Healthcare Tag
April 15th, 2009
Gaining ground
Community benefit reports offer an incredible opportunity to healthcare brands.
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AIG =Arrogance, Incompetence, Greed. That’s just one of many negative shots being lobbed at companies in the heart of America’s economic crisis. Big businesses wrought with financial problems are being blasted by the public and media alike. The public’s frustration with these companies can very likely result in spillover to the healthcare arena. With the rollout [...]
April 2nd, 2009
Don’t Serve Me Alphabet Soup
How health care marketers can cut out the jargon and truly reach the consumer. "I think you might be having an MI, TIA or GERD. Maybe you should go to the ED for an IV, ET tube, MRI, or CT. Maybe they'll call a STEMI alert. Your PCP told me it could be CHF, PAD or a CVA and you'll be in the ICU or CCU." Sounds like an episode of Grey's Anatomy, doesn't it? Do you ever feel like you can't understand what your doctor is saying? It's no wonder. The medical industry is chock full of jargon that has become commonplace among those who work in the profession. But it can sound like Greek to a patient or their family members. Many patients have difficulty understanding basic medical information. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy conducted in 2003, about a third of Americans have low health literacy, meaning they can't read basic charts or determine what time a prescription medication should be taken based on the drug label. According to the Summer 2008 issue of Dartmouth Medicine, low health literacy can lead to medication mistakes, missed appointments, and poor adherence to doctors' recommendations, to name just a few side effects. The lower people's health literacy, the poorer their health tends to be. And with the shifting demographics in our country, we're seeing more non-English speaking people living within our borders. As communicators and marketers, we can play a significant role in ensuring that patients and their families can read and comprehend important information. One of our clients, CHS Healthcare, provides much-needed healthcare to underserved migrant workers in the ZIP code in Florida with the highest percentage of uninsured residents. In this area, many parents of children under age 5 aren't providing their children with the care they need. The CHS Early Health Pride program was developed to provide access to vital services for the youngest members of the community. Fahlgren developed animated characters, Dr. Leon and Paka [pictured on the right with Michael Wheatley, their creator], to serve as communication ambassadors to parents of these young children. An easy-to-understand guide for parents to learn what to expect and watch for during their child's development featured both characters. We strived to make words and phrases as simple as possible - instead of vaccinations we used shots, and instead of physicians we said doctors, for example. We also worked in close partnership with the program's social workers to understand the unique characteristics of the populations they served - Mexican and Haitian immigrants who work in Florida's agriculture industry. A simple translation isn't enough - it's important to really understand your audience's values, beliefs, traditional roles and preferred methods of communication. This, along with active listening, helps ensure that people understand how to take care of themselves and those they care for. So stay away from alphabet soup and serve up communication that's easy to understand. That's what good healthcare communication is all about.
March 23rd, 2009
What it means to be a storyteller
As an Account Supervisor at Fahlgren, I've been a part of several campaigns for healthcare clients ranging from small non-profits to complex health systems. I have traveled from California to New York to Ireland for my clients, and I have learned about everything from hip replacements to minimally invasive prostate surgeries to cancer treatment. All of these experiences comprise the best part of my job - telling my clients' stories in meaningful and impactful ways. The story of Riverside Methodist Hospital stroke patient Sarah Lancaster is one I'll never forget. We were in one of our brainstorming meetings with the client, which are always open and honest to uncover the best stories which in turn inspire entire campaigns. In this particular meeting we learned about Sarah who, thanks to Riverside's exceptional and innovative Merci Retriever stroke care, fully recovered from a serious stroke and went on to travel to Egypt just months later. The Power Of Storytelling
After the campaign began and Sarah’s story was out in the community via powerful television, print and web advertisements, we heard another great story — a woman who suffered a stroke went directly to Riverside Methodist Hospital. After she too recovered completely from her stroke her family asked her, “Why Riverside?” (more…)
March 18th, 2009
What’s your brand story?
I'd like to welcome Alden Schutte to our blog as a guest author. Alden is a brand strategist with Fahlgren's healthcare group and brings a wealth of experience to our agency. For more than 35 years, his belief in the power of simple, meaningful brand stories has meant big results for his many clients. What's your brand story?
By Alden Schutte Over the years we’ve asked that question to executives of all types of brands – including companies and organizations – and what continues to surprise us is the inability of most to easily deliver a succinct answer. One of the most basic ways we make sense of our lives, our world and [...]
In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a huge increase in the number of high school friends who are on Facebook. It’s fascinating to see what people look like and what they’re doing 25 years after graduation. Though I fall in the Baby Boomer generation, I tend to think of myself in the Cusper generation, which [...]
February 20th, 2009
Want My Business? Make It Worth My Effort
I was meeting with Gary Ansel, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Riverside Methodist Hospital, the other morning and we ended up talking about patient experiences with hospitals. The conversation turned toward how the experience can make or break a patient's perception, regardless of how good the clinical care is. And he's right. He routinely asks "is there anything else I can do for you?" before he finishes up a patient consult, and his efforts always are met with positive feedback. In this world of commoditized, non-distinct brands, we've all had interactions with companies that don't put enough emphasis on the customer experience. Advertising, marketing and communication can all help build a brand, but driving people to a negative experience can spell the demise of a strong brand. And blogger Bruce Temkin points this out in his paper, The 6 Laws of the Customer Experience. Temkin describes some of the implications of his six laws and there are a few that really resonated with me: Employees need to be empowered. How frustrating is it to be passed from person to person when you have a problem? Empower the front-line person to fix it and you minimize the risk of that customer going away unhappy, and telling multiple people about their bad experience. You know more than your customers; deal with it. No where does this seem more evident than in hospitals. They're scary, anxiety-producing places full of procedure names, acronyms and process steps that are understood internally, but seem very complex for patients and families. Our client, Riverside Methodist, does a wonderful job helping patients know where to go by personally escorting lost visitors, and explaining that PAD, or peripheral artery disease, is blocked arteries in the arms and legs. Don't let company organization drive experiences. As a customer, it's not my problem that your back-end operations aren't integrated. I was frustrated over the holidays when I looked up a book on the Barnes and Noble Web site, found it was available at the store close to work, went to buy it and the price was considerably higher in the store than online. Rather than match the price, they lost the sale. Don't under-spend on training. This is something that seems to be lost when new hires are made. Rather than throw a new employee into work, companies should invest in their staff and give them everything they'll need to feel confident and provide the level of service you expect from them. Check out Bruce's 6 Laws. I'm sure they'll inspire you to see how you can improve the customer experience with your brand.
December 22nd, 2008
Sick? Wait A Minute
With the country facing economic troubles and more people losing their jobs, hospitals are feeling the effects. Growing numbers of unemployed and uninsured are looking to emergency rooms for care. Even before the recession became evident, many ERs were already overcrowded with long waits. So it's no surprise that retail health clinics are popping up all across the country. A couple weeks ago, I knew I had a sinus infection and/or an ear infection, simply because I've had them before and know just how lousy I felt. It was a Friday evening around 7:00 p.m. and I'd been too busy to call my family doctor to try to get in to see him. So, I decided to give Minute Clinic at CVS a try. After all, it's close to my home, and if I needed a prescription, I could get it filled right there. The Doctor Is In...Near The Makeup Aisle Working many years with hospitals and doctors, I know there is some skepticism about the quality of care you'll get at one of these clinics...healthcare near the cosmetic aisle. But, it was also a good "secret shopping" opportunity, so I decided to check it out. When I arrived at CVS, I entered my information into a wall mounted computer, then waited only about 10 minutes to be seen. While I waited, I saw a complete listing of the costs associated with each diagnosis. A female nurse practitioner politely called me in to a small private clinic room, clean, fully stocked with supplies including a computer on which she created an electronic medical record. After numerous questions and a quick check of vital signs, and my eyes, ears, nose and throat, she affirmed my self-diagnosis. Within minutes, I'd gotten my prescriptions and she submitted the needed paperwork for the insurance - $59 for the visit and no out-of-pocket costs while there. The nurse told me she worked on an oncology unit in a hospital during the day, but liked the opportunity to interact with people who aren't as sick as cancer patients are in the evening. Overall it was a pleasant, quick and easy experience. Explosive Growth in the Category It's no wonder there are so many of these places. According to the research firm Merchant Medicine, there were 1,135 of these clinics as of December 1. CVS's Minute Clinic is the leader in the category with just over 500 locations, but Walgreen's Take Care is the fastest growing with more than 250 locations, up from fewer than 100 earlier this year. In the December 10 Media Economy newsletter, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott said the retailing giant would open 400 clinics within three years, and as many as 2,000 within seven years. A recent article by David Ellis in H&HN Online shows a number of reasons for growth in the category. These clinics target dual-income families that don't have a lot of time to spend in a doctor' s office, but in some markets like Phoenix, mini clinics are actively targeting minorities and the uninsured. Not a bad idea because they care a convenient point of access to care for those who are often most at risk. A Society Driven By Convenience "We're a society driven by convenience, and health care, until this concept, has not been convenient, particularly for dual-income parents," says Tom Charland, CEO of Merchant Medicine. "When someone in their family gets sick, because their schedules are so tightly woven, it creates chaos." I agree with Charland. As a married working parent of two, our doctors' office hours aren't always convenient, and an illness may not warrant the cost or wait of an emergency room visit. The challenges are several, however - getting people to understand what a minor health issue is versus when they have a true medical emergency that warrants a hospital visit, and creating access to a primary care physician or medical home, especially for the unensured. These are just a few of the issues we face as healthcare communicators.
November 20th, 2008
New Technology for An Old Tradition
It's Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Do you know where your turkey is?
Well, if it hasn’t been thawed out by now, you’re outta luck. The in-laws (or out-laws) are on the way over and you’re up to your elbows in frozen poultry. What a culinary conundrum. You or your friends probably know people who are completely overwhelmed at the thought of cooking a turkey. After all, you [...]
You can ask friends, family members or co-workers for recommendations – they’re usually reliable sources. The problem comes when you go to learn more about a doctor online. Many primary care doctors (family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics) have no Web presence. And if they do, the site is often hard to navigate and usually [...]
September 12th, 2008