02 Dec In responding to your classmates, do you agree or disagree with th

Helen Discussion:

When looking at healthcare plans its best to check out each level of the plan to see what medical costs will be covered.  Shopping for healthcare is seeking information about out of pocket spending and comparing that spending across providers before the choice of a plan. Do a search of providers in your area. Do your homework before you get the care and really look at those procedures. Understand your insurance and call your insurance company. Pull out that card. Get onto the website. Look at what your coverage, your network, as well as out of pocket expense and what your options are.  A healthcare organizations marketing goals includes looking at introducing new products and services, how will these services attract more patients to their practice.  Whether it’s using websites or social media as a marketing strategy.  It’s important to look at ways to obtain new leads and maintain customer satisfaction.  This satisfaction is shared through online reviews and increasing in person promotions as well as email contacts.  All this in using the SMART framework by creating a Specific plan that is well defines and clear.  Setting Measureable goals with specific criteria to meet these goals and when.  Looking to make sure the goals set are Achievable as well as are they Realistic and relevant to what they are trying to accomplish.  And finally, are they Timely and attainable with a purpose of urgency (Berkowitz, 2022).

When it comes to relationships between physician and hospitals pose challenges in the fact that not only do physicians have their own offices but they also need access to hospitals to treat seriously ill patients and perform procedures.  This requires a physician to apply for medical staff privileges by asking to become members of the hospital staff instead of being a hospital employee.  The medical chief at the organization decides if the physician should join the hospital and if privileges need removed they go through them as well.  So when it comes to healthcare marketing the physician needs to be careful not to say they are employees of the hospital but more an added entity to the hospital to practice (Cellucci, 2014). 

The ethical considerations to consider when planning a marketing strategy for physicians who have both an office and having medical privileges to a hospital would be both meta-ethics: which consider a connection between values, reasons for action as well as human motivation.  Being able to market as a physician that also has privileges at a hospital sometimes is a big factor for them being picked.  Knowing your physician has privileges at a nearby hospital ensures you will probably see your own dr. at the hospital.  Whereas at our local hospital they mostly use interns so never the same physician and no follow thru with care.  Another ethics to consider would be healthcare ethics.  This involves not only stakeholders in the hospital but also the consideration of actions and how those actions affect moral standards of healthcare ethics.

Resources:

Berkowitz, Eric N. (2022). “Essentials of Healthcare Marketing”. Fifth edition.          Chapter 2, pgs 61-66.

Celluccini, Wiggins, Farnsworth (2014). Gateway to Healthcare Management. “Healthcare Marketing: A Case Study Approach”.  Chapter 5: Physicians.

Nelson, L. J., Clark, H. W., Goldman, R. L., & Schore, J. E. (1989). Taking the Train to a World of Strangers: Health Care Marketing and Ethics.  The Hastings Center Report,  19(5), 36–43. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.2307/3562646

Tomeka Discussion:

Some ways people shop for healthcare and medical care is via the internet.  They search for different types of healthcare so they can compare the benefits and the prices (Berkowitz, 2021).  It also keeps them from having to speak with different people.  They can sign up online and see exactly what benefits they signed up for.  This keeps them from waiting to get a policy in the mail when signing up by phone.  They don’t have to be placed on hold for any length of time.

     The relationship between physicians and health organizations poses challenges to decision making in healthcare marketing because some of the physicians are only at the hospital for a short term.  The physicians can admit their patients in different hospitals if they are not pleased with a hospital.  This puts the hospital in a hard place when trying to fulfill their financial obligations (W.,C.L , 2013).

     Some of the most important ethical considerations that a healthcare organization must address when developing a marketing strategy for its patients and its physicians is to make sure they are doing what is right. A healthcare organization should make sure they are not doing anything illegal.  There can be decisions made that are illegal and ethical.  There are also decisions that are made that are legal and unethical (W., C. L., 2013). 

References

Berkowitz, E. N. (2021). Essentials of Health Care Marketing (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.  https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781284232844 

W., C. L., Carla, W., & J., F. T. (2013). Healthcare Marketing: A Case Study Approach. Health Administration Press.  https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781567936056