This week, the Supreme Court heard arguments on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare, and the implications for healthcare organizations, let alone millions of healthcare consumers and candidates for the 2012 U.S. presidency, are monumental. Media outlets across the globe have been trying to interpret how the justices might rule based on their questions during the hearings, but at the WeeklyProbe, our national healthcare law expert Fred Sniffer has an even more effective means for reading the minds of the justices. Sniffer has uncovered what he believes are the Pinterest pages of the Supreme Court justices, and from they’ve pinned, he can determine how the judges might rule. Read the full story »

Here are the top 10 healthcare marketing stories of 2010, as selected by the award-winning staff at the WeeklyProbe.

10. Hospital adopts McDonald’s style dollar menu
In a nod to the growing prevalence of high-deductible health insurance, Wilhelm Hospital announced a new dollar menu for its healthcare services. “Right now there aren’t many services we can offer for a dollar – maybe band-aid application,” said hospital spokesperson John Cash. “But we need to meet the demands of the cost-conscious consumer. We’re looking into ‘frequent customer’ punch card for joint replacement surgery and new programs such as ‘Emergency Room Tuesdays’ as well,” adds Cash. Read the full story »

In an effort to ride the mobile “check-in” wave, Porch Hospital and Clinics has been encouraging patients to use FourSquare, FaceBook and other mobile location applications to “check-in” with every clinical appointment. The hospital hopes to encourage loyalty and repeat visits by rewarding return visitors with discounts, incentives to explore other clinical services, and a ranking feature that recognizes frequent visitors. So for example, Ted Hill, a 65-year-old with chronic heart issues who received an angioplasty last year at Porch Hospital, was recently named the “King of Coronary” following a routine check-up last week. Read the full story »

Waynesville Health was shocked at a sudden surge in web traffic and social media mentions after the launch of their latest patient testimonial campaign titled: “That’s What She Said.”

Waynesville Health director of marketing, Garth Sanders, remarked, “We know for a fact that reaching women is critical to the success of almost any healthcare marketing campaign. They wear the pants, so to speak, when it comes to making healthcare decisions. We needed a campaign that not only spoke to women, but was spoken by women. After a month of brainstorming we came up with ‘That’s what she said,’ a campaign that focuses on testimonials from women who’ve experienced the compassionate care of our hospital and clinics.” Read the full story »

At Circle J Medical Center, they are committed disciples of the old marketing axiom, “What’s in it for me?”

“Everyday we ask ourselves, in what new way can we talk about ourselves, call attention to ourselves, shine the spotlight on ourselves?” says senior market director Joseph Kool. “Truly, what is in it for us?”

The latest incarnation of the organization’s marketing strategy is a new ad campaign (see sample ad below) Read the full story »

Palm Hills Hospital recorded amazing results after running their new ad campaign, “Tenderness,” promoting their trauma care service line. (View sample television spot below). Admissions to the ED increased 47% during the campaign, including a 124% spike in auto accident and laceration patients.

“The results were among the best we’ve ever seen,” said Palm Hills marketing director Daphne Landry. “This just goes to prove that tenderness sells.” Read the full story »

“We want patients to know exactly how we can help them.”

With a new CEO and new physicians on staff, the leadership at Grassy Acres Gastrointestinal Center knew it was time to develop an updated corporate identity to help present its new face to the St. Louis market. While they decided to retain the clinic’s name, they wanted a fresh logo. But unlike the name – which was the inspiration of the former CEO’s ex-wife – they wanted a logo that clearly reflected their business. Read the full story »

The Orlando Chamber of Commerce reported a spike in liquor sales this week, with an overall increase of 30% over the previous week. Officials aren’t sure of the reason behind the increase, but do note that the presence of a national healthcare marketing conference in town may be playing a factor.

“The last time they had their conference here, sales were off the charts,” said Anton Chigurh, the chamber’s spokesperson. “The ran out of cranberry juice for all the crantinis.” Read the full story »

A routine business meeting at Evergreen Hospital ended with the vice president of marketing agreeing to perform heart surgery. The move followed a heated discussion on the merits of a marketing tactic suggested by a heart surgeon.

Janet Nolan, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon, was advocating for printing advertising on java jackets (coffee cup wraps) to help address a persistent lag in cardiology consults.

“Everyone drinks coffee, and many will eventually require cardiovascular intervention,” said Dr. Nolan. “And think of all the caffeine-induced arrhythmias we’d be in front of. The strategy is so obvious it makes you question the intelligence of our marketing staff.” Read the full story »

The marketing department at General Hospital has developed a new approach they call “Billboards 2.0.” They developed the strategy after reviewing search terms people used to find the General Hospital website. When they discovered that visitors were using very specific terms, they realized it could help them target their billboard messages. Read the full story »