We know you’re busy and don’t have a lot of time to sift through countless articles each week. Here are some articles our team has deemed the most important for hospital marketers so far this fall:
1. 5 Challenges Facing Digital Marketers in 2020: Report
Even the best marketers struggle to keep up with shifting strategic priorities and marketing trends. Marketing leaders have identified their biggest challenges as: (1) short term sales vs long term brand awareness (2) integrating media and non-media campaigns (3) targeting (4) how to create content based on context.
2. Groupon For Medical Scans? Discounted Care Can Have Hidden Costs
After an Emory University physician posted on social media about 3 patients coming to her for further testing following the results of a chest CT purchased on Groupon, the medical community has been discussing the pros and cons of purchasing medical services on discount sites. One commenter said going through discount sites is like using Kyak/Booking.com/etc. instead of a travel agent. Another physician said it may be exposing patients to unnecessary follow-up testing following the results of a scan.
3. The Digital Hospital of the Future
Deloitte conducted a simulation about the “hospital of the future” with experts from around the globe. The simulation focused on 5 key areas: care delivery, digital patient experience, talent development, technology-based operational efficiencies, and healing/well-being designs.
The simulation results highlighted 6 key strategic areas on which hospitals will need to focus in order to keep up with a rapidly changing healthcare and technology landscape.
- Embrace digital transformation
- Implement technology that communicates (IoT)
- Invest in technology that is flexible and scalable
- Data is key! Build a foundation of clean data for analysis.
- Develop digital strategies to keep up with technology changes
- Prioritize cybersecurity
4. Is The Casper Of Healthcare Just What Private Equity Ordered?
The newest start-up trend seems to be DNVBs (digitally native vertical brands)—think Casper, Harry’s, etc. These companies save a ton of overhead by being online-only and use their earnings on marketing and product improvement. The question is, could healthcare be the next sector to be disrupted by a DNVB? It could look something like an online store that sells all healthcare-related items in 1 place (pharmacy + HBAs + wound care) or a suite of more physician-facing offerings.
5. GoodRx Acquires Telemedicine Company HeyDoctor to Add Virtual Healthcare Services
GoodRx recently bought a telemedicine company called HeyDoctor (re-branded to GoodRxCare). GoodRx care will be offering virtual visits starting at $20 for 18 conditions (many of which often leads to a prescription if the patient tests positive). This acquisition makes GoodRx a player in the telehealth + prescription space, although it's not a direct competitor with most players in that space because it does not deliver nor does it prescribe its own drugs.