Insights: Healthcare Marketing

For many medical practices, opening another office is a great way to improve access and availability.  And we are frequently asked to assist our clients with establishing and marketing a new office.  While there are many creative and effective ways to achieve this goal, perhaps the most important boils down to one simple question:  What are you going to call it?  Too often, we hear the word “satellite” while the current office is referred to as the “main office?”  What message does this send to the community you are trying to better serve?  What feelings does this evoke?  How much better does it feel to go to a “neighborhood office” or a “community office?”  Now I feel like you care about me; you’re a part of where I live and what I know.

“Pro-sumers” turn to the Web for almost every purchasing decision in their lives, and they no longer see healthcare as being any different.  Increasingly, the burden of healthcare costs is shifting from employers to individuals.  And because they are paying more out of their own pockets, they are also spending more time scrutinizing their healthcare decisions. Yes, they want a qualified doctor. But you know what?  More and more, physicians, especially younger ones, are board-certified and fellowship trained.  That’s become an equalizer.  So now, the consumer is thinking if you and the five other doctors in my community have the same training, what is it about you?  Is it your volume?  Your service?  The way you care for your patients?  How you call a patient back?

Today’s “pro-sumer” patients expect that you will accommodate them.  They want convenience and genuine concern for their well-being – someone who understands their unique, individual challenges and makes it easy to get the personalized care they need. They don’t want cookie-cutter care.  They want customization. They want to feel engaged and personally recognized during the time they are connected with your practice. So with all the demands on your practice, how can you take the time to provide more customized care? I would argue it is not so much a matter of time, but an attitude of consideration and thoughtfulness.

Marc Middleton and I had a wonderful audience this week at the FL MGMA State Meeting in Orlando.  We enjoyed a brave and progressive group who wanted to learn and discuss social media and healthcare.  

So you have taken steps to increase access and availability?  What’s next?  The 3^rd A -- Accountability. Patients want someone who will take responsibility and provide accurate answers and explanations. Typically, they are already anxious and under stress when they turn to you. Often, they are experiencing a health problem. They have questions and concerns, and are looking to you and your staff for answers and solutions. They don’t want to get passed from one person to another. They expect leadership, assistance and guidance in navigating what can be a complex maze.  One example of how many healthcare providers are addressing the need for accountability is the rise in care coordinators or care teams.

In my last two posts, I talked about the 4 A’s of effective medical marketing today – access, availability, accountability and accommodation. Today, let’s delve more into #2 – availability and how you can incorporate it into your practice or organization. Availability Do you offer convenient appointment times?  How long do your patients typically wait both to secure an appointment and in the office?  Are your physicians and staff approachable and easy to talk to?  Do they handle phone calls in an unhurried and compassionate manner?

In my last post I talked about the 4 A’s – access, availability, accountability and accommodation – and how they have become the cornerstones of a successful medical practice.  Now it’s time for the fifth A – action – how to incorporate these elements into your medical practice or organization.  First up, access. Access Patients want to be able to easily reach the highest level of care available when they need it, where they need it. And they want the freedom to choose and be involved in decisions about their care. Access is the primary reason behind the explosion in “walk-in” clinics. These businesses have capitalized on the simple fact that many patients could not get access to their regular physicians in a time they felt was reasonable.

Like it or not, healthcare today is a business.  And what many physicians once resisted – marketing and communicating to meet the needs of their patients/customers – is now an essential part of your everyday business.  Any basic business marketing book or course will talk about the “four P’s” – product, price, place and promotion. And these elements are still the building blocks of any successful enterprise. However, what today’s patients or “pro-sumers” believe they want, deserve and expect has really become the driving force in healthcare purchasing decisions. Service has become an increasingly important part of the “product” physicians provide, and healthcare has become will become an even more competitive marketplace.

From time to time, I often reflect on my 25+ years of advising physicians about how to market their practices.  And lately, I believe the old adage, “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” is ringing true. Sure, healthcare has changed a lot since the 1980’s, and those of you who work in the front lines of practicing medicine or managing a healthcare practice or organization live these changes everyday, from increased government regulations to lower reimbursements to explosions in technology.  Never mind healthcare reform and the impact it may have.