instantly health

  Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay Last week’s Lessons from the Field post was about the hospital brand promise asking basically, what is it. An exciting number of discussions ensued. Except for a few notable hospitals and healthcare systems, the conclusion was that hospitals might not have a complete understanding of their brand promise to patients.    Most may not even be able to define the brand promise. During those discussions, I took a step back and asked what the hospital brand is? Suppose you cannot articulate clearly and succinctly what the hospital brand promises are. In that case, the chances are excellent that the hospital and its employees do not know what the hospital brand is. Hint, it’s not the logo and tagline. Image by Andreaooi from Pixabay Though the hospital logo and tagline should graphically communicate the core brand as best as possible, that is not the hospital brand.  In hospitals and other providers, the non-marketing professionals, fro...

  Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Since 2016, much has been written and experimented with regarding the three marketing buckets to patients: engagement, experience, and choice. Much of what we wrote was applicable for the times, but the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic changed everything. Everything from how care is delivered and accessed to patient paying a more significant role in accessing care through telemedicine and other innovations, hospitals are forced to become more patient-focused and responsive then they may have been in the recent past.    Society is now beginning to emerge from the pandemic, returning to some semblance of normalcy, so marketing should not be focused on freshened up pre-pandemic messaging. The hospital should concentrate on communicating the hospital brand promise for today's changing healthcare market. Understand that with the new healthcare reality, engagement, and experience of the patient, initial steps with searchable prices for consumerism and ...

  Image by Tumisu from Pixabay  One of the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic are that patient experience, how it's managed and communicated, how expectations are set and experienced by patients are the new normal.     Hospitals have been required to communicate efficiently and effectively what the patient experience is in light of COVID-19 restrictions, revised procedures, and general interactions.  I have to say, the answer to the headline is yes and no. I have seen major health systems change their marketing to reflect the new normal in the patient's experience, mask-wearing, telemedicine, alternative site care, etc. From the website to messaging and communications, the "new normal," positive experience and expectations are being established.  I'd also have to say no, as many community-independent and unaffiliated hospitals are still heavily invested in the features approach to marketing and communicating to patients. Telling the "all about us" story ...