Subtopics: Social Marketing, Value-Based Care, etc.
// By Lisa D. Ellis // At a children’s hospital in Massachusetts, families of patients trying to park their cars in the very crowded multilevel garage will find a valet waiting at the top level to take the vehicle for them if the lot is full. This helps to relieve parents’ stress and makes a Read More
“Consumer engagement is one of those terms-of-the-moment in marketing to which marketers apply a variety of meanings,” says John Brand, senior director of marketing and public relations at St. Luke’s University Health Network. He says his organization defines “engagement” as “compelling consumers to take action on behalf of our brand, primarily in social spaces.” Brand says Read More
“[T]here are few departments within a hospital that juggle more responsibilities, impact the organization’s brand as dramatically, or have as visible a role in telling the hospital’s story” as the PR and marketing departments, notes Tom Mone. “That said, there is one story that hasn’t been told as often or as boldly as it should. Read More
// By John Brand // Consumer engagement is one of those terms-of-the-moment in marketing to which marketers apply a variety of meanings. At St. Luke’s University Health Network, a seven-hospital health system spread across northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey, we define it as compelling consumers to take action on behalf of our brand, primarily Read More
// By Lisa D. Ellis // What trends should be on your radar screen as you navigate the ever-changing health care field? Find out what a group of experts say is coming down the road so you can help your organization be prepared for whatever comes next. SHSMD’s Futurescan 2017-2022: Health Care Trends and Implications Read More
// By Tom Mone // No hospital public relations or marketing department is sitting around looking for something to do. In truth, there are few departments within a hospital that juggle more responsibilities, impact the organization’s brand as dramatically, or have as visible a role in telling the hospital’s story. That said, there is one Read More
“Your health system or hospital story doesn’t matter—until it does,” says Eric Brody. “What matters is simply how your story fits into the lives of your audience.” Brody is president of Trajectory, a national branding and marketing agency. He notes that while this simple concept is tough to deliver on, it’s also critical to your success Read More
It probably comes as no surprise that in 2017, people are relying on smartphones more than ever before. And most of them go beyond using these devices to make calls, send texts, and check their emails. They also go mobile to search for information, find services in their neighborhoods, and get directions. This trend has Read More
// By Lisa D. Ellis // Clinical service department profitability is a constant challenge for hospitals. But what’s changed is just about everything else. It probably comes as no surprise that in 2017, people are relying on smartphones more than ever before. And most of them go beyond using these devices to make calls, send Read More
// By Eric Brody // Your health system or hospital story doesn’t matter—until it does. What matters is simply how your story fits into the lives of your audience. This simple concept is tough to deliver on, but it’s also critical to your success as a health care marketer. It really comes down to the Read More
Notable Healthcare Advertising // By Peter Hochstein // In the Champlain Valley of upstate New York, where the nearest big city is Plattsburgh, population just short of 20,000, and the prevailing ethos is blue collar, 300-bed Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital had a problem. “ When you think of the kind of male who lives in Read More
A new educational campaign led by Lenox Hill Hospital has rallied together an impressive array of big and small public and private groups in New York City to fight against a common problem: the incidence of diabetes in the Latino community. “Hispanics are almost twice as likely as non-Hispanics to be diagnosed with diabetes and Read More
// By Lisa D. Ellis // A new educational campaign led by Lenox Hill Hospital has rallied together an impressive array of big and small public and private groups in New York City to fight against a common problem: the incidence of diabetes in the Latino community. Rallying Around a Common Problem “Hispanics are almost Read More
“Call centers in health care used to be treated like the ugly stepchild of the health system, banished to the basement of some administrative building and populated with low-performing employees,” says Robin Snow, founder and principal of Aefinity Interactive, LLC. “Because it was seen as a necessary evil, most executives treated the call center as Read More
// By Robin Snow // Call centers in health care used to be treated like the ugly stepchild of the health system, banished to the basement of some administrative building and populated with low-performing employees. Because it was seen as a necessary evil, most executives treated the call center as a cost center. Under this Read More
What if you were in a foreign country and needed emergency medical care but couldn’t communicate effectively with the health care providers there? This could put your life at risk, if you and your provider couldn’t understand each other fully. While this might sound like a nightmare, it’s a scenario that’s also all too common Read More
How to Overcome 5 Common Challenges to Health Care Organizations’ Cultural Outreach Efforts // By Lisa D. Ellis // What if you were in a foreign country and needed emergency medical care but couldn’t communicate effectively with the health care providers there? This could put your life at risk, if you and your provider couldn’t Read More
How satisfied are your patients with the care they receive in your facility? Your answer may be based on the latest HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) data, which provides an important way to track key measures from the patient perspective. This can provide valuable insight into your strengths and weaknesses. But Read More
// By Lisa D. Ellis // While staff members at Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando work hard to meet the needs of their guests, Harris Rosen, the founder and president of this seven-hotel (close to 6,500 guestrooms) company, also goes to great lengths to take care of the health care needs of his “associates,” Read More
“It has been said that all motion is relative,” notes Ross K. Goldberg. “If that is indeed true, then it’s entirely possible to go backward by simply standing still if the world around you is changing.” Goldberg, President of Kevin/Ross Public Relations in Southern California, says that “[o]ver the past half-dozen years, those entrusted with Read More
“As physicians are evaluating whether to participate in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), they are facing a new reality, one that demands they change their practice processes, reduce health care utilization, and improve wellness for the patients they care for,” says Andrea J. Simon, Ph.D., President of Simon Associates Management Consultants. “They must now refer to Read More
An Interview with William Maples, M.D. // By Lisa D. Ellis // How satisfied are your patients with the care they receive in your facility? Your answer may be based on the latest HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) data, which provides an important way to track key measures from the patient Read More
// By Andrea J. Simon, Ph.D. // A colleague called me not long ago to discuss his dilemma. He had the opportunity to join an ACO (Accountable Care Organization) and was perplexed, to say the least. He is a smart guy, but the options before him were overwhelming: Should he look for a hospital-based ACO? Read More
// By Bill Tourlas // Historically, consumers have played a relatively limited role in their health care decisions, especially as it relates to selecting an insurance plan. People had little concern for price or health plan comparison since employers dominated consumer choice, paying most, if not all, of the premium and typically offering employees plans Read More
“As the Affordable Care Act continues to alter the profile of health care in America, hospitals are challenged to meet the objectives of the Triple Aim and offer access, quality, and affordability in their care delivery even while reimbursement continues to be ratcheted back,” says Dennis Knox, Chief Executive Officer of Aethena Healthcare Holding Company. Read More