What Should Digital Healthcare Directors Focus on in 2014? Part One

Ask The Expert with Mark S. Gothberg

Key provisions of the Affordable Care Act will be in full force on January 1 – less than two months away. Millions of newly insured con­sumers will be seek­ing health services, with many of them having limited knowledge of how the healthcare system works or the providers serving the industry. At the same time, there will be con­tinued pressure from the federal government to enhance clinical quality and patient safety and satis­faction, while also reducing costs.

In preparation for healthcare reform, as well as an increasingly competitive industry landscape, organizations accelerated their investment in digital communications during the past year. Organizations made major improvements in their websites, in­creased involvement in social media, more fully integrated newer media outlets with traditional marketing vehicles, and expanded mobile ef­forts to better serve current and future customers.

The entries in the 2013 eHealthcare Leadership Awards, the 14th year of the program, numbered more than 1,100 and represented an increase of 10 percent from last year’s program. The heightened interest in the pro­gram, combined with the growing sophistication of e-health, clearly indicates the role electronic media is now playing in helping organizations achieve their business objectives. But much work remains to be done.

Healthcare digital professionals need to continue to address all the ramifi­cations of healthcare reform. The November and December “Ask the Expert” columns will discuss what digital professionals should work on in 2014 and beyond in the context of the 14 award categories.

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