What Healthcare Can Learn from Digital Retail Brands

Dan Greenwald, CEO and chief creative officer of White Rhino

The latest technologies provide consumers with an array of conveniences — from the ability to summon a ride with a click of their phone to ordering fast food online and having it delivered right to their door. As these types of experiences increasingly become the norm, healthcare marketers are being pressed to find new ways to step up their own digital offerings.

We recently interviewed Dan Greenwald, CEO and chief creative officer of White Rhino, a Boston-based digital marketing firm that helps healthcare organizations make a personal connection with their target audiences. We were interested in his perspective on how organizations can incorporate technological advances perfected by digital innovators and use them to enhance the digital experience for healthcare consumers.

eHST: Why is it essential for healthcare organizations to keep pace with digital strategies employed by consumer retail brands? 

DG: Hospitals don’t need to be on the “bleeding edge” of technology, but they do have to be nearly in lockstep with consumer technology expectations — ideally less than a year behind — or else risk losing both existing and prospective patients to other hospitals that meet those expectations. Ultimately, I believe that this fact will compel hospitals to keep pace with the changes driven by technology. 

eHST: In what areas can health systems apply strategies employed by the most successful consumer brands to strengthen their own efforts?

DG: Access and navigation are two areas of concern for health systems. For an access analogy, look at Uber. I pull up the app and order a ride. There’s no fumbling for my wallet, arguing with the driver about credit cards, dealing with broken credit card machines. Technology has made my life easier. Hospitals need to find ways to address the famous access problems with similar principles. Design thinking will get the ball rolling.

Read the full interview now: How Healthcare Organizations Can Adapt Digital Strategies Used by Google, Amazon, and Uber to Solve Problems Throughout the Patient Journey

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President