It’s appropriate that a health system named after the author of the famous document that begins with “When in the course of human events…” should demonstrate a strong commitment to human-centered design. Under the leadership of chief executive officer Steve Klasko, MD, MBA, recently named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People for 2018, Jefferson Read More
You don’t need to be an industry expert to know that today’s healthcare structure is experiencing tremendous change. Organizations are grappling with new technology as well as adjusting to reimbursement models that involve taking on more risk for patients’ health and well-being. These changes affect healthcare operations and administration, and they also trickle down to Read More
“Benchmarking your organization against your peers is something every health system wants to do,” says Ben Dillon, chief strategy officer at Geonetric and eHST Editorial Advisory Board member. “But in reality, how you compete is more nuanced than just comparing your organization to others by team or bed size. It’s neither easy to compare yourself to an average of Read More
In 2018, the patient digital toolkit is ever expanding. Between electronic health records, smartphones, texting, and telehealth, patients have access to a wide range of digital resources. The problem is that multiple resources come with multiple logins, passwords, and in-app experiences. Digital health can be a little overwhelming and disjointed. Recently, innovators at Nemours Children’s Read More
Can traditional market research keep up with the need for speed in today’s digital environment? Maybe not, if studies are carried out in the traditional way. A new technology platform, Methodify, is helping health systems in our neighbor to the north accelerate the traditional market research process. Methodify enables organizations to collect feedback and insights Read More
In today’s increasingly high-tech world, organizations may find it challenging to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital landscape. But having a well-defined strategy in place and relying on a mix of planning tools can help tie all of the pieces together for organizations, according to Kaela Carey, digital evangelist at SPM Marketing & Communications. Read More
The eHST Editorial Advisory Board is made up of leaders in the digital healthcare marketing field who are committed to shaping the future of the industry. They offer ongoing feedback on our editorial coverage, write occasional articles, and point us to developments and people eHST members like you should know about. I’m very pleased to Read More
“When a child wins the 6th-grade science fair, no one tells her, ‘Congrats! You’re going to make a great marketer one day!’ But maybe we should,” says Jared Johnson, a #DigitalHealth Top 100 Influencer and Phoenix Children’s manager of marketing technology and analytics. “The days of science and liberal arts being at opposite ends of Read More
Health systems today are looking for ways to engage patients, and one important way is through electronic health records (EHRs) and patient portals. To spur organizations to expand their use of EHRs and improve patient engagement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the EHR Incentive Program in 2011. This program has been Read More
What do you get when you cross IBM Watson with five Adobe marketing tools? A smart, HIPAA-compliant, preconfigured marketing stack curated for healthcare that doesn’t take years to implement. That’s the case IBM is hoping to prove to healthcare and life sciences organizations with its new offering, IBM Marketing Catalyst. Developed by digital consultancy IBM Read More
It’s Monday afternoon and you’re feeling under the weather. You have the entire week ahead and a packed schedule, but a doctor’s visit is in order. Should you take time off and try to make an appointment with your physician? Or would it be better to find a few hours and head to the urgent care Read More
The Call for Entries for the 2018 eHealthcare Leadership Awards is now open. This leading awards program, which draws some 1,000 entries, exclusively recognizes the very best websites and digital communications of healthcare organizations (both large and small), online health companies, pharmaceutical/medical equipment firms, agencies/suppliers, and business improvement initiatives. These awards highlight the role of Read More
“Gaining an understanding of what drives the choice-making and loyalty of healthcare consumers is complex,” says Kyra Hagan, senior vice president and general manager, marketing & communications at Influence Health. “What we do know is that consumers’ expectations for healthcare interactions are being shaped by the personalized and convenient experiences they have grown accustomed to in other Read More
Online scheduling is something we take for granted when it comes to making a dinner reservation or booking a flight. But it’s been a tough nut to crack for healthcare systems, and a source of frustration for patients when it’s not available. It seems like it should be easy. In reality, it’s complex. Upstream from Read More
Demands on health system marketing departments for growth and accountability are relentless. Data-driven marketing is the new imperative, yet marketing departments typically run lean, with lean budgets. Digital marketers have to be experts in web development, content management, social media, digital advertising, attribution modeling, multichannel marketing, and lately, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Read More
Social media isn’t always an easy sell in the healthcare community. Not only do physicians have limited time to spend on social media, the platforms can be minefields of HIPAA and patient confidentiality violations. But at a time when value-based care is growing, communication between hospitals and providers is more important than ever. Social media, Read More
Most health systems today have an established social media presence. But is it ready and able to flex in times of emergency? When Hurricane Harvey struck the greater Houston area in August 2017, it left widespread flooding and devastation in its wake. With roads impassable and power outages in many areas, the University of Texas MD Read More
What if you could make your website more engaging and easier to access for patients on the go — even when they don’t have access to the internet — while improving your electronic communication and reducing your costs? While this may sound like a tall order, progressive web apps (PWAs) can help you accomplish all Read More
Social media and mobile apps are an important part of any healthcare marketer’s toolkit; these technologies are crucial in building brand awareness and increasing patient volume. But what about their use in driving physician referrals? Most of the time a healthcare referral is made, it is made by a physician, not a consumer or patient. Read More
Depending on how your marketing organization is structured, questioning how much a particular marketing initiative contributes to overall conversions may be stepping on someone’s toes. Everyone wants to take credit for positive results, but smart organizations dig deeper to understand all the variables that could impact conversions, such as: How many marketing touches does it Read More
The market for voice-controlled smart speakers is hot. The percentage of U.S. Wi-Fi connected households with devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home was up to 12.1 percent as of the end of November, after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comScore reported. If that doesn’t get your attention, consider the growth rate between June (8.1 Read More
What do Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Time Inc., and other consumer brands and products have in common with your healthcare organization? More than you might think, when it comes to digital consumer engagement. Everyone knows Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In fact, just thinking of the name may make you drool for a pint Read More
With a very different audience and focus from its social media brethren, LinkedIn has always been a unique challenge for healthcare marketers. But with half a billion users (as of April 2017), LinkedIn is not a space to ignore. Putting resources behind this channel may not be easy, but it’s worth the effort to reach Read More
Remember the Winkleveii? The aggrieved Harvard twins of Facebook fame? They’re in the news again, this time as the “first Bitcoin billionaires.” Moneywatch reported in December that the $11 million they collectively invested in Bitcoin in 2013, was valued at more than $1.7 billion. So what does Bitcoin have to do with healthcare? Or digital Read More
When it comes to webpage content, a mobile-first mindset is crucial. As of January 2017, some 77 percent of Americans owned a smartphone, and roughly 1 in 10 of those users relied on smartphones to access the internet. With this growing user base in mind, Google created the Accelerated Mobile Page Project (AMP) in 2016. Read More