Has your healthcare practice has been hit by the industry's
record-breaking merger and acquisition activity? Here's how to tweak your
marketing plan to manage patient perceptions until the dust settles.
Calm Consumer Worries
Change
makes consumers worry, especially when it's something as complex as healthcare.
When systems consolidate, typical consumer worries may include:
- Fewer provider choices.
- Lack of competition means they can't shop based on price.
- How to navigate the newly merged facilities and understand what's happening.
Consumers
need your help in making the best healthcare choices for themselves and their
families. Reassure them by emphasizing the advantages, such as:
- Merged systems offer more types of services, improved access to care and sometimes bring care closer to home.
- A single electronic health record (EHR) will track a patient's medical history-making provider interactions easier.
- Consolidated healthcare data from several systems means more information for medical research.
- Studies show that patient outcomes improve when there are standardized clinical protocols across the new system - all providers follow the same rigorous diagnosis and treatment methods.
- Improved cash flow makes facility updates possible, along with new equipment and additional staff, to serve the community's health needs better.
Crank Communication Up to High
Marketers are well-positioned to share all the positives in a
way that hits home. Use tools already at work in your plan, such as:
- Patient testimonials. Share stories about how a merger improved someone's access to life-saving care, skilled specialists or advanced diagnostics.
- Care team interviews. Showcase their appreciation for access to resources that will enhance patient experiences.
- Traditional campaign tactics. Display statistics that tell the story of improved patient outcomes.
- Social media. Discuss how having a single EHR gives providers of emergency, specialty and primary care the information they need immediately, rather than having to cross-reference records from various systems.
If you are merging with a
system that doesn't currently share your culture or one that has suffered from poor
communication in the past, contact CMG Health Marketing today. We can work with
you to redefine your marketing and media plan.