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Healthcare is the Next to Yield to Driven Consumers
Was it just a very few years ago that we sat down at our desks to thumb through a newspaper, spent a Saturday afternoon at the mall shopping and made sure we were home from our meetings in time to catch The West Wing? We as consumers changed all these routines by taking command of the media, reshaping the shopping experience and time-shifting our entertainment. Soon we may be asking, was it that long ago that we asked our doctors to recommend a drug or brought a Tom Clancy novel to the ER waiting room?
Healthcare is in the throes of the same consumer-driven relentlessness that has changed the way we work, play and socialize. A new whitepaper from Airfoil, called “The Prognosis for What’s Next in Healthcare,” examines the implications of increased consumer control over their medical care and how communicators should prepare to address patients, physicians, nurses, insurers and others in the healthcare industry.
Across the healthcare arena, the paper asserts, “in some ways the consumer is leading the way for change, and players in the healthcare industry need to know why and how they should follow, as why and how they need to lead.” From validating (or challenging) diagnoses based on search engine results to demanding online access to their medical records and zero-minute delays in the waiting room, patients are placing ever greater demands on healthcare practitioners—at the same time that the competition for patients is increasing, since patients now are searching out the facilities and practice groups with records for the best outcomes.
The new realities of the healthcare marketplace will require a new set of communication skills, according to the whitepaper, developed through Airfoil’s healthcare practice group.
For a downloadable copy of “The Prognosis for What’s Next in Healthcare,” with its recommendations for marketers and communicators, contact Airfoil at healthcare@airfoilpr.com, or visit www.airfoilpr.com/healthcare.
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Consumers Use Research to Take the Pulse of Healthcare Marketplace
The 2008 presidential candidates have focused many of their campaign speeches on one important domestic issue – healthcare reform. What their platforms for change in the country’s healthcare system obscure is the revolution already taking place in the industry, a movement that consumers – not doctors, not insurance companies and not politicians – are driving.
The 2007 Yankelovich Multinational Preventive Health & Wellness Study reports that 73 percent of all consumers will not make an important health decision without first consulting with a minimum of two information sources. Additionally, consumers are becoming more confident in their ability to find the information they need about their own health concerns. Less than half (47 percent) now say they are “overwhelmed by all the sources of information available today,” compared with 54 percent in 2003.
As patients become increasingly involved in their own healthcare, the role of the doctor is evolving. Patients come to their physicians more prepared and informed about health issues and options than ever before. Armed with educated questions, self-diagnosis and preferred treatment approaches, today’s healthcare consumers are not afraid to challenge their physicians, or seek second and third opinions, should they disagree. While overall, patients still have trust in their doctors, 41 percent of these confident consumers have personally ignored their doctor’s orders.
Even our favorite television doctors are grappling with their changing status. On the popular sitcom Scrubs, Dr. Cox says of his once highly regarded profession that “today, people think of us as drug-dispensing walking lawsuits who are, in fact, less informed than their Internet phones.”
Healthcare providers and doctors have a unique opportunity to embrace the shift in consumer responsibility and position themselves as trusted sources of information and partnership – both in person and online. As this cyber-based collaboration deepens, it’s possible that whom we once referred to as “healthcare providers,” emerge as more involved and collaborative “healthcare advisors.”
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HealthLeaders Media Offers a Lifeline to Crucial Industry News
With more Americans seeking out preventative and maintenance healthcare, a trend fueled in part by the expanding population of elderly in the U.S., it’s no surprise that healthcare-focused media are experiencing a boom of their own. Thousands of health-related companies and stories are covered by the media on a daily basis with as many health sections and broadcast “health-minute” features covering the industry at large.
The saturation in the market not only makes it more difficult for healthcare practitioners, executives and servicers to break through the clutter and prioritize what truly is news-to-know, but also challenges them to identify the most strategic media vehicle through which their messages can be heard.
HealthLeaders Media, a news resource designed for healthcare executives located at http://healthleadersmedia.com, touts itself as “a leading multi-platform media company dedicated to meeting the business information needs of healthcare executives and professionals.”
The online portal delivers the top news abstracts from more than 100 newspapers and industry periodicals in the subject areas of healthcare leadership, finance, technology, physicians, community hospitals, health plans, marketing and quality assurance. Additional resources produced by the company include the monthly HealthLeaders Magazine and weekly newsletters (available via email or fax) plus a plethora of multimedia resources, healthcare event listingss and sponsored content, whitepapers and more.
“HealthLeaders is a strong resource for busy healthcare executives looking for accurate and comprehensive information quickly,” said Airfoil Account Director Keith Donovan. “HealthLeaders is also a news aggregator, bringing a blend of both trade-focused and consumer-based insight to help C-level executives stay ahead of the latest healthcare trends and make intelligent and informed decisions.”
For healthcare executives, HealthLeaders Media is an essential highly recommended daily read of qualified healthcare industry news and represents an open playing field in which to insert commentary and share industry best practices.
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Share of Voice via Podcast
Airfoil is breaking into the podcasting business. The new service offering provides clients full production capabilities for promotional-spot, interviews-style podcasts and lengthier narrative pieces. From in-studio live recording, on-site capture at your premises or event or from anywhere you can secure a phone line, we have the ability to support your podcasting needs. And we practice what we preach. Visit us online or look for us on your favorite site so that you can listen to Airfoil musings and best practices.
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Healthcare Practice Thrives with St. John Health Partnership
Airfoil’s healthcare practice has experienced a notable growth spurt. In October, Airfoil was named agency of record for St. John Health, the largest provider of inpatient care in Southeast Michigan and one of the largest employers in metro Detroit. Airfoil has provided strategic counsel, planning, messaging and executive counsel for a number of St. John Health initiatives and announcements, including announcing a new president and CEO. Airfoil team members Lisa Vallee-Smith, Keith Donovan, Rich Donley and Deana Goodrich are leading the charge, with support from Jenn Korail, Steve Friedman and Gayle Joseph.
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Airfoil’s Brand Promise Reaches New Heights with Addition of Research Director
Airfoil continues to back up its brand promise of “Higher Thinking” with the addition of Jennifer Becker in Airfoil Michigan’s office as research director. In her new role, Becker will serve as an intermediary between clients and the customers they serve. By monitoring trends closely in leading and emerging industries, through media and analyst coverage, she is able to provide insights to leverage media coverage for current and potential clients. Already, Becker is adding value to Airfoil’s research department and offering public relations counsel, planning and execution strategies to clients. Becker’s impressive research background includes work for many high-profile clients, including General Motors, Pulte Homes and Pier 1. Becker is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds a bachelor's applied arts degree in pre-law and sociology.
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