Insights on Healthcare Marketing

Office moves happen. In addition to communicating your move proactively with patients and referral sources, you most likely know the importance of promptly updating your practice Web site and social media sites with your new address and phone number. But that is only one part of your online identity. 

Delivering health care is complex — no doubt about it. Hospitals have been struggling with the challenges of “silos” and care coordination for decades now. And even at a routine physician office visit, a patient experiences several different staff interactions and multiple “hand-offs.” 

The practices and organizations who will succeed in 2017 and beyond are the ones who see the big picture and connect the dots. From the moment a patient calls to make an appointment until they walk out your doors, how can you ensure the care and communication that you provide is seamless?

Technology, implemented properly, can certainly help. But that is only half the solution. Nothing replaces your staff and the human connection they provide.

How are you connecting the dots?

A friend’s husband recently had an outpatient surgical procedure at his local community hospital. As they were preparing to go home, one of the staff at the front desk handed my friend a red rose and told her to have a good day.

At first glance, this seems great — something that goes above and beyond what is expected to brighten the day of a patient and his family. And if their overall experience had been wonderful, it would have been. 

The problem? It wasn’t a good patient care experience. There ended up being several care coordination blunders — one of which landed the patient back in the emergency room later that evening. 

OK, so you’ve successfully made it past the first date. A new referring physician has decided to give this a try and has referred a patient to you. Congratulations! What now? 

Your relationship-building has only just begun. This “second date” is a bit of a test and perhaps even more critical than the “first date” when you met the physician as this patient’s experience will determine whether or not the physician refers more patients to you in the future. 

The basics of good dating/relationship-building come into play again:

You might wonder what one has to do with the other. Actually, a lot.

Like dating, referral development is something some people are really good at and others cringe at the mere thought. Yet, it is essential to building a successful medical practice. At its core, referral development is about building relationships. And the best approach to that “first date” or first meeting is basically the same:

At a recent doctor’s appointment, a friend of mine was told he needed surgery. The physician's surgery scheduler coordinated with the hospital and let my friend know the surgery date. All set.

Or perhaps not.

About a week later, my friend received a call from the hospital wanting to schedule another procedure that was needed  -- to insert a probe -- prior to the surgery. This essential procedure had to be done a couple of days before the surgery as an outpatient procedure and required general anesthesia. 

A nurse promises that the physician will be right in to see the patient.  Over an hour goes by, and the patient has to go ask when the physician is coming in.

A hospitalist promises a caregiver he will take care of the patient as if he were his own father. Then the patient is hospitalized for a week and never sees or hears from that physician again.

Promises are powerful and can help forge a connection — a valuable trust between provider and patient. But only if you deliver on that promise. If you don’t, the betrayal can cut deep, and the empty promise can do irreconcilable damage to not only the relationship, but in the social media world we all live in, your reputation as well.

Patient service and satisfaction. It is the name of the healthcare game these days. And we all know that the little things can sometimes make the greatest difference. But be careful not to get so focused on the little things that you lose sight of the big picture.

In this article just out from the American Marketing Association, Andrea Eliscu shares her thoughts about how customer service should be at the foundation of any medical marketing plan, especially in the age of social media: https://www.ama.org/publications/enewsletters/mhsnewsletter/pages/poor-customer-service-bad-medical-marketing.aspx

When a health or medical topic in your field of specialty starts dominating headlines and airwaves, do you see that as an opportunity to lead? You should. In today’s digital world, you have more power than ever before to be a spokesperson — to inform, to provide insight, to share the facts, and to counter the myths and misinformation. Your patients look to you as a trusted advisor. Why not become one for your entire community? Write a blog. Share a post on your social media. Serve as a resource for local reporters. Position yourself as a leader and watch your practice strengthen and grow!