DALLAS - By now healthcare marketers are sold on the power of the 'Net and being multimedia-savvy. But harnessing these interactive tools to link with hard-to-reach targets like physicians, seniors and rural communities continue to be the challenge. "The Second Annual Future Vision: Technology and Healthcare Marketing" conference, held here last week by the Alliance for Healthcare Strategy and Marketing tackled these issues with seminars and keynote presentations from top managed care plans and leading online information providers that included Oxford Health Plans, United Healthcare, MSNBC and Greystone.Net.
Reeling in Referring Physicians
The University of Washington Medical Center is giving its physicians easier access to patient information with its customized U-Link online program, according to Allen Howe, UWMC's director of marketing, contracting and payor relations, who spoke on building online physician loyalty.
U-Link was launched last year to bolster greater physician loyalty among UWMC's 6,000 to 8,000 referring physicians. So far 200 to 300 doctors have online access to patient medical records, health information databases, and health libraries and service information.
Using physician liaisons to educate physicians on U-Link, the Internet system helps fill a communication gap between UWMC and its referring physicians by allowing UWMC marketers to track the success of the site through the number of "physician hits" and provides a concrete spring board of discussion with physicians who would otherwise be uninterested in communications initiatives, according to Howe. (UWMC, 206/548-4972)
Other Conference highlights
- Marketers from CNN and Turner Private Networks, a Times Warner Company, unveiled their joint effort for a targeted wellness television programming and a healthcare Web site (http://www.cnn.com/BHN). The television program, "Better Health Networks," is shown during waiting room visits and features a broad range of preventative/wellness "short, digestible" segments. The Web site delivers additional wellness tips advice and health surveys. (John McMenamin, Turner Private Networks, 404/827-4434)
- CD-ROMs are still an underutilized healthcare marketing tool, according to Tom Brand of Atlanta-based Avid Design and Kathy Davis of the Greystone Group (Atlanta) consulting firm.
They highlighted three marketing benefits of CD-ROMs for targeted healthcare campaigns that include: non-sequential formats, multiple information delivery and higher perceived value (than brochures and traditional direct mail pieces). (Tom Brand/Kathy Davis, 770/220-0229)