Mutual Marketing: Affordable, Quality Health Care

As professionals in health care marketing, we know that women are decidedly the healthcare shopping authority in their families. This was made clearly evident in the uproar surrounding the Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood debacle, which sparked a debate wildfire in the social media and blogging world. With drastic changes in health care and the way patients shop for it, marketing professionals are forced to consider health care as a consumerism-based industry, which changes the manner in which physicians and marketing departments operate in every way.  Providers are being forced to market their services in new ways, by targeting women specifically. By tapping into social media and e-commerce, healthcare marketing professionals are able to position procedures  , MRIs and Ultrasounds, which are the most commonly price-shopped services, to highlight varied qualities such as price, quality and convenience.

A Kaiser Family Health Report sated that 80% of mothers say they are responsible for all healthcare decisions in their family and 21% of all women shop around for their best options. Women account for 57% of Internet users, and are traditionally seen as the stronger users of social media outlets.  Marketers are aware where their target market is spending its time, and they have gone directly to them. It makes sense that sites like Save On Medical would be targeting price-sensitive female patients through social media promotions like the one they are currently running where if you engage on one of their social media sites, you are entered to win full reimbursement for your procedure.

 

Save On Medical has reported drastically increased website traffic and considerable growth in users since it implemented their Female-Focused Social Media efforts.  With 75% of their users being women, they have been able to point their success to a combination of geo-targeted and demographic-specific Facebook Advertisements and tailored Pay-Per-Click Campaigns through Google AdWords.  Facebook has quickly become one of the top referring sources for traffic to their website, followed closely by Twitter.

Successful marketing professionals know that in order to find the tipping point towards their company’s success lies in truly discovering what it is that your consumer wants and needs.  Save On Medical has recognized the need for a resource where patients in need can search for and compare affordable, quality care options, due to industry trends; which point to the fact over 50 Million Americans are uninsured and 25% of Americans are in high deductible health plans, looking for ways to cut out-of-pocket costs.  Through these efforts they are able to capture an audience already in need of the value Save On Medical brings to the table and focus on the individual in the family who will ultimately make the decision on which provider they select.

Since women and mothers account for the majority of Internet, couponing and shopping population, it is important that they be well-informed shoppers and take advantage of the power they hold in the market.  As we said, the key to a successful campaign is to provide your consumer with what they need, by providing them with true value.  With genuine intent, you gain consumer trust and build a dedicated mutual relationship.  Save On Medical was built by Chris Christenberry and Matt Schneider, who have a combined 40 years of experience working in the health care industry.  As professionals in the field they have a unique opportunity of seeing things from the perspective of health care providers but are also sympathetic and understanding of the need for positive patient experiences.  They built Save On Medical to benefit the patient. It was designed to clear up the confusion that is associated with health care cost and creates a seamless user experience for anyone from the college-student user to the 70-year-old grandma user.

The genius behind what Christenberry and Schneider have done, is that while the site serves as life-saver for patients, its even almost more beneficial for the providers listed on the website.  On the backend, Save On Medical’s social media and SEO professionals have implemented methods to build the reputation of each Save On Medical provider. In addition to significant Return on Investment, useful Management Tools and limitless Cost-Saving Value-Added Services, Save On Medical abides by the teach a man to fish mantra, by providing physician users with their secret recipe, the marketing component.  By teaching the subscribed users how to market themselves on Save On Medical to their own community and referring physicians, they kill two birds with one stone, building the credibility of their own product while helping the health care provider to build patient volume.

While the goal of successful marketing campaigns is to build customer volume and brand awareness, it is important to remember what products like Save On Medical focus on; mutual needs and shared success of the consumer and the company.

The Rise of Health Care Compliance Programs

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires health care providers to enroll in a federally mandated health care plan and to adopt a health care compliance plan. Section 6401 of PPACA states that health care providers must establish a compliance program that contains certain core elements as a condition of enrollment. 

Compliance programs became popular in the early 1990’s when professionals in the health care industry were in need of a strategic and systematic way for companies to deal with misconduct and fraudulent activity.  The purpose of these compliance programs was to serve as a “mitigating factor in sentencing.”  Essentially, it set in place standards for health care providers to follow, so that when misconduct was detected, penalties and reductions by the government could be justified, providing a level playing field for all in the industry. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) began to require compliance programs in investigations of Medicare fraud, which sparked the voluntary adoption of compliance programs by more health care providers.

The PPACA of course now requires most providers to adopt such plans by 2012, however the core elements of requirement have not yet been defined by regulation and will be different for each type of provider. Therefore, health care providers currently without compliance plans are working to draft and implement programs reflective of old guidelines. 

This is because fraud enforcement has increased and compliance plans will help to reduce or even avoid penalties for violations. The OIG’s Work Plan indicates a greater need for compliance in areas such as claims accuracy and provider training, suggesting these as areas of increased focus in future plan guidelines. Although the regulations haven’t yet defined the future core elements for compliance plans, previously issued materials help providers prepare for what’s next.

In the past, the following elements were typical of acceptable compliance programs:

 

• Establishment of written compliance policies and procedures and distribution to employees.
• Designation of a specific individual or individuals to monitor compliance like a compliance officer.
• Commitment to conducting formal training and education programs.
• Development of internal system for communication of suspected compliance violations.
• Commitment to auditing and monitoring to evaluate compliance and identify potential problematic areas.
• Maintenance of disciplinary policies, which are consistently enforced.
• Development of process for investigation of suspected violations and reporting to the government and law enforcement authorities when necessary.

These elements should likely be helpful to providers without compliance programs in place, to use in drafting plans for the future, allowing for practices to be proactive about changes.  This will allow practices, hospitals and care providers to communicate their culture and standards of ethics to their staff and patients in addition to the ability to provide a sense of transparency into the standards of practice operations.

High Health Care Costs & Pricing Transparency

near future. An article in the Huffington Post Business Section cited exponential increases that took place in 2011, contributing to the need to mend this deficit. With health insurance companies and Medicare paying 5.8% more for healthcare services over the past year and private insurance costs rising 7.7%, it is clear that a solution is necessary.

Pricing discrepancies on healthcare costs are completely dependent on what hospitals and providers charge, which points a finger at who is responsible for the convoluted pricing structures for care.  Patients across the country are begging for price transparency and ways to save money on their own medical costs, due to the immense amount of growth we have seen in uninsured Americans. 

                                        

Medical industry professionals aim to reduce costs as well, in hopes of cutting health care spending, as the United States spent $2.6 Trillion in 2010, which is ten times more than what was spent in 1980.  Medicare and Medicaid have implemented reimbursement cuts in order to reduce spending, however it has only pushed health care providers to raise their prices for private insurance plans and placing more fiscal responsibility on the patient’s shoulders.  This has led a large portion of American families, employers and employees to adopt the self-paying patient system, which forces the patient to shop smarter for affordable services.  The unfortunate backlash of this, is that unemployment and a downturned economy has led many of these patients in need to forgo treatment they need in favor of saving money.  Even those with employer-paid health insurance have seen increased costs.

Future plans aim to control these skyrocketing costs, however it is as imperative as ever for patients and families to take matters into their own hands, as to avoid getting lost in the intricate pricing system.  It was also recently reported that a quarter of adults (26%) experienced gaps in coverage during 2011, leaving them without insurance and monstrous costs to be responsible for, if care was needed. However, through patient education and an open dialogue with physicians, in addition to a little price shopping research to find affordable options, patients can receive the quality care they deserve, no matter their situation.

Atlantic Healthcare Changes & Industry Growth

After over a decade of growth and success, Atlantic Health Solutions has outgrown ourselves and we are moving on to bigger and better things. Next week we will be opening the doors of our new offices in Tampa, Florida, where the backbone of our company will now all be under one roof.  Atlantic Health Solutions started with one computer, one cell phone, one fax machine and one person in 2001, and has transformed into a fully functioning and reputable medical billing and coding, marketing and operational firm with a strong family atmosphere.

Atlantic’s CEO Chris Christenberry’s vision for his company was a bright one but as one might guess, Atlantic has undergone a series of tremendous changes since its conception.  Overcoming industry turmoil and challenges, we have gained a number of new team members that have added depth, experience and innovation to the company, allowing us to hold destiny in our own hands.

The company you see today was only a mirage to Chris in 2001 and unexpected shifts in industry standards and business techniques have instilled in Atlantic, a more unique and innovative company culture.  Chris borrows a quote from one of his favorite business blogger and author, Seth Godin, saying, “During times of change, the only organizations that thrive are those that are eager to interact and change as well.  And that only happens when individuals take brave steps forward.”

As we take this step into the future, we are excited to see what is next for Atlantic Health Solutions.  New initiatives and capabilities allow us to confidently conquer new frontiers in healthcare marketing. New partnerships with radiology facilities from Wall Street in Manhattan to Main Street in Leesburg challenge us to improve daily.  Finely tuned techniques for revenue cycle management reiterate our success in medical billing and coding.  Not even a fortuneteller could guess what is next for Atlantic Health Solutions.

Our Facilities:

Advanced Imaging Centers (FL)

-       Leesburg

-       Clermont

-       The Villages

Compass Imaging (MS)

-       Gulfport

-       D’Iberville

Central Nebraska Imaging

Clovis Open MRI (NM)

Northeast Nebraska Imaging

Open MRI of Pueblo (CO)

Open MRI of Santa Fe

Open MRI of Santa Fe (NM)

Omaha Imaging (NE)

Rosetta (NYC)

Radiologists Use Healthcare Marketing to Combat Industry Challenges

In the same way that the consumer industry turns to marketing and public relations to combat industry challenges and vie with competition for consumer spotlight, the healthcare industry uses marketing to attract new patients.  Healthcare reform and tendencies towards healthcare transparency in addition to Medicare changes in regards to reimbursement have created a unique challenge for providers, but have influenced radiologists in more ways than one. Of course, providers can’t compete like Macs and PCs can, but think of independent radiologists as a Mac with more personalized settings, creative and unique methods and less stress.

The issues radiologists face on a daily basis include overutilization for services as a result of other specialists taking advantage of self-referral capabilities, decreased reimbursement from Medicare and the commoditization of diagnostic imaging due to vast pricing disparities’ and the misconception that patients cannot afford quality care.  These challenges of course have led to decreased confidence among radiologists and desperate attempts to stay afloat.  Some in the industry believe that the only solution is to join an Accountable Care Organization or to be bought out by a hospital, succumbing to the pressures of change without any effort to transform the way they do business.  Through a series of solutions to improve performance, manage change and find success, efforts can be made to bring practices into the future of healthcare by being proactive and positioning themselves for success.

The issue of over-utilization in reference to diagnostic imaging procedures in our country would be eliminated if self-referral patterns were less prominent.  The solution is for radiologists to focus on marketing the strengths of patients going to independent outpatient imaging facilities over other options that are unable to focus on just radiology. These strengths are accreditations, on-site radiologists, more intricate and specialized capabilities, personalized service and affordable pricing for patients.  Through physician outreach and networking with specialists and general care providers, radiologists can also show referring physicians the multitude of benefits of working together.  Incorporating a marketing professional who aims to build referral relations and new patient volume can also help rebrand the outlook of your whole practice.

No practice can truly combat decreased reimbursement, but they can take steps to make sure that there are as few mistakes as possible and expedite the collections process.  By having a well-equipped billing and coding department, practices can capitalize on time and money spent.  By maintaining control by recruiting the help of professionals, your practice can focus on the important aspects of care.

Radiologists, all healthcare providers in fact, are in the industry to provide care to those in need, which is why the commoditization of care is every provider’s worst nightmare.  The solution is price transparency in healthcare.  By being a resource to patients and providing them with facts on their procedures and giving clear invoices and pricing up front will show patients that they can in fact receive the care they need at costs they can afford.  Of course, transparency will only be affective when melded with proof of quality, so if all providers hold their practices to a standard of excellence, patients will be able to truly see the disparities in the healthcare pricing industry.  Creating strategies to capitalize on this price-sensitive patient market is crucial to staying afloat in the tragic healthcare economy we find ourselves in.