Cosa Nostra University Medical Center has seen a dramatic increase in patient volume since it installed a number of interactive billboards earlier this year.

The first billboard, emblazoned with ‘Text 24347824 to find out our ER Wait Times,’ generated a 40% increase in ER patient volume the first day.  “They couldn’t get the ambulances here fast enough,” Chief Marketing Officer Handley McNeil noted.  “Within one week, we were the top ER volume in the state. It was amazing, especially since our ER wait times actually went through the roof!”

Emboldened by that success, they launched a follow-up effort titled ‘Picture Yourself at CNUMC.’ This phase of the campaign billboard offered a prize: ‘Tweet a picture of yourself driving by this billboard and you’ll be entered to win $100,000!’ Read the full story »

In a nod to the popular trend of naming months, weeks and days after various healthcare ailments, employee groups and other important topics, the group responsible for assigning issues to various time periods has dubbed May “National Awareness of Healthcare Awareness Months Month.”

According to Casey Nomenclature, spokesperson for the Healthcare Observation Naming Consortium (HONC), this designation was long overdue.

“Of course, everyone is familiar with American Heart Month in February, or National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, which are very important observations,” said Nomenclature. “But people really aren’t aware of the more than 178 observations recognized by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For example, did you know October is National Medical Librarians Month? We just thought it was important people were aware of all the monthly designations that help people become aware.”

Other important, but lesser known, designations include: 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 »

“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 »

Transparency is one of the hottest trends in healthcare right now. At Neptune Hospital, they’ve fully embraced transparency with a new advertising campaign titled “We’re really trying.” (See sample ad after story.) The 330-bed hospital has suffered from more than two decades of poor clinical care, awful customer service and horrible mismanagement. In 2002, an orthopedic surgeon performed knee joint replacement surgery on a patient’s shoulder. (The same error was repeated in 2004 and again in 2005 before the surgeon retired.) In 2006, the hospital opened a $20 million medical spa called “Facetastic” on land behind the hospital. Unfortunately, the land covered a deteriorating portion of the city’s sewer system, and the facility was closed and condemned one year later. The system constantly ranks in the lower percentiles of quality, safety and customer service in national studies. Obviously, it was time for a change. Read the full story »

For the first time in 20 years, the hospital message “we care” has been usurped as most valued message from a hospital. The new champ? “Our physicians are board certified.” That’s according to the annual consumer survey conducted by the Center for Research About People. Each year, it randomly polls 10,000 adults between the ages of 37 and 38 in the U.S., and asks them the following question: “Which message is most likely to get you to abandon the physician you’ve seen for years, drive 100 miles out of your way, or otherwise choose a hospital service you ordinarily would never consider?” Read the full story »

In a stunning sixteen-part series set to release today, the business magazine WiseBucks will reveal that hospitals are, in fact, businesses. The report follows an article in Smart Money magazine, “10 Things Hospital CEOs Won’t Tell You,” which took a fair and balanced look at how hospitals operate.

“Once we dug into this, we couldn’t believe what we uncovered,” said WiseBucks editor Joe Duhh. “Hospitals – believe it or not – are actually run like businesses. We were floored.” Read the full story »

Continuing a year-long strategy, Evertree Hospital has eliminated its pastoral care due to lack of Return on Investment, or ROI. Used in many industries as a tool to measure the relative value of a program or initiative (high ROI is desired), the financial instrument is now being applied more frequently throughout the healthcare industry. The move follows other cuts citing the same lack of ROI at the hospital, including the shuttering of the organization’s web site, elimination of the marketing department, and demolition of the parking ramp.

“Look, times are tough, and if you can’t prove the positive financial impact on this organization, then it’s time to go,” said Evertree Chief Financial Officer Al Dunlap. “Hey, even God needs to show an ROI.” Read the full story »

Passed in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act (HIPAA) was designed to protect insurance coverage for patients and provide a standard of privacy regarding the transfer of health information by providers, insurance plans and others. The law has been expanded over the years, and now Congressman Max Weber, Minnesota, has introduced new legislation making direct eye contact with patients by healthcare workers a violation of HIPAA.

“If you look directly at a patient, you may come to know them, know them personally,” said Weber during his 73-minute speech on the floor of the House of Representatives last Tuesday. “Where I come from, direct eye contact is awfully forward. It’s an invasion of privacy.” Read the full story »