Question

Topic: Strategy

How On Earth Can You Market Healthcare?!

Posted by Anonymous on 9/8/2010 at 8:54 PM ET 125 Points
I represent 4 skilled nursing facilities. I am a nurse and evaluate patients for potential admission. The goal is to convert referrals into admissions and to maintain a profitable case mix of payors.

We have two large hospitals. I market at one, another evaluator does the other. At my hospital I am severely restricted in what I can do for "marketing". I cannot have contact with patients or families (no "bedside" marketing). I can't bring discharge planners any treats or goodies. I am not allowed on the nursing floors unless I am there to screen or follow up on a patient. I can't leave brochures. Not a business card. Not anything.

I'm finding it hard to establish a niche for my buildings. Each one of them is run independently by the administrator. Corporate is small and don't muddle the workings as long as it's working. Of course they want the straight and profitable short term orthopedic patients, but they are now few and far between. Most of my referrals are of clinically complex medical/surgical patients with state benefits or no benefits. A lot of them in my estimation intend to convert to long-term care. A building full of long term, state benefit patients will not survive long.

My buildings do not keep in tight communication with me. They do not honor my feedback or suggestions which come DIRECTLY from the people we are "marketing" to. They don't want to provide complex services. They don't want to start dementia programs. They don't take "icky" patients. The don't take people under age 50. They don't take a Medicare patient who doesn't have a secondary insurance. Or any other varying types of pickiness.

I'm basically out here in the breeze. I don't hear from corporate, my administrators or nursing department heads until the census is in crisis and they want to know what we can do to fix it. I tell them. They don't listen. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

I'm getting frustrated and burned out. I need to market to both my "market" and my company. Two different angles, I need two different strategies. Ideas? Medication?!?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by wnelson on 9/8/2010 at 11:13 PM Accepted
    You have two questions here really. First, your company doesn't appreciate you - or rather, your service area. First, look at what your area uniquely can do for customers. What are you best at? Your ideal clients have needs - how can you uniquely satisfy those needs. Most importantly, keep in mind that your company is in existence to make money. Based on what you can uniquely do to satisfy needs of clients, HOW can your company make money? In particularly, how can you make more money than other areas of your corporation? If you can answer these questions and you can relate this to your company, you will gain the respect you want within your company.

    Now, let's move on to marketing your area outside your company. Typically, hospital personnel who refer your services are required to be "non-biased." What this means is they will have brochures around with ALL the possibilities, but not recommend any one option. Well, we ALL know this is hog wash! They give out all possibilities, yes, but they will intimate some higher than others in a way that they won't be compromised. Maybe they will align a brochure a little ahead of all others. You know the drill! What that means is you develop relationships with the social workers such that they trust you more! Find out what motivates them individually and make sure you show them that you can meet their expectations. It won't take promotional items - they would feel cheapened or even like cheaters from this. It's all about knowing them and what they are looking for! Find this out. Play to it.

    I hope this helps.

    Wayde
  • Posted by Nicole Klein on 9/10/2010 at 7:30 PM Accepted
    I really hear that frustration and it may be that your organization needs some work on mission, purpose, vision and defining the unique value proposition they deliver...to the patients that they serve profitably.

    Once the profitable niche is defined, reach out to them through the right networks. The social workers as Wayde mentioned are a great network. It's much more than the brochure, it's showing that your facilities are uniquely capable of serving the patients in a way that creates the best outcomes possible.

    And reach out to the patients through online resources by providing information, not ads. If a parent's broken a hip, the first place people go is online to find out the information they need to make their next, potentially life changing, decisions. You can buy those searches from Google, etc that are local to your region. If you do, be sure to land them on a page that offers supportive information, not an ad. And if they want more information from your facility, then you can click them through to an invitation to a lunch and learn about healing and the elderly or something else that's relevant. None of it should be salesy, but all of it is very measurable so you can point to your results.

    I hope that idea is helpful...good luck!
    Nicole
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