In the 500-plus years since the Middle Ages, hospital marketing has only recently changed its perspective and community relationship.
Back in the day—when nobility wanted to build a castle—they took the high ground above the village. Ancient cathedrals and churches would also pick the elevated or center-city real estate. It was a statement of visibility and authority.
In a similar sense, hospitals in the US first emerged as a large, centrally located, community institution. Often, the town had one dominant medical facility. Its customers were the doctors, and anyone in need of a physician, surgeon or healthcare provider (the patients) would need to hike up to the medical “ivory tower.”
But sometime in the past few decades, the old-school barriers began giving way to a progressive hospital marketing perspective. The traditional, patient-goes-to-the-institution model is changing for the better. The patient has become the informed consumer, and the institution and its services are decentralizing. The trend is to bring service closer to the consumer.
Let’s face it; people don’t like going to, or being at, “the hospital.” For many services, there are more comfortable and appealing venues for health care delivery. Taking hospital-quality care to the patient in a non-hospital environment is a competitive plus. Other reasons for this marketing-smart shift include:
By bringing select care options to the consumer in stand-alone facilities, hospital care is more appealing to the consumer and more efficiently delivered by the facility. Service facility examples include:
Special purpose facilities that are located in the community (ie consumer convenient) deliver hospital quality care via a non-hospital environment. Select service lines have a significant appeal to many patient/consumers. Please let us know; we can assist with hospital marketing services.
And for related reading, see:
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, CEO
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