instantly health

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay An interesting question, isn't it? Across other industries, patients are exposed to and familiar with brand content that tells a story across different industries. Brands write compelling content that weaves a story giving the reader the answers to the "why us" reasons. As an industry, we need to move more fully into developing compelling content that engages and frames the patient's experience. And that means storytelling assumes greater importance. After all, when one looks at the hospital and health system advertising, it's still the shiny new building, panoramic views from the rooftop terrace of lounge, smiling doctors, award logos, or trophies and modern equipment. But does that meet the needs of the healthcare consumer or patient?   Those activities do not lend themselves to online or social media very much, where people are 41 percent of the time looking for information on the healthcare provider online. And with all the m...

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. If you’re a hospital CEO or a Board of Directors member of a tax-exempt hospital, you’re not going to like this post. I know hospitals don’t care much about optics unless they get caught, but there are times where an action crosses the line of ethical behavior. No matter how well-intentioned the idea was of the senior leader in the hospital who thought of or approved the idea, it’s still wrong. There is a growing trend in hospitals in adding job candidates to their fundraising efforts by Development departments. I don’t know who the rocket scientist was in the hospital that came up with that idea, but it’s a breach of trust and confidentiality. Especially after receiving the standard HR “thank you for your interest email” and never hear another word from the hospital. Until, of course, they receive a communication from the hospital Development department asking the applicant to contribute to the latest Capital Campaign or give us some money becaus...

Image by Pattie O'Loughlin from Pixabay. My primary care physician ordered a couple of tests and left me the option to choose the location. Near me was a free-standing hospital system-based ambulatory care center.   When I called the central scheduling department of the health system in question, I asked if the center near me did those tests. I scheduled one of the tests because of some pretest requirements and the other test nearly immediately as diagnostic radiology was available on a walk-in basis. Now, understand that I drive by this ambulatory medical center regularly and never had a clue that all this and more was available. In all honesty, I didn’t pay that much attention to the marketing either, as it focused on providing senior physician services that I did not need or have any interest in. Why did the system place ‘senior” in the name? When you put “senior” in the name, which is biased age-based segmentation and marketing, you automatically define the center’s per...

Image by Here and Now from Pixabay, Sooner or later, the COVID-10 pandemic will eventually move to the endemic phase. While COVID surges and new variants require continued vigilance and preventive measures, the impacts to the current patient experience are profound and lasting. It is not too early to begin thinking and planning for an endemic patient experience in 2022. As hospitals develop their business and marketing plans for an endemic world, special attention needs to be paid to the patient experience. Image by Alexandra Koch from Pixabay. A changed “normal” healthcare experience is in place with patients choosing and accessing healthcare services in new ways. Change is never easy and sometimes unrecognizable. Providers now live in a world where the patient exercises far more control in the selection process of the healthcare services they choose, the method of access, and delivery. Hospitals have had to engage more closely and meaningfully with patients, families, and the commun...

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Healthcare marketers, all marketers, are awash in data. I postulate that healthcare marketers’ amount of available data are complex data sets similar in the amount and velocity to what clinicians use. And in turn, enterprising marketers have turned to AI and algorithms to sift through the data for their next best action. You have developed your ideal patient personas, targeted the appropriate demographics, age, gender, lifestyle, community, etc. Some have even conducted primary research. All well and good. But are you measuring what matters to take the next best action? Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Would you consider this is an important question? If you do not measure what matters, then how do you know that the proposed next best action will have a chance to succeed? Artificial intelligence and algorithms are necessary and valuable. These tools have come a long way in a brief period. But, as we get enamored with the “gee-whiz” of Martech, it...

Image by Andrezj Rembowski from Pixabay. The hospital quality award season is underway as various organizations and magazines, with their black-box analytics, tag community hospitals and health systems as the best or tops in specific care categories. I am not making light of the accomplishment as quality awards are essential for the patient information in the decision-making process. I have to admit that a newly proclaimed award category of the “Triple Crown of Healthcare” for a Fortune/IBM Watson Health Top 100 Hospital Ranking , CMS 5-Star Ranking , and Leapfrog for Safety is a hard-earned series of awards. My question for your consideration is, how is the hospital and health system positioning the quality award contextually? This is an important question and goes beyond the traditional look at our claims and how good we are.   The question is asked since there is little if any, context or content on the value and meaning of the award. Why, in that case, should the patient a...

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay As healthcare continues its rapid evolution into a far more accountable, cost-effective, price-conscious, and patient-driven model, it begs the question, why are your patient engagement efforts not all the time? Secondary to that question is, are healthcare organizations prepared for that new marketing reality? Like anything in life and business, some are, and the majority are not.   But be that as it may, it would seem that healthcare consumer and patient engagement is not a part-time or some of the time activity. It should be viewed as the opportunity to create, engage, foster, and nourish an enduring relationship with those individuals and families. That is a scary proposition for some healthcare organizations. It means being accountable and responsible to those you serve and meeting their needs by delivering on the brand promises day in and day out.  I would also suggest that this extends to area employers as well.  Otherwise,...

Permission check image by Tumisu from Pixabay. Provider marketing is challenging, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a medical practice, home health agency, Ambulatory Surgical Center, hospital, or health system. With the HIPAA Privacy Rule and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance in Europe (read up if you’re not familiar), things are only going to be more challenging. Apple made user privacy and data control changes with the IOS 14 update , allowing individuals to stop Apps from tracking activity. Add in that browser cookies are a thing of the past; 2022 is shaping up as the year patients take control of their privacy and data. Your ability to digitally market to patients has changed. But that does not mean you can’t be effective. Job number one is now ensuring that patient privacy is protected. And from my point of view, there is a way around these patient control challenges. It’s about doing what you are allowed to in the spirit of the regulations and becoming the...

I mage by StartUpStockPhotos from Pixabay Well, I am trying something new. Beginning with the end of the month in October 2021, I recapped the posts published in the month, with a post summary and clickable links for each in one place. This way, if you missed a post or wanted to reread one, the months’ published content is in one easy-to-find place. During October, we looked at why providers need to market core values, moving to one view of the patient to the hospital system and vis versa and finished with removing ageism from healthcare marketing. I’ll be honest, and I am not sure if it will be of benefit for you, but I’m giving it a try anyway. As the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Image by Peter Linforth from Pixabay. October 5 - Why Healthcare Providers & Vendors Need to Market Core Values https://bit.ly/3DdD6Mz In the latest Healthcare Business & Marketing Insights blog post, I explore why healthcare providers and vendors consider marketing organizati...

Health systems, and hospitals, for that matter, have an experience problem. The problem, while complicated, can be summed up as the inability to present an experience to the patient that is consistent across the entire health system. Connection image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Hence one patient to the health system, one health system to the patient. Here is an example from an actual patient. A patient is seen at one hospital of a multihospital system for several years - inpatient, outpatient, and rehab.  That person is medically complex with multiple comorbidities.  With numerous chronic conditions, no matter how well it’s managed, an acute episode will require a short-term hospitalization. An ambulance is called, and due to the disease, the patient needs to be transported to the closest system hospital, not the one where they regularly receive care. Hospital image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay This is where the fun begins for the family. Immediately new specialists unfamil...