Unit VII

HCA 3310, Health Care Marketing 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Examine the principles of health care marketing. 1.1 Factor hospital demographics into a strategic plan.

2. Analyze health care marketing trends.

3. Determine how marketing impacts consumer decisions.

6. Apply business principles to the health care marketing process.

6.1 Implement business principles in a marketing strategic plan.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

1.1, 6.1

Unit Lesson Chapter 6 Webpage: Find & Compare Nursing Homes, Hospitals & Other Providers Near

You Unit VII Project

2, 3 Unit VII Project Required Unit Resources Chapter 6: Hospital Marketing In order to access the following resource, click the link below. U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Find & compare nursing homes, hospitals & other

providers near you. https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providerType=Hospital&redirect=true Unit Lesson

Introduction Throughout this course, we have explored the ways that health care marketing is different from traditional marketing. Consumers who need care or services are looking for personal connections and experiences that build trust. Those same consumers become marketing liaisons themselves when they share their perspectives, both good and bad. In this unit, we are going to explore marketing hospitals and health systems and the impact this has on the marketing strategic plan. Over the past several years, data around hospital outcomes—including quality metrics and patient satisfaction—have become transparent to consumers. In addition, large systems have looked to control costs by self-insuring their employees, and in many cases partner with specific organizations or systems to provide care. Further, many organizations have looked to best practices in the consumer experience to differentiate themselves. All of these factors are important for health care leaders to understand when thinking through their marketing strategies. We will explore each one in a bit more detail.

UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE Hospital Marketing

HCA 3310, Health Care Marketing 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Transparent Data to the Consumer A few decades ago, it was common for consumers to receive health care at whatever hospital was closest to them geographically. If a needed service was not available there, consumers would be guided on where to seek care next. Today, consumers have many options to make an informed decision on where they want to receive care based on how hospitals perform. The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Grade is a leading tool used in publishing safety grades for hospitals across the country. Scores are calculated in broad categories including patient experience, structure of the organization, and health outcomes of patients. With a simple zip code, the software will present grades for all area organizations including how the grade was calculated. A hospital with a grade of C may have higher rates of infection or more safety concerns reported than a hospital with a grade of A. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services also offers a way for consumers to compare hospitals and other health related organizations through their Hospital Compare function. This method uses a star rating in patient experience and overall star rating. As a marketing professional, it is important to stay up to date with these reports and how your organization rates. If patient experience is low, marketing may need to target there. If safety issues are of concern, partnering with leaders in that area would be helpful to learn how we are improving the experience. If major changes are underway or if data have changed, those may be key facts to market to consumers.

Impact of Self-Insured Organizations There is a large part of consumer choice that follows the insurance plan. While consumers can ultimately choose to go to any hospital for care, their chosen provider may only practice at certain hospitals, and based on insurance policies, they may have to pay significantly more to go to a place that is considered out of network. One way that larger organizations have looked to control costs when it comes to insurance is to be self-insured. This means that instead of a third-party insurance company taking on the payment of employee health costs, the organization itself takes this on. In this way, organizations can save money by only paying for those who use services versus paying some type of premium for all. In addition, organizations can reduce costs significantly when they invest in the health of their employees; this could be gym memberships or smoking cessation programs. Some hospitals even offer incentives to employees for taking part in these types of programs. From a marketing perspective, there are two opportunities around self-insured organizations. One is to market to future employees regarding what is offered around caring for your health. The second opportunity is for non-employee consumers. One of the best ways to see how a hospital will treat you as a consumer is to see how they treat their employees. Recognizing programs for employees on social media can actually attract consumers as well!

Leveraging the Consumer Experience In the era of consumer choice and health care competition, organizations are looking for ways to create something that their neighboring organizations do not have. Interestingly, these experiential highlights are not always directly related to the service itself. One organization with large parking lots that requires patients to walk far distances may implement a valet parking service for patients and families. Another organization that cares for children may create spaces in each room where family can comfortably sit and sleep. A newborn intensive care unit may implement cameras where parents and other family members can check in on their new addition when not able to physically be in the room. When parents are expecting a new child, some organizations may offer them a candlelight dinner and new baby gift basket when they come in for the baby to be born. As you can see, all of these are examples of how hospitals are targeting the experience and not necessarily the individual medical service. The success of these programs relies heavily on marketing campaigns. Another type of consumer experience is around services that greatly impact the consumer for some length of time. Nurse coordinators are a great example of this. For consumers receiving life interrupting services such as heart surgery, joint replacement, or even adding a new baby, knowing that someone will support them and follow up after they are discharged can be very important. When hospitals have staff that will make regular calls or be available for questions in real time, marketing leaders can highlight this to consumers as something that makes them unique. The same type of role is important to patients with new diagnoses that are learning to manage such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, or cancer.

HCA 3310, Health Care Marketing 3

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Conclusion Thinking about marketing a hospital or health system can be intimidating due to the diverse services offered throughout any given organization. The truth is, much of the marketing is related to data already available and the experience that consumers can expect. Leaders need to be current with patient experience and quality data for their organization in addition to understanding what unique attributes make the organization stand out from others. As marketing strategic plans are designed, the impact of quality data along with other metrics needs to be considered. Designing a marketing plan that communicates one thing to the community when the quality data shows something else is problematic. Even after a marketing plan is launched, those pieces of the campaign that face the public should be monitored for comments or concerns that can help support the overall goal or that need addressed to mitigate risk to the overall goal. Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resource, click the link below. The following study explores the impact of hospital reporting on patient satisfaction and consumer choice of hospitals. Emmert, M., & Schlesinger, M. (2017). Hospital quality reporting in the United States: Does report card design

and incorporation of patient narrative comments affect hospital choice? Health Services Research, 52(3), 933. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=asn&AN=123189280&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. Navigate to the Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Grade or Hospital Compare websites and look up the hospitals in your area. Are you surprised by what you find? Why or why not? If you were marketing this organization to the public, what information would you want to know from other health care leaders?