Community benefit reports have been an important component of hospital communication strategies for many years. For nonprofit healthcare systems, this reporting mechanism is required to demonstrate the positive impact they have had on community health to retain tax exemptions and other benefits. But as consumers’ information consumption habits have changed, the format and role of Read More
Any marketer will tell you that Facebook is one of the most powerful tools your brand can harness. It continues to show its strength as the most popular social media app, growing its active user base to more than 2 million and posting one successful quarter after another. But with more competition, new users, and Read More
Hospitals and health systems think of their websites as the digital “front door” to their organizations, but before consumers get there, search engine results could steer them away to competitors with higher star ratings and more positive reviews. Reputation is everything. The sheer number of places consumers post information makes it challenging for healthcare organizations Read More
As questions and confusion surrounding the need for childhood vaccines persist, healthcare organizations are creating easy-to-use digital resources to convey reliable vaccine information to parents. Mobile apps are a popular way to reinforce recommendations, dispel misconceptions, and build trust. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Vaccine Education Center (VEC) added an app called “Vaccines on the Read More
It’s no secret that Twitter is a mainstay of the healthcare marketing tool kit. But as the social media landscape evolves, Twitter’s role as a content marketing channel is evolving as well. Although it comes as no real surprise to marketers, Facebook continues to keep its place at the top of the social media food Read More
We recently asked Kathy Divis, president and co-founder of Greystone.Net, to weigh in on the top concerns of marketing executives in healthcare organizations. While acknowledging that there are many and diverse challenges in today’s complex environment, Divis is optimistic about the opportunities to choose and use technology to build meaningful relationships with patients. “I think Read More
Your brand is the sum of the experiences a customer has with you, says Matt Gove, chief consumer officer at Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia. This definition goes beyond the conventional scope of patient experience, or as Gove consistently refers to it: customer experience. While patient experience historically has been a clinical initiative, with the bulk of Read More
“The robotic yet charming voice of Alexa can help you find a good movie, make a payment on your credit card, get airline fares for a trip to Dublin, or see how many calories are in the banana you’re eating,” notes Shawn Gross, Chief Digital Strategist at White Rhino. “With an estimated 11 million devices Read More
Imagine that you’re lounging on the beach of a tropical island, listening to the waves lapping at the shore, feeling the breeze wafting over your skin, and hearing the seagulls squawk. With the latest virtual-reality tools that exist today, you—and your patients—can have this type of relaxing experience even if you’re in New York City Read More
Printing patient education pamphlets, brochures, and information kits isn’t cheap. It’s one thing if patients actually use them. But do they? Two hospitals thought mobile apps might be a better solution. Luke Poppish is executive director of the OB/GYN service line at South Shore Hospital near Boston, Massachusetts. “Anecdotally, we were hearing that moms would get their Read More
Imagine if all of your older and chronically ill patients had personal assistants to help them monitor their vital signs, answer pressing health questions, and remind them to take their medicines. While this scenario may sound ideal, it’s also quite an unrealistic goal to expect to accomplish for an entire population. But the newest generation Read More
South Nassau Communities Hospital (SNCH) in Oceanside, New York, knew it needed to elevate brand awareness in a market dominated by better-known hospitals on Long Island, and world-famous hospitals in nearby Manhattan. “They are the David in the sea of Goliaths in New York and Long Island,” says Bill Wax, president and founder of healthcare Read More
Advances in technology in recent years have made it possible for health systems to streamline their efforts on many levels, from evaluating and monitoring patients remotely to sharing medical information among multiple sites in real time. Some medical centers are also creating audio podcasts to educate patients, the general public, and even clinical staff, according Read More
Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are ranked #1 and #2 in the country respectively by U.S. News & World Report. But that doesn’t automatically mean that their websites will live up to their stellar clinical reputations. But they did, according to the 2016 eHealthcare Leadership Awards judges. These institutions were the only two to garner Read More
At Mount Sinai’s Institute for Next Generation Healthcare in New York City, artificial intelligence or AI (also referred to as machine learning) is helping researchers to gain new insight into genetic predispositions for cancer and other diseases. Close to 2,000 miles across the country, Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah, is using AI to Read More
“Reputation management has never been more important for healthcare providers and organizations that are actively seeking new patients. Why? The increase in high-deductible health plans has created a new breed of healthcare shopper,” says Becky Barney-Villano, healthcare writer and marketing specialist. “The rise of insurance exchanges where consumers pick their plans has resulted in more Read More
“As we continue to travel down the path of healthcare transformation, there are key individuals—healthcare leaders and innovators—whose ideas and actions are helping to shape the new look of healthcare delivery in America. Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, is one such individual,” says Dan Dunlop, president and CEO of Jennings and member of the eHealthcare Strategy & Read More
“As the virtual front door to your organization, your website is perhaps the most important marketing platform outside of your onsite patient experience and actual physical environment,” says Dagmara Scalise, AVP strategic services and healthcare practice lead, Primacy. “And yet, if you’re like most, there’s a good chance it’s outdated, unwieldly, or worst of all, underperforming Read More
“Outside of healthcare, customer experience drives business,” notes Kyra Hagan, senior vice president and general manager, marketing & communications at Influence Health. “Retailers and hospitality providers have realized explosive revenue growth and brand loyalty by deploying best practices in customer engagement. Unfortunately, the healthcare industry has fallen behind by not truly treating prospects and patients Read More
Managing change is hard, even for innovative organizations like Boston Children’s Hospital. “That’s something I hear in all the businesses I’ve worked with, from GE to Cigna to here,” says William Gagnon, senior director of global digital strategy and customer engagement at Boston Children’s. Digital transformation at Boston Children’s is laser-focused on making the shift Read More
Nick Ragone is senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the U.S., with 2,500 sites of care in 24 states and the District of Columbia. He leads the “One Ascension” effort from the marketing side. “We decided as an organization that we really needed to Read More
About one-fourth of the U.S. population listens to Pandora. That’s 82 million active listeners every month. Pandora’s free, ad-supported personalized music streaming service generated more than $1 billion in advertising revenue in 2016. Healthcare advertisers like OhioHealth, featured in a recent eHST article, are getting impressive results on Pandora. We were intrigued. We wanted to Read More
A growing percentage of consumers with employer-sponsored health insurance are choosing high-deductible health plans that have lower premiums. Citing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, Becker’s reported that 24 percent of employees enrolled in high-deductible health plans in 2015, up from just 4 percent in 2006. The downside of HDHPs is that out-of-pocket costs are Read More
This leading awards program, which drew over 900 entries last year, recognizes the very best websites and digital communications efforts of healthcare organizations, online health companies, pharmaceutical/medical equipment firms, suppliers, and business improvement initiatives. Now in its 18th year, the awards program is presented by Plain-English Health Care, publisher of eHealthcare Strategy & Trends and Read More
Lack of access to reliable non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) is more than an annoyance for patients who need care. It can prevent them from getting proper treatment and result in poor outcomes. The current system is rife with inefficiencies that negatively impact providers and patients. “If you have an unreliable healthcare transportation system, that disrupts Read More