More than a few doctors, dentists and other providers suffer from “case presentation phobia.” This seems especially common with elective care discussions. Skilled and experienced providers may have buried the ill-at-ease feeling, and they probably have “avoidance systems” in place that point to someone else in the office. But, in fact, they hate making a case […]
Just up the street there’s a popular restaurant that greets customers as they’re arriving. Often a staff person will open the door, and, with a bright smile, offer a warm greeting of “Welcome Back!” The thing is, EVERYONE gets the “welcome back” greeting, even first-time guests, and even if the greeter and guest have never […]
Face-to-face with patients, doctors are expected to do more and communicate better within the same or less time with the patient. It’s the “catch-22” of healthcare’s patient-centered, world. In addition to excellence in clinical care, and a positive outcome, effective and empathetic communications is the essential ingredient. The typical “10-minute-and-10-second” doctor-patient encounter is an agenda […]
[Series Installment] “First impressions matter. Experts say we size up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes,” former diplomat Elliott Abrams observed. But doctors don’t have much of an opportunity to make a face-to-face first impression these days. In the Internet age, patients come in the door with a predetermined perception of […]
[Series Installment] Not long ago, we were talking with the lead physician of a multispecialty medical practice. She was losing sleep because the once-dependable physician referral pipeline had become a leaking bucket. We discovered that part of the problem was the competitive environment of roll-ups, consolidations, mergers and acquisitions in the marketplace. Longstanding referral bridges […]
The nation’s doctors and hospitals are well acquainted with the unprecedented dynamics of change in healthcare. The competitive landscape is shifting—seemingly every day. Yesterday’s passive patient is today’s informed (retail-trained and sometimes demanding) healthcare consumer. Insurance considerations—on both the provider- and the patient-side—are shifting sands of reimbursement tables, changing deductables, and out-of-pocket considerations. Physicians, who […]
[Series Installment] Once upon a time—as all fanciful tales begin—us good common folk of the kingdom never thought to question the reputation or chivalry of noblemen or knights. Nobles had their regal robes, and knights had their armor. And, in this bygone era in healthcare’s crown estate, legions esteemed their doctors, physicians and surgeons—the much […]
Let’s face it: There are a lot of doctors, medical practices and hospitals that wish they could go about their professional practice activities without the worry, hassle and distraction of marketing and advertising. But, as it turns out, modern medicine is a profession, but healthcare is a business. And, like it or not, the Affordable […]
Fifty-plus years ago, a doctor would come to the patient about 40 percent of the time. The nearly-lost practice (and nearly forgotten name) was known as “a house call,” and it all but disappeared 30 years ago. That’s changing…again… Customer convenience is the new currency in healthcare delivery and marketing today. More than ever, the […]
Healthcare marketing and advertising entails a certain amount of risk. Always has and always will. So the challenge for modern medical practices—individuals and organizations facing the new consumerism and intense competition—is how to achieve business and professional goals with a limited element of risk. Many providers are uncomfortable with the need to market their services. […]
Every medical provider's office gets at least two kinds of “opportunity” phone calls (described below) that potentially mean new business. Unfortunately, most doctors, medical groups and hospitals are losing new patients and cases when the phone rings…and they don’t know it. Here’s what’s going wrong, and what do instead. We don’t mean to be unkind […]
Is the Millennial Generation—AKA Millennials—a lazy bunch? Or has the pervasive availability of technology in society shaped an expectation of instant gratification? Or is convenience a byproduct of working families constantly pressed for time and resources? In spite of the abundance of reference material that attempts to define and describe the Millennial Generation, researchers can’t […]
[A continuing series.] The previous installment of this article, Care and Feeding of Doctor Online Presence, Reputation and Brand, describes the connected relationship of presence, reputation and brand. Quite obviously, the indispensible foundation for reputation building excellence is a consistently high level of patient satisfaction. When patients are pleased or satisfied with the healthcare service […]
One ever-constant factor in the highly competitive world of plastic surgery marketing is change. Change happens; in the geographic marketplace, in healthcare competition, and in the effectiveness and efficiency of your plastic surgery marketing strategy. Elective care patients are, more than ever, informed and value-cautious consumers. Discretionary purchase decisions for cosmetic procedures—even for many affluent […]
Doctors are no strangers to social media. Conservative estimates have it that at least 30 percent of physicians use one or more social media (SM) platform daily. Other estimates say it’s closer to 80 percent. The SM numbers are strong for hospitals, health systems and many group medical practices. Collectively, these are the progressive providers […]
[A continuing series.] If you ask 10 doctors about their professional reputation, most will say something about “what other doctors think about me.” True enough. Colleague attitudes—doctors who know you and others who recognize your name—are an important consideration. But there's more to it. From a business development perspective—your ability to attract more new patients […]
A breakthrough idea can be a scary thing. The nation’s healthcare delivery system has been a sea of change in general. But particularly off-putting are the notions that sharply depart from the comfort, familiarity and predictability of traditional ways of doing things. As a case in point, we might reasonably imagine the reactions of doctors […]
Social media has become so pervasive in American society that it’s impossible to ignore. Yet some physicians still dismiss it as the home for cute pet antics and baby birthday pictures. Mildly amusing, perhaps, but not professionally useful. Social media (SM) is a nearly indispensible tool in healthcare marketing and communications plans. Yet relatively few […]
Ophthalmology specialists have long been aware of the need for marketing in their practice business plan. But as Yogi Berra might shrewdly warn, “the future is not what it used to be.” Under the general umbrella of “vision care services,” individual practice structures will vary in size, structure and operational emphasis. But ophthalmic practitioners and […]
Elementary advice about effective public speaking will remind you to know your audience, practice and know your material, smile, make eye contact, project your voice and other basics. With those tips alone—especially with practice and confidence—you’ll likely give a good presentation. When “good” isn’t good enough… For the president of the local Rotary club (a […]
It’s more than simply good fortune that our company enjoys a positive working relationship with our clients. The fact is that people want to do business with people and companies that they like and respect. And that’s a two-way street. This engenders a healthy environment and partnership attitude that drives new business and opportunity. There’s […]
Outdoor advertising—billboards in particular—seem to be more popular than ever in many hospital marketing and advertising plans. You don’t have to drive far to survey the crop of ads for hospitals (brand and ED wait times), service lines (specialists and clinics), and individual doctors or groups with hospital-connected practices. Admittedly, billboard advertising is a creative […]
As the little quote reminds us, sometimes “Good things come in small packages.” To demonstrate the concept, here are three little, clever and marketing-smart ideas that you can easily adopt as your own, use today, and maybe showcase your talent a little bit. I’ll keep this brief. The marketing quick-test mnemonic: “ID buyer. Find desire. […]
In healthcare, successful “patient reactivation” cannot be a “dialing-for-dollars” quest for additional business from previous patients. As the following (true) story illustrates, expressing a genuine, person-to-person connection is an essential ingredient for success. Our Digital Advertising Director, Raheim Bundle, shared his experience with a local, family-oriented sports club where he has been a dues-paying member. […]
Competition in healthcare has never been more intense. Although we speak and write about this topic frequently, we continue to discover—with alarming frequency—that providers, group practices and even some hospitals continue to “duck-and-cover,” underestimate or ignore the competition. All too often we hear head-in-the-sand anti-strategy expressed in various ways: “We don’t have competition…” “Doctors are too […]
Early on, more than a few medical practices, providers and hospitals jumped onboard the nearest social media bandwagon because it was the trendy “thing to do.” Besides, we all know that “social media is free.” Right? It turns out, of course, that social media can be relatively low in cost, but overall, it isn’t completely […]
If today’s patient--now an informed consumer--isn’t at the center of your branding universe, you don’t have an effective brand. In the rarified world of physics and mathematics, “singularity” is a point at which a function takes an infinite value. Sci-fi readers find the term applied to “space-time when matter is infinitely dense, as at the […]
Our regular readers appreciate that we have a positive bias toward healthcare marketing and advertising that produces measurable, near-term results. Direct Response Marketing isn’t the only option, but for hospitals and medical practices—facing tough competition with a lean, cost-effective budget—it offers advantages over brand-based methods. Experienced writers will devote half (or more) of their creative […]
Hundreds of hospital and healthcare provider websites in the US simply aren’t doing their job. Some are broken…others are simply broken-hearted. If your website was a valued employee—but not performing to a reasonable standard—you would, at the least, provide counseling, coaching and encouragement. It’s no stretch to consider your online presence—primarily your website—to be a valuable […]
[A GUEST POST by Paul Rosen, MD] Millennial medical students are starting their third year clerkships in hospitals around the country and are asking: Where is the cutting age technology I am used to? Where are the seamless communication systems? Where is the user experience? The students are evaluating the care systems they are asked […]
One day you’re a skilled and experienced healthcare professional and the next day the doctor asks you to create content; writing for the medical practice website, blog and/or social media. It’s a sudden and challenging new assignment, and not everyone is up to the task. Certainly it’s important to maintain fresh and interesting content for […]
While languishing in a medical practice reception area, more than a few patients have fantasized about financial revenge, thinking: “I should send a bill to this doctor for making me wait so long.” That’s not a fanciful idea. “In 2010, people in America spent 1.1 billion hours seeking health care for themselves or for loved […]
A Guest Post by Paul Rosen, MD After reading Stewart Gandolf’s recent post, Patients Feel Healthcare Is Stuck in the Digital Dark Ages, I felt compelled to piggyback a few thoughts onto his astute observations. Stewart referenced the survey from Nielsen Strategic Health Perspectives, which demonstrates that healthcare is lacking in its ability to leverage […]
Earlier this week a colleague was stuck in a medical office verbally providing health history details for a staff person to type into the practice computer. The desk was stacked with thick, unfiled charts that nearly filled the space between patient and office manager. Facetiously, someone (nameless) joked how the dawning age of Electronic Medical Records […]
Among Benjamin Franklin’s considerable list of achievements in life is—along with physician and surgeon Thomas Bond—establishing the first hospital in what later became the United States. Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia continues today as the oldest hospital in America. In the tradition of Franklin and Bond, many doctors have much to brag about...if they wanted to […]
Somewhere in the US—we wouldn’t disclose exactly where—there’s a large medical practice that has, until recently, been in a relationship with a local advertising agency. What’s troubling about this relationship is that, over many years, the agency never talked about results, data or Return-on-Investment. The medical practice likes the people they were working with, and […]
The near-constant atmosphere of change in healthcare is taking more than a few medical practices back to their marketing drawing board. Doctors are forming new groups, practices are consolidating, and competition is escalating. And for many, the online workhorse of physician marketing—your trusted website—needs to change dramatically to reflect a new name, a new brand…maybe […]
[Second of Two Parts] The concluding guest post installment from Pediatric Rheumatologist Dr. Paul Rosen about the challenging, self-discovery process of creating a compelling 18-minute public presentation. Although a TED talk is one example, doctors can use similar, public forum opportunities to draw on and express their passion for the profession and the people they serve. See Part One […]
[Marketing Minute Video Series] Account Manager and Marketing Strategist Bernadette Wilson, MBA, and Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf talk about competition. Another Marketing Minute from Healthcare Success with tips, techniques and ideas for successful medical practice or hospital marketing and advertising. The revolution in today’s healthcare has shifted to consumerism, with many medical practices rolling-up […]
In less than a decade, healthcare in the US has changed greatly and frighteningly fast. Too fast, it seems for a multi-specialty group that was wrestling with competition and an unfamiliar business slowdown. Their story might sound painfully familiar. The business backdrop to their story is nearly universal in healthcare. Under the ubiquitous label of […]
There’s a bridge of sorts in nearly every doctor-patient encounter. On one side, the physician’s knowledge, training and experience reveals an answer to the patient’s need. But there are many situations where the patient needs to accept the solution—cross over the bridge—and embrace the recommendations for their care. Patients don’t “buy” treatments, medicine or procedures. The one and […]
It's not the gadgetry, it's the data. The annual International Consumer Electronics Show—billed as the global stage for innovation—is always a big deal. The showcase has three main convention venues along the famed Las Vegas strip, several thousand exhibitors, and well over 150,000 attendees. Scanning the innovative horizon for healthcare delivery and medical marketing, CES2015 was a […]
As you might suspect, my work frequently brings me face-to-face with doctors and other healthcare professionals who want to market a medical practice. One thing I’ve observed is that, regardless of gender, successful physicians, surgeons and top-line staff invariably dress for success. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to visit with practitioners in hospitals, group […]
I’m not about to short-change the power of Word-of-Mouth (WOM) advertising. It is still useful and effective in physician marketing, but in the digital age, it has become quite a different critter from its original form. Once upon a time (now past), every doctor’s mental book about how to market a medical practice professes that […]
The simple fact is that the art of storytelling is a powerful tool in healthcare marketing. In broadcast or print advertising for example, a good-health storyline is often the message fabric that engages and attracts new patients. Storytelling is common and easy to spot in external communications, but sadly, it’s underutilized (or forgotten) inside the […]
A Healthcare Success Special Report: A rugged survival guide for medical specialists who want to remain independent. Nobody likes to be the messenger of bad news, but here it is… Independent medical practices in the United States that want to remain independent have only two choices. They must—repeat, must—become an indispensable medical resource in […]
Before you roll your eyes skyward and dismiss the idea of patient email access, there are a couple new ideas that innovative doctors should consider objectively. Please humor me for about two minutes reading time while we touch on new compensation/reimbursement, enhancing patient satisfaction and improving compliance and clinical outcomes. First, both doctors and patients […]
Editor Note: It seems as if physician stress, discouragement and professional burnout are common. For validation, there’s a fresh research paper or national survey is in the news every few months. Many doctors don’t want to be doctors any longer. But far less frequently—if you look carefully—you can find a spirit-lifting story on the positive […]
Discussion: How would you handle an “unfriendly” social media snipe? Or is there a much larger picture to consider? Not long ago we spotted a comment on Facebook that got us to thinking again about medical marketing, online comments and physician reputation management. Unfortunately, we don’t know the back-story here, or what, if anything, […]
These days, marketing performance expectations are sometimes found under the “squeeze every nickel” heading. Maybe giant corporations once had fat and slushy budgets, although we doubt the successful ones used that approach. Then as now, a common denominator among most medical practices, hospitals and healthcare providers is an ongoing concern for “scarce resources.” Like every […]
