The other day, while waiting in the office of a physician, I realized that his program for internal marketing to his patients was nearly invisible…yet it was highly effective in reaching and retaining patients. Invisible isn't quite the right word. Effortless is a better description. This doctor—"my doctor," an Internist in a multi-disciplinary group—is someone […]
Before you roll your eyes skyward and dismiss the idea of patient email access, there are a couple new ideas that innovative doctors should consider objectively. Please humor me for about two minutes reading time while we touch on new compensation/reimbursement, enhancing patient satisfaction and improving compliance and clinical outcomes. First, both doctors and patients […]
An interesting thing about marketing for healthcare is that useful lessons can be found in unlikely places and unrelated enterprises. With a little imagination and creative thinking, good stories—business success stories—reveal ideas that transfer to a practitioner, group practice or even a hospital. Here’s one such story from the managing editor of Healthcare Success publications. […]
I’ve found that marketing for medical practices and hospitals works best when everyone in the organization is “all in” on the effort. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Within any healthcare organization, regardless of the size, some people can (and often do) have competing attitudes about marketing. Nevertheless, the role of marketing is increasingly vital […]
The primary doorway to health care in the United States is digital. A new patient’s first encounter with a provider almost always begins via the Internet. Perhaps it's not obvious, but your practice website—the cornerstone of an Internet presence—is the essential medical marketing gateway for prospective patients to locate and select doctors and hospitals. Given […]
As I was reviewing some advertising tracking data with a client recently, our client (a physician in a large medical group) observed how the “Internet shopper” category accounted for a high percentage of no-shows and cancellations. His first impression was that Internet shoppers are more fickle or impatient by nature. Could it be that the […]
Keeping up with the “big stories” in the news is fairly easy. Dozens of media outlets jump on what’s hot and fuel the torrent of information overload. But, scratching a bit deeper, there are some timely and instructive news items about hospital advertising...with marketing lessons for administrators and marketing executives. Here’s a quick roundup of […]
I have the good fortune to travel the country (quite often) and to meet and work with some of the nation’s top doctors. As a group, these physicians and surgeons have much in common. Individually and collectively, they are highly intelligent men and women who excel as healthcare providers. Although the marketing areas they serve […]
It turns out that there’s a huge and nearly-untapped marketing opportunity among men: “men who, studies show, avoid doctors for virtually anything short of a bullet wound,” as The New York Times describes them. Hospitals in New York have been operating health centers in Midtown Manhattan that cater specifically to what just might be healthcare’s most reluctant—and […]
With over 31,000 health and wellness mobile applications already available, you might think the marketplace is saturated. But wait. Apple—you know, the iPhone folks—just arrived at the techno party. And we’ll bet bagels to bytes that an Error Code will be flashing on your healthcare marketing plan. This week the consumer products icon revealed part […]
When a patient chooses a doctor or a hospital, the decision process is often driven, not by quality factors, but by simple geography. Check out these surprising and insightful numbers... Three recent surveys seem to agree; “location” is a highly significant consideration. What’s more, according to Healthgrades data, “convenient location” is more than twice as […]
Strictly speaking, Dr. Eric Topol is not a marketing person, but—in addition to being an eminent American cardiologist—we have to regard him as a futurist. His view of what’s ahead in medicine and healthcare delivery will impact how doctors, hospital administrators and communications professionals will be doing their job in the near future. Beyond his […]
OK…let’s be frank about this. If they had a magic wand to change their world, perhaps eight out of 10 doctors would rather not be concerned about marketing. Their inner being wants to devote all their professional time and attention to doing what they trained to do… being doctors, practicing medicine, and helping people. But, […]
[Part of a continuing series.] There’s a long-standing attitude throughout much of the corporate world that avoids “transparency." In the face of fierce competition and market rivalry, public- and privately-held businesses are understandably guarded about trade secrets, strategy information and business plans. It was a cultural attitude that, for many years, dominated the public relations […]
In the time it takes to read this post, every doctor, administrator and healthcare communications pro will have a mental list of a dozen ways to "explain things" using Adobe’s innovative new iPad app, Voice. It’s an easy to use, “storytelling” tool for creating engaging and informative “explainers” --animated multimedia videos--in minutes. And it just […]
I'd like to share a real-world illustration of social media networking that came to me recently. The cornerstone concept is: Make it easy for people. Strictly speaking, the subject matter isn’t about medical or hospital marketing. Nevertheless, it’s a good model for effective connectivity. In this case the engagement tool was a survey...collecting anonymous data […]
[Conclusion of an article in two parts.] Our previous post, 10 Commandments of Online Reputation Management for Physicians, (Part one of two) emphasized the importance and value of creating and maintaining your online presence. Moreover, reputation is an ever-present ingredient in health care marketing. And who you are online is who you are to most […]
Editor Note: It seems as if physician stress, discouragement and professional burnout are common. For validation, there’s a fresh research paper or national survey is in the news every few months. Many doctors don’t want to be doctors any longer. But far less frequently—if you look carefully—you can find a spirit-lifting story on the positive […]
The confusion is common…and somewhat understandable. Just as patients cannot easily evaluate and compare surgeons, it can be difficult for provider management to understand the differences among marketing companies. From a distance, a health care marketing consultant, a medical marketing company, a healthcare advertising agency (and a bunch of similar labels) can all appear to […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Podcast] In our continuing series of leadership interviews, Lonnie Hirsch of Healthcare Success talks with Dr. Joseph Bianco, family medicine physician practicing in Ely, Minnesota. Dr. Bianco will be speaking at the Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Summit on the topic of: Patient & Family Advisory Councils: Harvesting the Collective Patient […]
Discussion: How would you handle an “unfriendly” social media snipe? Or is there a much larger picture to consider? Not long ago we spotted a comment on Facebook that got us to thinking again about medical marketing, online comments and physician reputation management. Unfortunately, we don’t know the back-story here, or what, if anything, […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Podcast Series] Stewart Gandolf of Healthcare Success talks with Leah Binder, President and CEO of The LeapFrog Group. “It’s a new voice that is starting to emerge for the healthcare consumer,” according to Leah Binder, President and CEO of The LeapFrog Group. In Stewart Gandolf’s conversation today, Leah talks […]
[First of an article in two parts.] Across the board, medical reputation management is an ever-present ingredient in healthcare marketing. Informed and empowered consumer/patients do their homework, researching symptoms, medical conditions and hospitals. From branding to public relations (and everything in between), a physician’s reputation is a key component and influence factor. And as many […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Podcast] In our continuing series of leadership interviews, Lonnie Hirsch of Healthcare Success talks with Shannon Morris, Service Excellence Manager, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC. Shannon will be speaking at the Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Summit on the topic of: The Power of Peer Coaches: Leveraging the Grassroots […]
[Second of two parts.] If you missed the first of this two-part article, click through here to: Creating an Unstoppable YouTube Channel. The good news is that the cost for creating a branded YouTube Channel is next to free. For the most part, all that's required is an investment of time to build and maintain […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Podcast] In our continuing series of leadership interviews, Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success talks with Dr. James Merlino, Chief Experience Officer and Associate Chief of Staff for the Cleveland Clinic. A fundamental success factor for improving patient experience in any organization is a “from-the-top” mandate, Dr. James Merlino […]
by Senior Consultant Lori Waltz I’d like share a brief marketing story that’s straight from the real-life medical world. It’s a little scary to think that this just might be happening in your own practice, but even worse, you might not know it. See if you can relate… The setting is a metropolitan suburb in […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Podcasts] In our continuing series of leadership discussions, our guests today are Julie Moretz, Associate Vice Chancellor, Patient- and Family-Centered Care, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; and Kathy Vermoch, Patient Experience Leader and Project Manager, UHC (formerly University HealthSystem Consortium). This upcoming Summit presentation is titled, Successfully Partnering with Patients and […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Series] In today’s interview, we spoke with Chaplain Linda S. Golding of New York-Presbyterian Hospital as a preview of her upcoming presentation at the 5th Annual Patient Experience Summit in May. Her talk is titled, Reducing Compassion Fatigue and Building Cultural Competence Using Texts. Following a 30-year career in […]
If, as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” what’s the marketing “worth” of four pictures? Twitter has introduced another new tool that can multiply the impact of your communications. The social media giant unveiled its "photo collage feature that delivers even more message-mileage. Now you can share up to four […]
[First of two parts.] Imagine that you just won a shiny new car. The ride of your dreams now sets in your driveway; all gassed-up and ready to roll. It’s free—tax, license and fees all paid—and all set to head off to anywhere and everywhere. The video sharing platform, YouTube, is like free transportation (at […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Series] In our continuing series of leadership discussions, Pamela Greenhouse, Executive Director, PFCC Innovation Center of UPMC, previews her Empathy + Innovation Summit presentation. The title of her talk: Patient and Family Centered Care Methodology: Improving Experiences and Outcomes While Reducing Costs. The “trifecta in care delivery” is the […]
A crisis communications plan is a bit like the safety air bags in your car. You always want to have them, but you hope they’ll never be needed. It’s always bad news. Preparedness is the key to handling "bad news" in hospital and healthcare communications. It’s simply good “PR insurance” to have contingency protocols at […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Podcast] In our continuing series of leadership interviews, Stewart Gandolf, CEO of Healthcare Success talks with Wayne Guerra, MD, Co-founder of iTriage, a popular mobile healthcare app. Dr. Guerra will be participating in a panel session titled, Game Changers in Mobile Apps at the 5th Annual Patient Experience: Empathy […]
The historic picture is nothing like today. For decades, competition within the nation’s healthcare delivery system was low-key, even passive. And the vital professional referral stream that traditionally brought new patients to hospitals and specialty practices required little marketing attention…if anyone thought much about it at all. But the dynamics of healthcare reform and other forces […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Podcast] In our continuing series of leadership interviews, Lonnie Hirsch of Healthcare Success talks with Gus Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at Florida Medical Clinic about his forthcoming presentation at the 5th Annual Patient Experience: Empathy Plus Innovation Summit hosted in Cleveland, Ohio by Cleveland Clinic from May 18-21. “In […]
Surprisingly few US hospitals have a YouTube Channel in their marketing lineup. Still fewer have the right content. Jumping on this opportunity is an open field competitive advantage. Here’s why and how. We’re one of those medical marketing companies that loves numbers. Good or bad, numbers can gauge progress, measure Return-on-Investment, and reveal opportunity. For […]
[2014 Cleveland Clinic Patient Experience Speaker Series] In our continuing series of leadership interviews, Maureen Fagan, Executive Director of the Center for Patients and Families at Brigham and Women's Hospital previews her Empathy + Innovation Summit presentation. Her talk at the Patient Experience Summit is titled, Patient and Family Centered Care in Medical Grand Rounds: […]
This is a story about competing hospital systems where the legal wrangling spilled into contentious advertising. The controversial television and newspaper debate became so heated that the governor intervened. (Without much success, however.) There are a number of PR hotspots in several states were hospitals, health systems, insurance providers and even politicians are tangled in […]
Your periodic SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is an excellent self-evaluation tool that every medical practice can use to maintain a steady strategic course. A classic, but easily cured, problem with SWOT is that it’s not used often enough. For a group practice, hospital or health system, we recommend looking at these significant issues […]
Maintaining the flow of doctor referrals is vital—if not life-and-death critical—in many professions. What’s more, healthcare reform and intense competition has made the whole business of professional referrals more challenging than ever to sustain. In our experience, working with hundreds of referral-dependent practitioners, we've identified a nearly a dozen “secrets;” proven techniques that give stability […]
Let’s hope you never back into a buzz saw of “unintended consequences.” That’s when seemingly ordinary events inexplicably spin over to the dark side. It doesn’t happen often, but here’s a roundup of three recent and unrelated news reports that went from sweet to sour. What’s your reaction to these items, and what would you do if […]
Physicians are extremely well trained in their profession, with years of education and more years in practice. And at some point in their career, it becomes apparent that medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business. Often, the doctor is the business…the product…the service provider. He or she is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), […]
These days, marketing performance expectations are sometimes found under the “squeeze every nickel” heading. Maybe giant corporations once had fat and slushy budgets, although we doubt the successful ones used that approach. Then as now, a common denominator among most medical practices, hospitals and healthcare providers is an ongoing concern for “scarce resources.” Like every […]
[Continuing series installment.] A unproductive (or outright lazy) employee wouldn’t last long in a well-managed medical practice. And, considering the investment that most doctors have sunk in their website, it’s frustrating to discover a doctor’s website that is “present,” but clearly “under-performing.” Some weak sites are outdated or seriously ill, and those guys are prime […]
[Healthcare Content Marketing Series] Anyone who grew up in a small town will tell you that it seemed like everyone knew everyone. Often, they conducted their everyday business with folks they knew…and merchants who knew them. Individuals engaged in conversation, got acquainted, and people did business with the people they knew and liked. We were […]
Your communications professional life was busy enough when, only a few digital moments ago, your internet marketing mainstay was a good website. And your hardware was a clunky desktop PC. The boss (and the budget) was happy with that, but the simplicity of that early state is long past. And one of the new challenges […]
[Series Installment] Among our list of 19 critical medical advertising mistakes that healthcare organizations make every day is: Trying to build your image rather than building a patient base. We’ve labeled it as Number Six, but by any name it is a misguided budget-burner. Here’s how to recognize that you may be headed for this […]
[Second of a two-part article for healthcare leaders about mastering presentation skills. See also, Part One 10 Trade Secrets: How Exceptional Public Speakers Make It Look Easy] Public speaking is something that everyone does, most people dread, and some speakers are world-class champs. The occasion can be as a keynote speaker for a major medical […]
Some fundamental business ideas deserve repeating: Successful marketing—and practice growth—begins with taking care of existing customers/patients first. Growth-minded healthcare organizations often assume that business development is exclusively a matter of bringing new people through the door. Previous or existing patients—customers who have already crossed your threshold—are taken for granted, mentally considered “a done deal,” or […]
