Where Are All The Patients? And How Do You Get Them Back?

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the high rate of infection in the U.S. has driven individuals who would typically seek care from doing so. Even with the economy gradually reporting, hospitals and physicians never stopped seeing patients' during the pandemic. But patients it seems stayed away in droves from seeking care for conditions that they usually would have and continue to do so.

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There is any number of reasons from regular visits being replaced to an extent by telemedicine to better self-management. Still, people are probably staying way out of fear of contracting COVID-19 in the provider setting. Remember that the patent experience changed and remains changed to a great extent because of COVID-19 precautions to prevent community spread. With a long memory, patients won't all of a sudden believe because you told them so to come back just like before.

While there is an understanding that COVID-19 is not a normal situation, the impacts are profound and lasting. As hospitals execute their marketing plans for a post-pandemic world, special attention needs to be paid to the patient. And it's not with old marketing messages.   

It sounds simple, but the reality is more complicated.

The hospital marketing re-engagement task is compounded by a significant change in healthcare delivery that can't be undone as a result of the pandemic with less hospital-based care being provided.

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Patients were forced to find different ways of getting healthcare. Once that happened, and patients found those more convenient, accessible diagnostic and treatment options that were more cost-affordable, why would they ever go back to the old ways?

SARS-CoV-2 has put consumerism back into healthcare in a big way. And now it's a survival tactic to become customer-friendly in actuality not words.

Changing the hospital to be a consumer-focused organization is a process.  A very long and grueling process, as lasting organizational change is not easy.  For further information on how to become a consumer-focused organization, please read, "What does a customer-focused hospital or healthcare enterprise look like?"

That fundamental change requiresan unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of the consumer, and having to market plays a critical role in that process.  Consumerism for the hospital translates into accountability and value along the dimensions of price, quality, engagement,and experience.

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1.  Brand and competitive position.

Consumers and patients experience for transparency and convenient technology-enabled access to care during the pandemic. Healthcare providers have no choice but to meets the patient's demands for timely, accessible, and cost-effective healthcare through technology and the next generationof physicians. 

2. Engage existing customers and patients.

An individual is only a patient 1/3rd of the time they come in contact with you.  That is during the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery phase.  Pre and post this experience; they are a healthcare consumer,not a patient.  So why then is it the only time one chooses to engage them meaningfully is during the period when they are a patient?   Engaging the patient continuously builds loyalty and importantly keeps them in the network, which has some significant financial ramifications in a risk-based reimbursement model.

3. Engage the physicians.

No matter the payment models, the hospital or health system still needs a physician or physician extender's order to get anything done in a healthcare setting. That means engaging physicians in meaningful ways, using the methods, technology, and systems that will make their life easier, improve their productivity, and protect or increase their income. A skilled physician has more to do with the impact of cost and quality in the hospital than any other factor.

4. Focus on the consumer/patient experience.

A healthcare provider's ability to deliver an experience that sets it apart in the eyes of its patients and potential patients from its competitors - traditional and non-traditional - serves to increase their loyalty to the brand. One needs to manage the experience actively and in totalityby understanding their point of view.   Exceptional experience means gains in market share, brand awareness, and revenue.

5. Embrace local healthcare.

Traditional ways of delivering healthcare will go by the wayside in many cases.  Price convenience, access, and outcomes are the drivers in local healthcare.  If the pandemic proved anything, is that a hospital is only needed for three things, emergency care, care for complex medical conditions, and intensive care. The patient and consumer know this ow a fact. If you can't compete competitively in retail healthcare revenue will continue to erode. And it, not a hospital-based outpatient service.

6. Turn to social media and inbound marketing.

The patient is omnichannel and lives in a world dominated by social media and technology. The hospital has no choice in delaying or tap-dancing into digital marketing and social media. Social media and inbound marketings are channels and methods to engage, manage the experience, and build trust.

The pandemic has changed everything, and there is no going back. Unless, of course, your hospital is ready to merge into a more extensive and broader health system for survival.

 

Michael is a healthcare business, marketing, communications strategist, and thought leader. As an internationally followed healthcare strategy blogger, his blog, Healthcare Marketing Matters, is read in 52 countries and is listed on the 100 Top Healthcare Marketing Blogs & Websites ranked at No. 3 on the list by Feedspot.com. Michael is a Life Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives. An expert in healthcare marketing strategy, digital marketing, and social media, Michael is in the top 10 percent of social media experts nationwide and is considered an established influencer. For inquiries regarding strategic consulting engagements, email me at michael@themichaeljgroup.com. Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Opinions expressed are my own.

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