The Value of Health Care Provider Marketing
By Jeffrey Barnes
Hospital and health system marketing and public relations appear everywhere . Advertising for services showcasing the abilities of health care providers to treat heart disease , correct orthopedic injuries and fight cancer , among other health care services , are visible as we watch broadcast television , travel the highways , listen to the radio , read the newspaper or spend time on the internet .
Often , health care marketing exists so health care providers can communicate what makes them special , unique and different in a competitive industry with the primary objective of growing market share and , subsequently , profitable patient revenue .
However , what some consumers don ’ t realize is that hospitals , health systems and physician practices also believe they have a mission-based responsibility to both educate and inform the patient population of not only ways they can live longer and healthier lives , but also let consumers know how they can access patient care in a way that may be different from what they have become accustomed to .
One recent , very popular example of this is telehealth . Simply put , telehealth allows health care providers to communicate via live , online chats . It also allows for
patients to send and receive secure messages and can incorporate technology that allows physicians to monitor vital signs .
COVID-19 changed the world of medicine , and the pandemic caused the cancellation of elective surgical procedures alongside lockdowns and stay-at-home orders . Telehealth emerged as an option for in-person patient care , and health care provider marketing and public relations professionals scrambled into action , informing patients of this alternative way of seeing a doctor .
For nearly a year , health care provider advertising and other forms of communication pivoted nearly 100 % from promoting service lines to informing patients about how they could access health care in the comfort and safety of their homes . For many patients , this information resonated and was very well received . In fact , a 2020 study found that telehealth use during the COVID-19 peak increased by as much as 80 % in places where the pandemic prevalence was high .
The importance of health care marketing during this time was pivotal because , even in the middle of a significant public health crisis that limited access to care , patients still needed health care evaluation and treatment . Cancer didn ’ t stop . Heart disease didn ’ t stop . Diabetes didn ’ t stop . Patients still needed to see a doctor , and without health care providers informing patients of alternative options to access care through marketing and public relations efforts , no doubt more lives would have been lost .
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE