is about understanding each individual physician’s unique preferences and learning how to reach them in the key moments of care.”

Physician Relations Management and Market Analytics Platform Accelerates Strategic Business Plans and Drives Growth

Michael Suk, MD, JD, MPH, MBA, FACS, chair, Musculoskeletal Institute and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Chief Physician Officer, Geisinger

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // If your organization is investing in highly compensated specialists to grow your service lines and provide needed care for patients, you want those physicians to be as productive as possible as soon as possible, and you want them to be the first choice of referring physicians. Doctivity, a novel physician relations management (PRM) platform using proprietary algorithms, which launched in March 2022, is making it easier to achieve these critical goals.

How Data Modeling Can Improve Your Health Care Marketing Strategy

George Danner Endeavor Mgmt

Sometimes, the best input on health care marketing comes from an outside party. In a new article, George Danner, chief data scientist at Endeavor Management, offers a fresh insight on how data modeling can help improve the health care marketing process. He puts it like this: “I am not a marketer, but I have listened Read More

Maybe It’s Not Marketing’s Fault

// By George Danner // I am not a marketer, but I have listened to conversations among our marketing team members and their clients about the difficulty of the marketing role in health care. When patient volumes and/or market share are down, the organization’s reflex is to push a single lever — marketing — in hopes of re-establishing normal business activity that the system depends upon for survival. “If we had more billboards…” “Competitor X is marketing more than we are…”

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

// 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 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 the challenges. “Everything changed with COVID,” she says. “Now, if a liaison sees the same office person two visits in a row, it’s a surprise, so you’re starting over with relationship building, even to get in.”