Physician marketing Physician marketing vs. vs.

Consumer marketing Consumer marketing Which brings more patients in the door?

Ben DilloneHealth Evanagelist and Co-Owner

Geonetric

Marcus GordonDirector, Marketing and Public Relations

Atlanta Medical Center

Jeff SegallVice President, Public Affairs and Marketing

Tri-City Medical Center

AgendaAgenda• The Role of Physicians• Economics and Healthcare Reform• Southern Regional Health System• Tri-City Medical Center• Strategies for the future

Just how importantJust how importantare physicians?are physicians?

Specialty Avg. Revenue Avg. SalaryNeurosurgery $2,815,650 $571,000

Cardiology/Invasive $2,240,366 $475,000Orthopedic Surgery $2,117,764 $481,000

General Surgery $2,112,492 $321,000Internal Medicine $1,678,341 $186,000

Family Practice $1,622,832 $173,000Hematology/Oncology $1,485,627 $335,000

Gastroenterology $1,450,540 $393,000Urology $1,382,704 $401,000

OB/GYN $1,364,131 $266,000

Cardiology/Non-Invasive $1,319,658 $419,000Psychiatry $1,290,104 $200,000

Pulmonology $1,204,919 $293,000Neurology $907,317 $258,000Pediatrics $856,154 $171,000

Ophthalmology $842,711 $282,000Nephrology $696,888 $240,000

Source: Merritt Hawkins

Physician Cost-Benefit by Specialty

Complex relationshipsComplex relationships

What’s changing?What’s changing?

Demographic and Demographic and Quality of life changesQuality of life changes

• More than a third of physicians are over age 55 – many planning to retire as soon as financially viable

• Younger physicians are more likely to:o Be part of a medical groupo Operate either an entirely office-based or

entirely hospital-based practiceo Value flexibility, normal working hours, less on-

call time

Economics of care are Economics of care are toughtough

• And they’re only getting tougher• Reimbursement essentially flat• Costs are not…• Seeing more patients for less time and delivering

more services

Health reformHealth reform

• Quality mandates• Technology mandates

(ARRA/Meaningful Use)• Accountable care

organizations (ACO)/Other bundled payments

• Patient-Centered Medical Home• Puts primary care back in the driver’s seat

End resultEnd result• Due to:

o Demographicso Economicso Payment bundlingo At-risk payments/accountability

• Leads to the need for tighter working relationships between hospitals and physicians.

Southern Regional Southern Regional Health System (SRHS)Health System (SRHS)

Riverdale, GA (Atlanta Metro Area)

DisclaimerDisclaimer

I am currently Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Atlanta Medical Center, and the topics discussed here today are relative to

my former employer, Southern Regional Medical Center. The opinions expressed today are those of Marcus Gordon.

About SRHSAbout SRHS• Est. 1971• 331 licensed beds• 573 physicians• 2,139 employees• 79,559 ER visits• 221 average

inpatient census

Quick FactsQuick Facts• Originally Clayton General Hospital

(Clayton County, Georgia), was rebranded as Southern Regional Health System in the 1990’s.

• Consists of a 331 bed hospital and new, state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center

• 3rd highest amount of indigent care provided in GA

• Very high level of quality care with an emphasis on the following service lines:o Heart & Vascularo Women’s Serviceso Surgical Services (including minimally

invasive treatment options)

Competitive Competitive LandscapeLandscape

• Southern Regional serves a highly evolving 5 county region with nearly 540,000 citizens

• Competes directly against two hospitals within 12 miles and indirectly against a globally recognized research medical research center and saturated hospital market with several mid-size institutions within a 50 mile radius

Organizational Organizational Structure Structure

(as of August 2010)(as of August 2010)

• Managing Director of Marketing & Public Relations reports directly to CEO

• Strategic Marketing Manager supports Managing Director

• Physician Business Development department consists of two mid-level FTE’s

• Recent dissolution of both “Planning” and “Physician Business Development” departments – all functions are now rolled into COO

Current EnvironmentCurrent Environment• Lack of cohesive Sales and Marketing Channel• Lack of integration between Medical Staff Office

and “Physician Liasons”• Lack of strategic planning objectives which

dictate development goals and metrics

Physician ChannelsPhysician Channels

• Employ nearly 10 physicians – all specialists (such as Neurologist, Bariatric Surgeon, Spine Surgeon)

• 536 physicians on staff with privileges at hospital• Primary business comes from referring physicians

throughout PSA (both PCP’s and Specialists)

Channels of ReferralsChannels of Referrals• Traditionally, service area Primary Care

Physicians (PCP’s) refer business (special treatment assessments, diagnostics, and procedures) to specialists

• Specialists use a hospital to perform procedures and perform diagnostic tests

• Southern Regional works mostly within this model of business

What This MeansWhat This Means• Hospital’s primary source of revenue comes from

PCP’s who refer business to specialists, who in turn, perform procedures and diagnostics at hospital

• The ecosystem of referrals relies on channels of influence dictated by physicians (and NOT consumers)

How do we get patients to use How do we get patients to use our services??our services??

ChallengesChallenges

• Many specialists are “splitters” in the market• No consistency relative to communicating to

PCP’s• Lack of brand awareness, services, and

capabilities amidst the general perception that hospital does not actually provide the quality of care that the Quality indicators represent

So, What To do?So, What To do?

• Develop a marketing and communication program that presents the capabilities of health system to multiple audiences

• Execute traditional and non-traditional marketing strategies which will maximize budget resources while also position SRHS as an innovator in the market

Goals and Goals and ObjectivesObjectives

• Identify execution elements that are unique to the market - will breakthrough the clutter

• Use physicians as part of the system of delivery

• Implore technology as a cornerstone of the campaign (continuing SRHS’s proposition as a market leader in consumer based technology resources)

• All activities must be measureable with a ROI component attached

Program ElementsProgram Elements

1. “Healthbreak” – Television and web based production featuring key physicians discussing medical conditions that are relevant to market and cared for at SRHS

2. Mobile specific web platform which enables patients to easily access information “on the go”

HealthbreakHealthbreak

• Highly cost efficient production of videos (90 seconds) which position physicians as medical experts on a variety of specialties

• STARK compliant program with all call-to-actions leading to call center

• Format is both TV and web friendly

* Healthbreak was produced by MBC Associates in Nashville, TN

Healthbreak – for Healthbreak – for physiciansphysicians

• Marketing team, along with Medical Staff, Senior Executives, and Planning, developed a target list of physicians based on a set of criteria

• To be fully STARK compliant, all credentialed physicians were given the opportunity to respond to an inquiry to be a part of the program

• Facilitates affiliate based physicians to gain visibility in the market for their practice – while gaining “goodwill” points versus SRHS competitors

Healthbreak – for Healthbreak – for consumersconsumers

• Major TV and web campaign which stimulates brand awareness in metro market

• Let general consumer audience know “I didn’t know SRHS did that” and “I just saw my physician on TV!”

• Plethora of medical topics (nearly 47 separate medical conditions) covered with a broad and targeted audience in mind

MediaMedia• TV spots were 90 seconds and ran on

Atlanta’s highest rated evening newscast during a set time each week – appearing as if “part” of the newscast itself

• TV spots also ran on local Comcast network within targeted PSA for a higher penetration/frequency to support network buy

• Each video was subsequently rolled out on SRHS website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page

Call to ActionCall to Action• All calls to action from campaign were geared

toward driving consumers to call center• Call center received consumer input and provided

referrals based on a set of STARK compliant criteria

• Once patient received referral, the onus was on them to contact physician (lose control of consumer at this point)

ResultsResults• Via call center tracking and additional

analytics, results were measured across several categories

• On a year over year comparison, total referrals were up 40% and referrals for physicians who were featured in campaign were up nearly 68%

• Revenue directly attributable (based on 36 month DRG patient discharge look back) to marketing stimulus was nearly 25% above cost

Some key attributes of incorporating Some key attributes of incorporating

physicians within hospital marketing physicians within hospital marketing

include:include:

• Physician to physician networking (talking to each other about being on “TV”) – facilitating communication between primary care physicians and specialists which in turn leads to a better continuum of care

• Positioning physicians as medical experts relative to unique service offerings

Some key attributes of incorporating Some key attributes of incorporating

physicians within hospital marketing physicians within hospital marketing

include:include:

• Increased awareness about breadth of services at hospital (such as midwifery program and heartburn treatment center)

• Increased visibility of individual physicians and their practices across Atlanta

• Increased referrals to specialists• Boosted morale within hospital

Mobile, Consumers, and PhysiciansMobile, Consumers, and Physicians

• How are people communicating today?• “My target market doesn’t really use mobile”• “Most of my physicians are older and don’t

embrace mobile technology” . . .

Oh yeah?!Oh yeah?!

The use of non-voice data applications on cell phones has grown dramatically over the last year. Compared with a similar point in 2009, cell phone owners are now more likely to use their mobile phones to:•Take pictures—76% now do this, up from 66% in April 2009•Send or receive text messages—72% vs. 65%•Access the internet—38% vs. 25%•Play games—34% vs. 27%•Send or receive email—34% vs. 25%•Record a video—34% vs. 19%•Play music—33% vs. 21%•Send or receive instant messages—30% vs. 20%

Pew Internet Research, July 10, 2010

Mobile for consumersMobile for consumers

• Access information on the go• Find a physician in a hurry• Sustainable marketing messages delivered

directly to someone’s fingertips

Mobile for physiciansMobile for physicians

• Access data on the go• Communicate with patient care team• Explosion of mobile/tablet based applications that

enhance patient/physician experience

Launch of a mobile Launch of a mobile platformplatform

• Mobile platforms (iPhone, Blackberry, Android, iPad, etc.) now account for 5% of total site visitor traffic

• Physicians now refer patients to SRHS mobile site to access information quickly

• Physician satisfier and consumer based differentiator – the only organization in local market with mobile specific site

Thoughts on the FutureThoughts on the Future

Q&AQ&A

For current presentation, For current presentation, please email:please email:

ben.dillon@geonetric.coben.dillon@geonetric.comm