MHA626 Strategic Planning & Marketing in Health Care

Instructor’s Guidance

When providing definitions, be sure to also include examples. It is through the inclusion of

examples that you demonstrate to your instructor a level of understanding. By showing your

ability to apply definitions to real world situations you will be emphasizing your true

understanding of the course material. If you have any questions please let me know as I am here

to help.

Instructor’s Intellectual Elaboration/ References:

Week Six students will examine ethical and legal issues centered on the use of social media.

Students will also draw from their work in previous weeks to develop a successful marketing

plan that is centered on a specified product or service for a chosen healthcare organization.

Ethical and Legal Issues Associated With Social Media

As the various forms of social media’s become an integral part of our culture, health care

organizations and marketing teams are caught in the dilemma of “how” to incorporate social

media’s into contemporary marketing plans. The positive aspects of social media’s are evident,

primarily the ability to market a service or product to multiple segments and target markets;

however, there are a vast array of ethical and legal unknowns that need to be explored. In

particular, issues such as disclosure of confidential information, unauthorized use of trademarks,

and security are just a few commonly known problems that can arise from the use of social

media. However, the unknown aspects that fall within the area of HIPAA regulations present the

greatest concern for health care managers and marketing teams (Stamatis, 2008). With this said,

health care organizations need to be vigilant concerning in servicing marketing departments

regarding both federal and state policy changes concerning patent information disclosure,

HIPAA regulations and the use of social media’s.

Marketing Plan

As health care organizations segment their products and services into specific target market

categories, the need for a well-defined market plan becomes increasingly pertinent to the success

of the organization. The corporate mission and vision provide the pathway for marketing teams

to follow; specific objectives are defined to fulfill the needs of known and perspective customers.

Stevens & Silver (2015) suggest that monitoring and assessing outcomes are an important

component in sustaining the success of an organizations marketing plan. It should be noted that

environmental changes and market trends all influence the development of an organizations

marketing plan; therefore, the process should be considered ever changing, a fluid process,

marketing teams should always be willing to assess, change, and implement new plans that will

meet or exceed the expectations of their customer base.

Stamatis, D.H. (2008). Total quality service, principles, practices, and implementation. Boca

Raton, Florida. CRC Press LLC.

Stevens, R., & Silver, L. S. (2015). Strategic planning and marketing in healthcare organizations.