Real-World Mobile Strategy at Johns Hopkins Medicine

// By Jane Weber Brubaker //

After reading marketing automation software company Marketo’s Definitive Guide to Mobile Marketing, we asked Marketo how healthcare organizations compare to other types of organizations when it comes to mobile. Kristen Kaighn, Senior Product Marketing Manager, weighed in. Then we spoke to a digital marketing executive at a major health system to get a reality check.

We asked Marketo two questions:

eHST: Are Health Systems behind when it comes to mobile?

KK: While 90 percent of healthcare providers claim to use mobile devices to engage with patients, only 48 percent of providers say their digital strategy is integrated into their overall corporate strategy. With the majority of digital investments going into patient portals, the most common use of mobile is through app-enabled patient portals for patient engagement. Since healthcare providers are lagging in developing 360-degree views of their patients, informed by the many data sets, offline and online channels and touchpoints, engaging primarily via patient portal is likely resulting in sporadic communications that are disjointed with the patient’s entire journey.

eHST: Can they afford to be?

KK: They cannot afford to be, and only 48 percent of providers say their digital strategy is integrated into their overall corporate strategy, even though a majority of healthcare providers identify lack of funding as the top barrier for the effective use of mobile technology, 62 percent of mobile users search for health information, and 41 percent of patients say social media influenced choosing a healthcare provider. Prospective patients are looking across channels and devices to find information on their health.

Reality Check, with Johns Hopkins Medicine

We checked in with Johns Hopkins Medicine to find out more about where mobile strategy fits in to a large, complex organization. Our conversation with Aaron Watkins, Senior Director of Internet Strategy, revealed that even a world-renowned healthcare organization faces challenges moving forward on mobile initiatives. “When we look at our satisfaction rates on the site, we do see our mobile visitors are our most satisfied,” says Watkins. “But as we think long term, what will people expect from a transactional standpoint, even just a few years from now? I think we’ve really got to evolve rapidly if we’re going to maintain that high level of satisfaction.”

Log in below to access this content: