Healthcare Marketing and Strategy
Part 1: Contemporary Healthcare Facilities
Just as the state of the healthcare industry and the concept of the patient have changed so have healthcare facilities. Physicians’ offices aren’t always offices anymore. Healthcare facilities can be mobile, virtual or traditional. This week we will look at how healthcare facilities have evolved.
Besides concierge medicine and retail clinics, identify two other contemporary healthcare facilities identified in the literature. Discuss how marketers could advertise the new facilities and the impact you think the new facilities will have on healthcare consumers and currently existing facilities in the market.
Part 2:
Refocusing Facilities
With the many changes occurring in the healthcare industry, managers may find themselves needing to change their strategy in order to stay relevant in the market. Changing strategic focus takes time, effort and planning. As healthcare continues to evolve the idea of changing corporate strategic focus may begin to occur more often in healthcare businesses.
A strategy of focusing a general facility to specialize in ethnic or other minority group care can be very risky. List at least three analyses that should be completed before reaching this decision. Be specific about the factors that should be included in each analysis.
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
As an AI language model, I do not have access to the literature you are referring to for part 1 of this assignment. However, I can provide some general information on contemporary healthcare facilities and potential marketing strategies.
Contemporary healthcare facilities include urgent care centers and telemedicine. Urgent care centers provide walk-in medical care for non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries. They offer extended hours and weekend availability, making them a convenient option for patients who cannot see their regular physician. Urgent care centers could be marketed through social media and online advertising, targeting specific demographics based on location and health needs.
Telemedicine allows patients to receive medical care remotely, using technology such as video conferencing or secure messaging. Telemedicine could be marketed through email newsletters and educational webinars, highlighting the convenience and cost-effectiveness of this option.
These contemporary healthcare facilities will have a significant impact on healthcare consumers and existing facilities in the market. Patients will have more options for receiving medical care, including outside of regular office hours. Traditional healthcare facilities may need to adapt to this changing landscape by offering more flexible hours or incorporating telemedicine into their practice.
For part 2 of the assignment, before focusing a general facility on ethnic or other minority group care, several analyses should be completed.
Firstly, a market analysis should be conducted to determine the demand for this type of care in the area. This analysis should consider the size of the target population, their health needs, and the current availability of similar services.
Secondly, a financial analysis should be completed to determine the potential costs and revenue associated with this change in focus. This analysis should consider the additional resources needed to provide specialized care, the potential revenue from serving an underserved population, and the impact on the facility’s overall financial performance.
Thirdly, a staffing analysis should be completed to determine the availability of qualified staff to provide the necessary specialized care. This analysis should consider the facility’s current staffing levels, the availability of bilingual or culturally competent staff, and the potential need for additional training or hiring.
In conclusion, healthcare facilities have evolved to include more contemporary options such as urgent care centers and telemedicine. Marketers could advertise these facilities through social media, online advertising, and email newsletters. Refocusing a general facility on ethnic or other minority group care requires thorough market, financial, and staffing analyses to ensure the success of the strategic change.
