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Strategic marketing Showcasing your strengths via the Web By Joseph Nessler, MD, |
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A recent survey conducted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota confirmed that consumers—our patients—are starting to look at price, quality, and other factors, not just convenience, when choosing care or making other health care decisions. And though they still rely on convenience and personal recommendations (mainly of friends, referring physicians, and co-workers), more and more people are going online to find answers to their questions about health care quality and cost. The Blue Cross survey found, for example, that 72 percent of Minnesotans had conducted their own research on a health issue, and 80 percent said they had looked at quality and safety information published about a physician, clinic, or hospital. The good news is that there are scores of places on the Web where patients can find information about you and your practice. The bad news is that Internet-based provider "report cards" and rankings that patients find online are far from reliable. Some critics have charged that they often rely on faulty methodologies and limited and/or outdated administrative data. A market watch briefing from the nonprofit University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) in June 2005 warned that "health care report cards are misdirecting consumers who rely on faulty ratings." In fact, if your prospective patients are paying for the information (one site charges $17.95 for a "comprehensive physician report"), they may be losing both money and access to the best care. Another UHC report concluded that "[a]t worst, some health care report cards steer consumers away from the best providers and toward providers with substandard outcomes." The short message for practitioners is "Provider beware." Insurance companies, business coalitions, and private health care "evaluators" all provide health care consumers with information that potentially can have a negative marketing impact on your practice. Given the many potential sources of misinformation out there in cyberspace, physicians are well advised to review the benefits of creating or redesigning their own Web sites. Learning from a Web survey In considering what to include on your Web site, there's one crucial question to answer: Why do people choose your practice? Understanding the factors that influence your patients in choosing you as their provider will help guide your decisions about what information to provide and/or emphasize on the Web site. My practice participated in a study conducted by my research assistant to determine how new patients came to select me as their surgeon. For three months, we had patients fill out a paper survey at the clinic explaining factors that influenced their decision to come to the clinic. My assistant also gathered gender, age range, zip code, and the joint(s) they were having examined at the clinic. Only new patients were surveyed (previous patients with new conditions or emergent additions were excluded). They ranged in age from 35 to 78. The new patients were allowed to check any of a number of sources that influenced their decision-making (the choices included physician, family member, friend, former patient, and Internet). The survey found a high percentage of patients checked more than one source of influence. For instance, many patients who reported that they were influenced by my Web site www.lrnessler.com) checked other sources, such as being referred by a physician as well as a family member, or being referred by a former patient. Roughly half of all new patients were referred by a physician; the rest were referred by a family member or friend. Almost one-fourth took the time to visit the Web site before making the decision to select my practice, and contrary to popular belief, there just as many senior visitors to the site as there were younger visitors. Seventy-two percent of the surveyed patients came to the clinic specifically for information bout hip surgery, since I perform a dual-incision hip procedure that promotes quicker rehab and shorter hospitalization. Several patients said they had taken the time to watch the entire procedure (archived on the Web site) and felt they had a good understanding as to why this procedure would be a good fit for them. They also referred patient testimonials as another good-way to educate themselves about what to expect. Interestingly, our study revealed that patients who came from a distance (e.g., the Twin Cities area, which is about 70 miles away) cited research, reputation, and technology as reasons for doing so. This would support the Blue Cross study's finding that convenience is now just one of several factors in patients' decision-making about health care. Strategic use of your Web site Once you have a good idea of why people choose your practice, you're ready to take the next step: reviewing your existing site and devising ways to play to your strengths as a provider. Your Web site can also be a valuable tool for patients' continuum of care. Personally, I want my Web site to showcase my individuality as a surgeon, update the research I am involved in, and supply good, practical information as well as reliable links. We recently added our rehab protocol with do's and don'ts, so that patients can refer to that information at anytime. I use my Web site to highlight positive aspects of the practice; it includes pages dedicated to my research, articles written about the types of surgery I perform, and patient testimonials. There is an entire page explaining navigation and the importance of its use in less invasive surgeries. A word of caution: If you put in specifics on the Web sites such as the cost or number of procedures done, remember to update it regularly and to indicate how recent the information is. Because of the additional costs of updating information, I stick to only a yearly update, making those numbers harder to keep current. Keep it simple, honest There are other ways besides the Internet to market your practice: community lectures, print ads, newsletters, participation in community health fairs, and radio and television ads. But the power of the Web can't be denied. The goal is to gain "site traffic" by having your site linked in a consistent way to your hospital's site and any affiliates. Use your Web address on your letterhead, business cards —wherever it makes sense and gets exposure. Ultimately, of course, we all strive above all to produce good outcomes. However, in the rapidly changing health care environment, it's imperative to distinguish your practice and target your customers—and in this respect, strategic marketing and an effective Web site can be invaluable. To make your practice stand out, look at your Web site as an educational tool and use it to showcase your specialty. Above all, keep the message simple and honest: Don't say anything on your Web site that you wouldn't say to your patient in the clinic. Patients are looking for accurate, clearly presented information—not hype. There's plenty of that to go around elsewhere on the Web. Joseph Nessler, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a specialty practice in hip and knee joint replacement. He is affiliated with St. Cloud Orthopedics Associates and with St. Cloud Hospital. |