Can we learn anything from Veterinarians about caring and compassionate care?

Interesting question isn't it?

And from my point of view, the answer is yes.

Sometimes, examples of how things should be in healthcare, come from areas and experiences that one would have never thought of, borne out of intense personal experience. And believe me it was shock.

Briefly, my Golden Retriever Molly, who was 8 years old, became acutely ill and quickly passed away after 5 days at home. She was our family's loving companion, playful friend, and protector for the past 8 years.

Enough said, because this is about a very intense journey filled with compassion, caring, respect and dignity for Molly and me. And in my 25 years in healthcare, on several sides of the equation- as a professional, patient and caregiver, I have never seen anything like it.

I am not talking about the medical care, for Molly in a brief period received better care than most people in the world today. I am talking about the respect and dignity, the genuine caring and compassion exhibited during the diagnosis and treatment process. We, on the human side of healthcare, could learn a great deal from our healthcare brethren in the animal world.

And I am an expert on patient satisfaction.

I have always said, written and published that patient satisfaction is a process. One that could be understood, controlled and manipulated to produce high levels of satisfaction. It is well known that highly satisfied patients are more compliant with treatment regimens, tend to litigate less, and even if the medical outcome is not good, believe that they have had a high-quality medical experience.

But it's just not the process of satisfaction which is important and identifies areas of concern . This is also about all the little things that you and I do on a daily basis, that make that difference and you really can't measure that.

The answering of the phone and responding to an immediate need and not telling a patient that can't get in until next week. It's the person at the receptionist desk that stops what they are doing, doesn't look bored and extends the helping hand to get somewhere they need to go. It's the follow-up phone call to the patient at home to see how they are doing. It's the doctor calling the specialist first, getting things set-up and then informing the patient. It is about open and honest communication and patient involvement in the diagnosis, treatment and recovery process. Its caring and compassionate action demonstrated verbally and non-verbally to the patient, caregiver and family. It's the hospital staff being human again and not like acting like the patient is an inconvenience. It's the health insurance employee not sounding like they are being bothered, or blaming the computer.

For we are here to serve others, not for others to serve us.

I have never had such a positive experience in any healthcare organization.

As we move to a patient -directed healthcare model, these types of critical core behaviors and actions will determine the success or failure of a healthcare organization. Time to start the journey and get back to what we should be about in healthcare- caring, compassionate, respectful and treating everyone with dignity .

June 6, 2011

Molly Krivich, age 8, lover of cheese, eggs, Milkbones, popcorn, chasing balls, going for walks and being hyper (especially when I got home from work), went to dog heaven early this morning. Born March 3, 2003, survivors include Mike, Julie, Tyler, Alex and Grandma, and several brothers and sisters. Known for barely passing puppy training twice, and not knowing when to quiet down when visitors arrived, she still wrapped us around her paw and made us a better family. She really was the sweetest dog, and she will be missed. Rest in peace, Molly girl. You are loved By: Julie Corazza Krivich

My thanks and gratitude to: Care Animal Emergency Services, Animal Eye Consultants and Plainfield Animal Care Center.  You are the best.


For more information, or to discuss your strategic healthcare marketing, customer experience management, marketing/sales integration or start-up needs, you can learn more at my web site the michael J group; email- michael@themichaeljgroup.com ; or phone by calling me at 815-293-1471.

>>> Can we learn anything from Veterinarians about caring and compassionate care? >>>

Is earned media still a viable healthcare marketing strategy?

With everyone a buzz about social media, web sites, apps, channel specific publications, blogs, YouTube, twitter etc., and the supposed decline of print media, is chasing earned media still worth the effort? It does seem, except for pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, that earned media is on the decline for other types of healthcare organizations. And the reasons why puzzles me.

Is earned media to hard?

In any brand marketing campaign, its easy to focus on the "hot button" techniques to show the CEO and Board, that you are up-to-date and executing your marketing with the latest and greatest. Make no mistake about it, earned media is hard. You have to develop relationships with reporters. You have to plant and cultivate story ideas. You have to respond to reporters request for more information. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes resources, in a period of time where all we ask on a daily basis is, "What did you do for me today?"

And in the pressures of today's immediate gratification world, earned media seems so anachronistic.

That's a mistaken attitude.

Earned media has value.

All that content that goes online comes from somewhere. A reporter has to write it. A network broadcaster has to cover it. Columnists look for it. It goes out on facebook, web sites, YouTube, twitter and gasp, print editions of magazines, daily newspapers and specialty publications.

Since it comes under the byline of a reporter, there naturally flows some journalistic credibility that is conferred on the story. The more people say that they don't believe what they read, the more that they believe it. We are expected to advertise. We are expected to do direct mail. Communication of our brand messages and potential product experiences are expected by the consumer. Whether they believe it or not is another matter.

Earned media can become viral in nature because it has so many different outlets. When a news outlet or publication carries your brand messages, it makes what you are doing seem more believable. Once they story runs about a topic and you're the first, it's much harder for your competitors to get out there with the same message. A powerful way to differentiate yourself which also has a considerable number of aftermarket uses.

There is a payoff.

Besides the advertising equivalency return for earned media ratio and successful brand image awareness measurement, there is a compelling reason for developing earned media relationships.

Every organization will experience a communications crisis. Taking the time to develop positive relationships with reporters, blog writers, broadcast media and others has a big payoff in a media driven crisis. The development and cultivation of a relationship with media doesn't mean that the story won't run. But what it can mean, is the difference between a story that is balanced and fairly reported, versus a story that is one-sided against you. As we all know, negative news about travels farther and faster than positive news, which does more harm than good over the long haul.

So, maybe it's time to rethink that "old bygone era strategy" of actively planning for and pursuing earned media.

You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich
Web site: http://www.themichaeljgroup.com/

For more information, or to discuss your strategic healthcare marketing, customer experience management, marketing/sales integration or start-up needs, you can learn more at my web site the michael J group; email- michael@themichaeljgroup.com ; or phone by calling me at 815-293-1471.

>>> Is earned media still a viable healthcare marketing strategy? >>>

Do You Know the Value of Your Healthcare Brand?

Changes at the speed of light in the various healthcare marketplaces, impact brands in very significant ways. Mergers, acquisition, new companies and non-traditional models for delivering care, are creating a dizzying array of healthcare brands for the consumer. Some brands go way. Some remain as hybrids, dying a slow death. Some even stay in the market with just a tag-line identifying the parent company.

Your brand image, brand promise and brand architecture have a value that impacts you organization in two ways, revenue and image. Have you quantified that the value your brand has on your revenue stream? And have you created a rock solid brand architecture that accounts for mergers and acquisitions, to eliminate the "my company name Is better" arguments that go on internally post acquisition, when the issues are not addressed up front?

Your brand has a dollar value.

For example, the Walgreens brand has been valued at $1 billion. What this means is that if Wal-Mart, or Target had the same brand awareness and image as Walgreens, their revenues would be $1 billion higher than currently reported. And that value carries over as WAG moves into retail healthcare, out- branding, out-pricing and out-delivering you, the traditional healthcare provider.

Healthcare is changing from a dominated provider model in the U.S. to an employer and consumer-driven model. And that means that your healthcare brand is everything. As you view changes in your organization to talk more about outcomes, quality and price, so should you be talking internally about what the value of your brand is, how it relates to consumers and the steps you need to take in the marketplace to improve.

If you do not know what the dollar value of your brand is, then you are missing an important leverage point negotiations. I mean really, my brand name can't go away because I believe that it has more value than you, or the ever popular, "our brands are equal keep them both". Nonsense. Data talks, all else walks. Know your brand value and it may have a better chance of surviving.

Now, that being said, if you are being acquired by a multibillion dollar company with a strong brand architecture, give it up and count your money. You will survive longer if you go with the program instead of fighting it.

Brand is important in a rapidly consolidating industry.

Healthcare is at the beginning start of a massive consolation from small individual cottage-industry type organizations e.g., specialty pharmacies, home agencies, infusion centers and hospitals to become part of larger organizations to survive. It is more important than ever, that you have clear and unbiased understanding of your brand, its strengths and weaknesses, but most importantly, its dollar revenue value in the marketplace.

As employers and consumer takes more control of their healthcare, your brand will be more important than it is today. But if you don't understand the value of that brand, then you are missing a golden opportunity.

You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich
Web site: http://www.themichaeljgroup.com/

For more information, or to discuss your strategic healthcare marketing, customer experience management, marketing/sales integration or start-up needs, you can learn more at my web site the michael J group; email- michael@themichaeljgroup.com ;or phone by calling me at 815-293-1471.

>>> Do You Know the Value of Your Healthcare Brand? >>>

Is Your Healthcare Marketing Model Evolving?

Healthcare is changing as never before. There is a marketplace momentum developing that will never allow healthcare organizations to go back to the way they were. Accountability, transparency, price and value are the new expectations. Business models need to change to meet the needs and expectation of the evolving healthcare consumer. Which begs the question, is your healthcare marketing model evolving as well?

My guess is probably not.

Doctors, hospitals and insurers are going to have to change their marketing models. The old model of advertise it and they will come is slowly, but inexorably going by the wayside. Ads that are all about the provider, offering limited time discounts on certain test or exams due to the time of the year or date on the wellness calendar, are pretty standard. They offer little if any differentiation. Even the insurer plan ads are starting to look the same. Great offers about benefits, little transparent discussion of price and outcomes for choosing them. Ads across hospitals offer little in the way of building brand equity in the minds of consumers.

Where is the brand equity?

And you really have to figure out how to build brand equity for the consumer in the future healthcare world. Brand equity is not built overnight, it takes years. For insurers they are ahead of the game and probably most doctors, even though their brand equity is more by chance than actual effort and planning. But hospitals, they are way behind the brand equity curve unless you are a Mayo Clinic, M D Anderson, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins and a few select others.

Consumers are taking more control.

As employers figure out that not much has changed in the way of healthcare cost reduction, their strongest response will be to provide a fixed dollar contribution to employees, who will shop for their own healthcare plans from insurers and exchanges. They will build their own healthcare networks of who they want in and out. Consumers want choice. Their choice. Just as they have choice in any marketplace. And they are not going to pay for poor quality care or mistakes.

Consumers aren't off the hook in all of this change. They will have to become more knowledgeable, accountable and involved. They will have to learn how to select a health plan, doctor or hospital. And that's your opportunity to begin to change your marketing model and branding efforts.

How can you build brand equity?

There is no simple answer, it is a combination of changing internal processes and systems (customer experience management) to become more consumer-friendly and efficient. It's about adapting technology that will reduce errors and improve decision-making. It's about changing marketing and communication activities from what you do, to the value of what you do. You will need to engage in meaningful ways the healthcare consumer. You will need become price and quality transparent. You will need to respond to each individual consumers healthcare needs.

You will need to build or rebuild your brand, around value-based performance that delivers better care at reasonable prices.

So, is your healthcare model evolving with the new healthcare consumer in mind, or are you still doing things the same way, looking for volume that may not exist?

You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich

For more information, or to discuss your strategic healthcare marketing, customer experience management, marketing/sales integration or start-up needs, you can learn more at my web site the michael J group; email- michael@themichaeljgroup.com; or phone by calling me at 815-293-1471.

>>> Is Your Healthcare Marketing Model Evolving? >>>

How Do You Sell to Physicians?

Physicians are the lifeblood of many a healthcare organization. As competition increases for their attention whether it be a hospital, specialty pharmacy, medical device manufacturer, or pharmaceutical company, cutting through the din of messages and relationships can be a daunting task. So how do you cut through all of the chatter and have marketing and sales work together effectively?

Be the solutions provider!

You are supplying solutions to solve the physician practice challenges by providing data-driven or process solutions to those issues in practicing medicine in today's environment of change. And they must at a minimum, accomplish several things: A) practice medicine more efficiently; B) measurably improve the quality of care; C) assist in generating additional revenue; D) are cost effective; E) easy for the physician and office staff to use; and F) reduce the patient hassle factor by cutting down on complaints, or, as we like to say, increase patient satisfaction.

With that in mind, some basic rules of thumb apply:

1) Your sales people must be using a common sales strategy across the enterprise. I have seen too many organizations (hospitals mostly) where everybody's left to their own methods resulting in incorrect messaging and using poorly designed home-grown materials which could have some significant legal repercussions for the organization. Your sales force activities are about relationship selling and acting as the liaison for the physician to your organization. If you don't have a method and training, chances are you will not be as effective as your competition.

2) Use a sales database system to collect information and the marketing department needs to have full access. If your just starting to look at one, marketing needs to be at that table. Don't assume that sales or IT knows what marketing needs. They don't. Systems breed accountability on all sides of the ledger.

3) Create an interdisciplinary marketing and sales advisory committee. Where most organizations fall down is the poor communication and working relationships between sales and marketing. You have to get past the "the feet on the street" don't deliver the brand messages and promise in the right way, and all that marketing is good for is creating stuff, because I need more stuff to leave behind attitudes.

4) Train your marketing department in the sale approach that your sales people are using. This way marketing begins to understand the opportunities and challenges faced, and how your sales staff is trained to overcome them. This means that all marketing materials should be created to be applicable and useful at some point in the sales cycle. It's all about shortening the sales cycle. Effective materials will assist in that goal.

5) Let your marketing people go out on sales calls and major presentations. They can be a new set of eyes and ears as well as providing them with new perspectives on how difficult the job is. Insights from other areas will make you a stronger organization.

6) Cut down on the number of slide you use for presentations. An 80 page slide deck is all about you and nothing about your potential customer. If you have to use more than 10 slides, you don't know what you are talking about and don't understand your audience. Talking head are boring.

7) Have marketing attend you sales meetings and weekly funnel calls. It's about relationships and dialogue. Marketing should have a roll in explaining the organizational strategy, and what they are doing to generate meaningful leads for sales to follow-up on.

8) Joint marketing and sales goals and objectives should be established. Share in the pain and share in the gain.

9) Constantly evaluate and begin again.

As healthcare reform continues to be implemented and becomes more fully defined, the consolidation of healthcare providers will continue unabated. Physicians will play an exceedingly important role in the revenue opportunities for your organization. The physician is your partner. Ignore them at your own risk.

You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich

For more information, or to discuss you marketing and sales integration needs, you can learn more at my web site the michael J group; email- michael@themichaeljgroup.com ; or phone by calling me 815-293-1471.

>>> How Do You Sell to Physicians? >>>

How do You Change Healthcare Consumers From Ignorant/Uneducated to Informed?

The discussions on 30 plus LinkedIn groups across the wide healthcare industry spectrum has been revealing to the question "Is the Healthcare Consumer Ignorant?"

To summarize, there are many contributing factors, from healthcare diagnosis and treatment complexity, the inability of providers too communicate in an understandable way their process, to economic factors that cause the consumer to be disconnected. And some are just like arrogant parents who know all and see all.

And I thank everyone who contributed to the discussion no matter what side you are find yourself.

But it is time to move the discussion forward and start the dialogue on how to change the healthcare consumer from ignorant/uneducated to informed.

The task at hand is not insurmountable. It will require innovation, creativity, change, an attitude adjustment and perseverance.

Anything is possible.

This means a long-term commitment that most likely is generational in nature across all healthcare industry segments, to have an informed healthcare consumer. Think back to the 80s when DRGs were introduced. As an industry, healthcare went from we will do things to you, care for you and you have no real responsibility for your care and treatment, to now you have a personal responsibility to maintain good weight, stop smoking, wear a motorcycle helmet etc. We offered wellness programs, screenings, lectures and educational materials. Lots of stuff that more or less has had a positive impact on some diseases.

In spite of these efforts, we remained an industry that still does things to people and generally looked the other way when patients asked questions or wanted to be involved.

The economists, think-tanks, employers, physicians, health plans, hospitals, associations, Federal and State governments and special interest groups have spoken, created new models, programs and services in an attempt to bend the cost curve with limited success. This is not an attack, for we are better off today with these attempts at reform.

From the view in my world, one thing we have not done to a great extent is involve the end user in these discussions. How can we succeed, if the end-user is not informed and involved in all of these processes and plan creations?

The healthcare cost problem will not be solved until we have an educated, informed consumer, that is an active participant in the decision-making process regarding their care and understands the price.

Where do we go from here?

Here are some ideas, not all inclusive but just offered up for consideration.

1. Marketing needs to be far more involved than it has been so far. This isn't just about making things pretty. It's about delivering content that is informative, understandable, actionable and life-changing, delivered however the person wants it. It is multi-channel and uses all available methods like social media, web site, direct mail, webinars, apps etc. Whatever it takes. Not just the do an ad, have program. It needs to be interactive and fits into an individual's daily life seamlessly.

Senior management needs their marketing departments at the leadership table to understand the life and pulse of their communities.

HIPAA does not mean that you can't communicate and use all the tools available.

2. There needs to be price transparency. Time to move away from communicating what the charges are for healthcare to the price of the healthcare service. Consumers will understand price, they will never understand charges. Strive for clarity.

3. Increase outcome and data related transparency for the consumer. Quality awards are nice and all, but what does it really mean and how can the consumer use that type of information? Consumers can not make choices without real actionable information.

4. Stop talking at people; talk to them. Healthcare will not change and the cost curve will not be bent until we have an informed and educated consumer.

5. Create incentives for the physicians and consumers to be involved and choose lower cost options for treatment or diagnosis. For example, American Imaging Management, a WellPoint Subsidiary, has developed a creative incentive program that awards physicians and patients for choosing lower cost alternatives for some imaging. People respond to financial incentives positive and negative. Time to be creative.

6. Adjust your attitude. The healthcare consumer is not ignorant. They may be uneducated, but they are not ignorant. Given the right information, they can make reasonable decisions and be actively involved if you let them. That means changing attitude, organizational culture and approach.

7. Innovate. Healthcare lacks original innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit for the most part. Instead of saying why something won't work because it challenges established beliefs or process or ways of doing things, ask how it will work or how lessons from other industries can be adapted. Leave the comfort zone.

8. Lead the change in your organization.

These are just some ideas and opinions. I am sure that I have missed a lot, gorged some sacred cows and maybe angered a few people. We all know that this is a complicated challenge. We have tried just about everything else. And unless we begin to create an informed, involved and educated healthcare consumer, then we won't be able to bend the cost curve.

You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich

Michael Krivich is an entrepreneurial healthcare marketing executive and internationally followed healthcare marketing blogger read daily in over 38 countries around the world. A Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives as well as a Professional Certified Marketer, American Marketing Association, he can be reached at michael@themichaeljgroup.com or 815-293-1471. Areas of expertise include: brand management; strategic marketing; sales and marketing integration; medical device and specialty pharmacy marketing; physician marketing; product launch; start-up launch and revenue growth; tactical market planning; customer experience management; rebuilding and revitalizing marketing operations; media relations; and service line revitalizations. Mike is Huthwaite SPIN selling trained and a Miller Heiman Strategic Selling alumni.

>>> How do You Change Healthcare Consumers From Ignorant/Uneducated to Informed? >>>

Is the Healthcare Consumer Ignorant?

It's the kind of question that pauses one for a minute or two. How this question came about was in response to a post of mine a few weeks ago, regarding pricing at Urgent Care Centers and the $500 Band- Aid. In comments on a couple of LinkedIn groups, a few healthcare executives called consumers ignorant.

Really.

From a marketing perspective, that is a most interesting characterization of a healthcare consumer. And a dangerous belief to hold about one segment of your audience.

Ignorant.

I don't think so. Informed. Connected. Questioning. Seeking. Paying. Shopping. These words describe the healthcare consumer of today. A consumer who is awakening and demanding a voice in diagnosis and treatment options. After all, isn't that one of the major premises for healthcare reform, and CMSs' one opening statement in the proposed ACO regulations?

In ignorance there is opportunity.

So if you really believe that the healthcare consumer is ignorant, then what are you doing to change that to create an informed consumer? How are you interacting and building you organizational brand to change the healthcare consumers from ignorant to informed? Or, are you just happy to keep them that way, so those "pesky " informed consumers don't question your pricing, decision- making and quality?

Healthcare is changing from a provider-directed and dominated model to a consumer-driven model. And that means people will be informed. They will be involved. They will make quality and pricing decisions. They will play a very strong part in utilization decisions. The healthcare consumer is far from ignorant.

With a little work, they could actually put together their own price-affordable healthcare delivery network and never set foot in a hospital, or hospital-owned setting for care. Obviously, there will be those situations requiring major surgery or trauma care, for which a hospital is the most appropriate setting. But for the rest of it, doubtful.

So, don't be surprised in the future if a healthcare consumer-driven web site shows up that points the healthcare consumers to lower-cost providers for care. Your opportunity is to become that low cost provider, taking advantage of consumer shopping behavior though innovative, cost-effective programs and services.

For health plans and insurance companies, your opportunity is to educate your plan members about providers who have lower prices for services you are paying for, and giving consumers the option to seek lower-cost providers. You could also create loyalty and incentive programs for consumers to avail themselves of lower cost setting for care.

Just because its low cost, doesn't always mean low quality.

After all, almost all diagnosis and treatment can be done in lower-cost settings than a hospital or hospital-owned facility. Get ready for a different future than what you think it will be.

You can continue the conversation with me on:
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/krivich0707
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mkrivich

Michael Krivich is an entrepreneurial healthcare marketing executive and internationally followed healthcare marketing blogger read daily in over 38 countries around the world. A Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives as well as a Professional Certified Marketer, American Marketing Association, he can be reached at michael@themichaeljgroup.com or 815-293-1471. Areas of expertise include: brand management; strategic marketing; sales and marketing integration; medical device and specialty pharmacy marketing; physician marketing; product launch; start-up launch and revenue growth; tactical market planning; customer experience management; rebuilding and revitalizing marketing operations; media relations; and service line revitalizations. Mike is Huthwaite SPIN selling trained and a Miller Heiman Strategic Selling alumni.

>>> Is the Healthcare Consumer Ignorant? >>>