Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
November 10, 2017 12:00 AM

Marketers told to wake up and smell the coffee, or get left behind

Alex Kacik
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Providers like Avera Health are revamping their digital tools to better engage consumers. Avera sought to create a patient-centered website as it pared down nearly 9,000 webpages across the brand.

    Healthcare organizations that fail to embrace new ways of engaging consumers risk becoming the next Blockbuster or Borders. As a result, many providers are borrowing ideas from other industries as they seek to build more consumer loyalty.

    To a certain degree, it starts with understanding what consumers experience when they first interact with an organization. Sit in the waiting room or try to navigate the company's website to book an appointment in order to understand how the experience can be improved, Suzanne Hendery, chief marketing officer at Renown Health, told attendees at Modern Healthcare's Strategic Marketing Conference, held Nov. 7 in Chicago.

    "Our role as a CMO is to wake up and smell the coffee—we are not as good as we think we are," Hendery said. "If we don't start fixing some of these problems, they will keep multiplying."

    Hospitals and health systems have put a premium on capturing the attention of prospective patients. Marketers have scaled their digital campaigns, especially on mobile platforms, as they look to increase access, particularly as deals like the proposed CVS Health takeover of Aetna and Amazon's foray into healthcare have put them on notice.

    "The CVS-Aetna deal is being driven by Amazon entering the PBM space. What is next?" said Ramon Soto, chief marketing and communications officer at Northwell Health. "If we don't own the customer relationship, then we do it at our own peril."

    Once they get patients through the door, providers have invested in keeping patients happy, which is a main tenet of the industry's move toward value. They have tested strategies to see what resonates, including same-day appointments, journey mapping the patient experience, exploring telemedicine and slimming down websites while rethinking content strategies to improve search engine visibility.

    Providers can better understand patients by cleaning and organizing data so it's actionable and interoperable, increasing price transparency and sifting through Google searches.

    For too long marketing has focused on getting placement in various publications, said Suzanne Sawyer, chief marketing officer at Penn Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania's health system. "We have to step back and see that the root word of marketing is 'market,' " she said. "We need to partner with clinical operations to inform product development and site selection to make sure it's not 'build it and they will come' business development."

    When Walgreens partnered with Advocate Health Care in Illinois to provide clinics at their retail stores, it brought instant credibility, said David Barber, division vice president at Walgreens. A simple call from a pharmacist to follow up on a patient's first insulin injection can build the foundation for a long-term relationship, he added.

    A team approach can improve patient engagement, Hendery said, adding that when physicians have benchmarking data, they are often best-suited to improve the customer experience.

    To boost patient engagement, providers are also exploring tools like wayfinding apps that help patients navigate hospitals, digital tools that automate follow-up texts after procedures, bill paying, and appointment reminders, partnering with Uber or Lyft to get patients to appointments, and explaining charges and deciphering benefits.

    While cost is an important dynamic in the patient experience, many providers have yet to make significant progress in becoming more transparent on prices. But certain companies like Avera Health have had some success.

    Avera recently rolled out a genetic test that has helped attract and retain patients, said Lindsey Meyers, vice president of public relations. Patients can get their blood drawn for the test, which helps identify how patients respond to certain medicines, with a primary-care physician for under $300.

    "You are the last bastion of trust because people trust their providers," said Eric Langshur, CEO of Consultancy Avia and managing partner at Abundant Venture Partners. "Leverage that relationship you have and convert it and integrate it with your workflow."

    To view award-winning campaigns that embrace consumerism, visit:​ Modernhealthcare.com/impact2017

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    finance graphs hospital
    Primary care physicians' pay growth picked up in 2022: MGMA
    Home cancer treatment faces challenges post-pandemic
    Home cancer treatment faces challenges post-pandemic
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing