Healthcare reform is extending beyond the Washington beltway.
You can see it in how health systems, hospitals and other providers are shifting their marketing strategies from the traditional wholesale approach — physicians are the primary customer — to retail marketing in which hospitals appeal directly to patients on the basis of quality, safety, technology, scope of services and access.
As physicians shift their employment and business orientation from physician-owned practices to employment by hospitals and insurance companies — yes, payors are beginning to acquire practices as well — hospitals are turning their attention directly to the patients.
In the process, CEOs are creating yet another CMO position for their senior leadership team: Chief Marketing Officer. In the earliest days, marketing Vice Presidents or Directors were seen, more often than not, primarily as strategy, advertising and/or “sales” people.
Providers now are quickly adjusting their perspective, acquiring sophisticated marketing information systems to aggregate and analyze a mountain of data hospitals have been collecting for years but never used in a meaningful way.
HealthLeaders.Com has published an excellent article, Image Makeover that is worthy of review.
© 2011 John Gregory Self
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