COVID-19 has challenged the American health system. As the disease spread across the country infecting more than a million people, hospitals jumped into action to save lives and minimize the virus’ spread. Part of that lifesaving care has been happening outside of the hospital grounds — it’s happening in the homes of the marketing and Read More
Hitting the pause button on elective procedures has resulted in deep financial losses across all U.S. health systems, and they now face immense pressure to recover financially, as quickly as possible. In Ohio, nonessential elective procedures stopped on March 18 and didn’t reopen until May 1. Even now, only elective procedures that do not require Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic brought health system leaders a myriad of brand-new questions, and precious little time to find solutions. How can we effectively triage COVID-19 patients? How can we predict COVID-19’s impact on our health system going forward? How can we estimate our capacity for elective surgeries and other vital services when the time comes? Read More
If there’s a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, it is that there appears to be renewed respect between communities and the hospitals that serve them. “A lot of healthcare providers have suffered from the loss of their leading roles in their communities,” says Jean Hitchcock, president of Hitchcock Marketing and Communications in Woodstock, Read More
As healthcare consumers nationwide are still being urged to stay home when possible, the surge in demand for virtual visits has provider organizations nationwide scrambling to scale up telehealth capabilities if they have them — or stand them up if not. What does it take to completely change the way you deliver care, practically overnight? Read More
Not long after the first confirmed case of COVID-19 hit the United States, hospitals began to cancel on-site programs and events, particularly those for at-risk populations. Expectant mothers are among the group of people considered to be vulnerable to the coronavirus because their immune system is compromised while they’re pregnant. According to the CDC: “Pregnant Read More
“Right now, our hospitals and health systems are facing far more than a public health crisis; they are facing a financial crisis that could threaten their very survival,” say Dan Dunlop of Jennings and healthcare branding specialist Jared Johnson. Here’s an excerpt from their new article: COVID-19 may be with us for a while, but Read More
“Healthcare doesn’t stop, especially in a crisis,” notes David Sturtz of Geonetric. “Healthcare marketers need to deliver timely, accurate information now more than ever. There’s no doubt Google is a key player in your communication strategy.” Here’s an excerpt from his new article for us: As you think about how to work with Google, there Read More
“We are living in a world already changed,” says Dave Wieneke, healthcare innovation director at PK. “Unlike even 60 days ago, we face a new imperative to embrace social distancing to save lives and preserve clinical capacity. If history has taught us anything, it’s that times of crisis drive innovation.” Here’s an excerpt from Wieneke’s Read More
As COVID-19 creates chaos throughout the U.S. healthcare system, caring for people with other illnesses and routine provider appointments presents a challenge. Scheduled appointments or wellness visits are being canceled because of social distancing mandates or state lockdowns, and providers aren’t sure how or when to accept new patients. Patients with chronic illnesses who can’t Read More
“As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to swiftly — and perhaps permanently — alter daily life for millions of Americans, Customer Experience, or CX, can mean the difference between remaining vital and present to your customers and patients,” says Hardy Kalisher, chief client officer at Parallel Path. “Digital customer experience is more important now than Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced healthcare organizations to develop and execute crisis marketing plans. A crisis marketing plan addresses brand management with the goal of avoiding disconnects and establishes processes for rapidly redirecting messaging from service line campaigns to patient safety and health. Alan Shoebridge, director of marketing at Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System and Read More
Well before cases of COVID-19 began to spike in the U.S., healthcare organizations were watching the response to the pandemic unfold worldwide and preparing for the worst-case scenario. Communications to myriad stakeholders have been and are being created, coordinated, and standardized across multiple channels. Accurate, up-to-date information is essential for all of us. To offer Read More
In an address to the Alliance for Connected Care Telehealth Policy Forum in 2018, CMS administrator Seema Verma said, “Telehealth is changing the very face of healthcare.” She’s right. Studies have found that telehealth programs have reduced 30-day hospital readmission rates for heart failure patients, sped up the time to treatment for patients experiencing a Read More
In January, Google declared its plan to phase out support for third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by the year 2022. The announcement has led many digital marketers to panic because digital ads depend on cookies for targeting, and Chrome has significant market share. But healthcare digital marketers already have to play by stricter rules, Read More
As technology giants Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others forge ahead with plans to improve healthcare, many in the industry are wondering just what they plan to do and how they plan to do it. David Feinberg, MD, vice president of Google Health and former president and CEO of Geisinger in Pennsylvania, discussed Google’s plans during Read More
Finding your way around a labyrinth of hospital hallways can be stressful, especially if you’re an outpatient rushing to a test, or a visitor looking for a sick loved one’s room. Even finding the cafeteria for a quick cup of coffee can be aggravating when you don’t know where you’re going and have only a Read More
How many of your hospital’s physicians are active on social media? Most hospital marketing teams don’t know the answer, but they should, says Lee Aase, director of the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network. Aase says that hospital physicians who engage in social media can impact reputation scores that account for about 25 percent of a Read More
The number of people in the U.S. who speak a language other than English is growing. One in five U.S. residents age 5 and older speaks a language other than English at home. That number has more than doubled since 1990. In the nation’s largest cities — New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and Read More
On January 7, Healthgrades announced its acquisition of consumer and physician engagement company Evariant. The combined assets of the two high-profile health tech companies create a comprehensive platform that Healthgrades CEO Rob Draughon hopes will be the right solution to meet the needs of the industry at a time of rapid growth and consolidation. “As Read More
Each year, Modern Healthcare honors 100 influential healthcare leaders, voted to the list by their peers and senior editors of the publication. What are these leaders doing to help the industry move forward? What is the impact of their leadership initiatives on their own organizations and on the industry as a whole? Beyond checking to Read More
Jeremy Rogers is executive director, digital marketing and experience at Indiana University (IU) Health. IU Health and Loyal, led by president Brian Gresh, are partnering on multiple initiatives that fall under the broad heading of consumerism. “We knew we had to put the customer at the center of all of our decision-making,” Rogers says. Rogers Read More
Anyone who’s been to a large hospital campus can relate to how hard it is to figure out where to go, even with GPS and Google Maps. Should you go in the north entrance or the south entrance? Is your doctor in the main hospital building or another building? Is parking lot A, B, or Read More
Much of healthcare innovation these days seems to be focused within organizations — hospitals striving to improve their patient experiences or make access to their healthcare simpler and easier. But at Providence St. Joseph Health, a 51-hospital system that spans seven states, innovation comes in many different forms and has far-reaching effects beyond the walls Read More
According to a Deloitte Global survey, more than three-quarters of North Americans use at least one form of ad-blocking. The survey found that 31 percent of Americans use ad-blocking software on their desktop computers, and 20 percent say they use a mobile ad-blocker. With a significant number of people using ad-blocking tools, marketers face an Read More