Once shunned by some as simply a hospital for the indigent, Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis has attracted a bevy of managed care contracts with access to hundreds of thousands of paying patients thanks to an innovative ad campaign.
Since the ads first ran in April 1995, call volume to its 800-number information line has doubled with a significant portion of the calls being directly attributable to the advertising campaign. Wishard has added more than seven new managed contracts_bringing its total to 21_in the last six months. That is almost double of the national average for hospital managed care contracts.
Among the most recent are two Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans (the 170,000-member Preferred Care of Indiana network and 320,000-member Premium Preferred Network), which went into effect Aug. 5.
Wishard Health Services' Vice President Dennis Earl credits the success to an overhaul of the hospital's image, which included remodeling and updating the buildings and starting an aggressive TV advertising campaign that featured the "new" hospital.
The ad campaign, which cost about $500,000, ran on three local networks for more than 6 months. The ads touted the hospital's "new technology" and national survey ratings. Hospital administrators found the ads increased awareness of the service area and assisted local consumers by providing a toll-free number to call for more information about the hospital.
"We needed to change our image and we did," said Earl. "Sometimes it just takes a little more effort than we normally put out."
Also working in the hospital's favor are its three-time selection by Mercer Health Care and HCIA Inc. as one of the 100 best U.S. hospitals and a philosophy change by some managed care plans.
Earl said that the ratings became part of all direct mail pieces sent to HMOs as well as press releases sent to the local newspapers.
"We were one of the only hospitals in the area that received such a high rating," said Earl. "But most people don't know that until you tell them."
For example, managed care plans once contracted with the hospitals that cut the best deal, always leaving someone out for competitive purposes. Almost without exception, Wishard was one of those left out.
"Basically, Wishard had been excluded because it was a public hospital and they didn't want to be associated with that image," Earl said. "But we have been rated nationally and that is promoted in our campaigns, once people know you give excellent care, that is half the battle."
Recently, those insurers found that the most successful plans contracted with all hospitals to give patients complete access, Earl said. Many, but not all, Indiana managed care insurers now try to contract with all hospitals.
Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield is one. It signed up Methodist at the same time as Wishard, said Dijuana Lewis, the Blues' operational manager.
Anthem also is trying to broaden Wishard's involvement in its plan, which now includes only the 473-bed downtown hospital.
The Indianapolis-based insurer is drawing up a contract to include all Wishard health services, which consist of five neighborhood community health centers (a sixth is under construction), the Midtown Mental Health Center and the Lockefield Village Long-term Care Facility.
With its adverting campaign, Wishard is now trying to attract patients with private insurance to offset the cost of indigent care, which accounts for about 30 percent of the hospital's budget.
"This does not guarantee us patients, but it does give us access to them," Earl said. "We hope that our ratings, our great care and specialties will be enough. People need to know that we can be their hospital, too." (Wishard Memorial, 317/639-6 671)