Forgot to make your New Year's resolutions before 1996 faded away? Not to worry. There's still plenty of time this year to capitalize on the marketing communications opportunities presented by managed care.
True, things aren't as simple as they used to be. Delivering your message in the rapidly changing, highly competitive world of managed care can be tricky. The market has become a moving target. Realignment in healthcare delivery is the name of the game - managed care companies, insurers, hospitals and even physicians are all vying for visibility to effectively compete for patients.
As the managed care industry evolves and matures, so must marketing strategies. It's important to recognize that today's managed care landscape is filled with a mish-mash of new players, alliances among former rivals, a changing customer base, increasingly educated consumers, and stepped-up government regulation.
So how can communications executives working on behalf of a managed care organization (MCO) make the most of the system? Here are four New Year's resolutions to help you get going:
1. Know Thy Customer: When you begin a communications program for a managed care company, it's not enough to simply have an overall knowledge of the managed care industry. You need to understand the intricacies of your MCO's particular business (its organizational structure and management focus), its competitors and customers, its national reputation, and its local markets. MCOs vary greatly in focus and commuications experience. A one-size-fits-all marketing approach won't, in fact, fit anyone.
Too often, MCOs sit through marketing pitches from firms that haven't done their homework. For instance, a marketing approach that doesn't distinguish between health plans' two very different customers --employers (who sign the contract and pay the bills) and employees (the individual plan enrollees) --will fall flat.
You'll need to understand the distinct, sometimes contrary, needs of these constituencies: employers are interested in controlling costs, ensuring quality care, and having satisfied employees; employees want a choice of providers, no-hassle referrals to specialists, and low deductibles.
Set yourself apart from the pack by thoroughly understanding the company on whose behalf you'll be communicating. Once you grasp the company's specific goals, needs, stakeholders and any under-the-surface agendas, your ideas will truly resonate and your credibility will be enhanced. The keys to success, given today's fervent competition, are breakout positioning and in many cases, niche marketing.
2. Find Unexpected Partners. Managed care companies have natural alliances with employers and business coalitions. After all, both are dedicated to keeping healthcare costs under control. But don't just fish in a small pond when looking for potential partners. Sticking with the familiar entity may feel safe, but won't help you expand your horizons and generate the kinds of innovative programs that make a difference and get noticed.
Take a fresh look at groups you may have previously overlooked or dismissed as not being in sync with your interests and goals. There is a sea of potential organizations with whom you can find synergies, such as pharmaceutical companies, advocacy groups for special interests such as seniors or women, and even physician organizations. In today's competitive environment, it's smart business to look for ways to embrace these groups, and it's risky to write them off. After all, they often have some of the same messages, goals, and stakeholders as you do.
Pharmaceutical companies, for instance, can be a valuable resource. Many of them have years of experience in developing marketing and communications programs geared to consumers. They have built consumer education programs that are useful in disease management programs, and many also have data bases of treatment protocols and best-practice clinical guidelines.
And whether you're targeting consumers directly or employers, you often will find good fodder for marketing communications programs through alliances with not-for-profit constituency groups. Many of these groups' health education and motivation programs have been developed by savvy internal staffs, as well as by pharma companies, consumer health marketers, or other partnering entities.
3. Accentuate the Positive. It's no secret that the managed care industry is under siege these days from the media and politicians. A smattering of highly publicized horror stories from dissatisfied patients and providers about treatment delayed or denied has given managed care a black eye. Legislators are responding by passing dozens of laws that handcuff health plans from freely conducting business. Media and regulatory scrutiny of managed care likely will intensify this year.
Too often, health plans' public relations and marketing efforts are derailed by fending off the latest attack. This year, try shifting from defense to offense. Be proactive; emphasize the positive. Show how employers and employees benefit from managed care, not just how they won't get hurt by it. For example, when your organization is criticized for a specific practice, bring out statistical and anecdotal (real people!) evidence that this policy actually enhances patients' physical and mental health. Demonstrate that your policies take into account the best interests of the patient. Also, beyond public relations, make sure your policies give doctors the finalsay in making medical decisions. This has been demonstrated time and time again to be a non-negotiable point for the public, the medical community, and the media.
Another positive story that hasn't been fully told: managed care has elevated the sophistication of medical practice. Doctors' practices are more data driven and informed thanks to managed care's emphasis on information systems, clinical guidelines, and outcomes measurements. Physicians in rural areas and academic medical centers alike now are privy to the latest information -- raising the quality of care for all of us as patients.
Several studies have demonstrated that managed care has helped employers tame runaway medical costs. Comparative research has shown that HMO quality of care often is superior to care under traditional fee-for-service plans. Determine your company's strengths --cost containment, promoting preventive care, high member satisfaction rates, a high percentage of board-certified physicians, accreditation by quality organizations, providing quality care to seniors, women, and other particular populations --and communicate them relentlessly.
4. See the Big Picture. Marketing strategies and tactics in today's managed care environment must be flexible enough to keep pace with ever-changing strategic alliances. Physicians, insurers, and hospitals are forging new relationships, often becoming partners instead of competitors. Major healthcare players include not only the familiar ones -- managed care companies, pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare product companies, employers, and providers --but also employer purchasing coalitions, advocacy groups, and the media. The self-care revolution, fueled by the explosion of access to information technology, has made consumers not only decision makers and purchasers of healthcare, but influencers of policy.
Do these trends offer new opportunities for PR and marketing professionals? Definitely. Employer purchasing groups, for instance, are gaining more clout (experts predict that by the year 2000, 30% of the insured population may receive coverage this way). Be prepared to focus on these groups' hot button items -- low prices, provider accessibility, and value to employees. You may be accustomed to touting the newest high technology, but in many instances, lower costs will be the winning argument.
Stay alert, also, to threats to managed care. For example, some employers are reducing overhead by cutting out the middleman altogether --insurer or HMO --and contracting directly with providers.
Understand that the role of the media has changed and greatly expanded. Newspapers carry healthcare news every day. It's not just the medical reporter who's covering healthcare anymore, it's also reporters on the lifestyle, seniors, business, consumer trends, and other beats.
Physician and consumer groups are very skilled in using the media to promote anti-managed care themes. Who can blame the press for picking up on these stories when they don't hear from the other side, or when what they hear isn't nearly as rich with both data and real-life anecdotes that illustrate what's good about managed care.
When it comes to managing managed care, keeping these four resolutions in mind will help you have a prosperous and healthy New Year.