Fueled by the needs of a growing elderly population, U.S. spending on long-term healthcare under the Medicaid program will soar in the next 20 years, according to a report by America's Health Insurance Plans. Spending for long-term care for elderly and disabled people under the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor will total $3.7 trillion in the next two decades, according to the report.
The nation's slumping economy is triggering growing Medicaid enrollment, according to state and national Medicaid experts. The trend could pose a challenge to states as they serve more uninsured people. "If the downturn is prolonged, and it contributes to large increases in Medicaid enrollment and spending, then this state and every other one will have to look at options to rein in spending," said Vern Smith, Michigan's former Medicaid director and coauthor of a report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation on Medicaid spending.
More than 90% of nursing homes were cited for violations of federal health and safety standards in 2007, and for-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types of nursing homes, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. About 17% of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused "actual harm or immediate jeopardy" to patients, said the report. Problems included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups, poor nutrition, and abuse and neglect of patients.
Sometimes we get so close to our own industry's jargon that we forget that those outside the healthcare system don't always speak the same lingo. Every industry does it. Car dealers don't sell used car anymore—they sell certified pre-owned vehicles. Grocery stores don't stock prunes, they sell dried plums. Catalogues don't describe a garment as green, they call it jade, emerald, fern, mint, citron, peridot, or stem. When you see a sweater in a catalogue described as "stem," what do you think?
Now put yourself in your customer's shoes. Do they know oncology means cancer and that neurology covers the spinal cord in addition to the brain? Do they know what you mean when you call your cardiac service line a heart academy or your ortho program a bone and joint institute or either one of them a center of excellence? Do you think that most people know the difference between a medical center and a hospital?
I'm guessing the average person either doesn't know or doesn't care. And those who do know the truth—that there really isn't a difference at all—think hospitals are just calling themselves a fancy but meaningless name, like saying they're stem when they're really just green.
So why do it? There are several reasons: to add cachet to the product, to avoid negative connotations, to instill consumer confidence in the service, and to stand apart from the competition. It's so much nicer to eat a dried plum than it is to eat a prune. And it's so much less frightening to get care at an academy than it is to be admitted to the hospital.
Susan Dubuque, president of Neathawk Dubuque & Packett in Richmond, VA, told me that consumers don't care what you call your cardiology program. Marketing multiple services under different names and brands causes confusion and is a waste of money.
"Consumers only have so many brain cells that they're going to devote to remembering anything concerning healthcare," she says in the article. "The more an organization splinters its brand identity into a zillion different parts . . . the more it dilutes the consumer's ability to digest the whole organization."
But Preston Gee, senior vice president of strategic planning and marketing for Trinity Health in Novi, MI, says the tactic can distinguish an organization or program. The strategy can work, he says, so long as it is based on research and you use wording that resonates with your audience.
In other words, if you must use a synonym for green, make sure it's something other than pond scum, toad, or moldy toast.
Gienna Shaw is an editor with HealthLeaders magazine. She can be reached at gshaw@healthleadersmedia.com.
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When a cardiologist at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center approached Marketing Manager Julie Ashby and said, "I've got this idea. You might think I'm crazy, but I want to see what you think about it," she was taken aback. But by the time he was done talking, Ashby says she was drooling.
Rush Waller, MD, told Ashby he wanted to wrap his new Dodge Nitro with LeBonheur graphics. And with the help of the marketing department, he did.
"Dr. Waller is not a wacky, loud personality. He's kind of a quiet reserved physician," Ashby says. "So it's kind of surprising that he would want to do this because it does take a lot to drive around in something that loud."
The car, which the hospital has dubbed an LUV (Le Bonheur Utility Vehicle), is wrapped with graphics that complement the organization's current print ads. It is brightly colored and features photos of former cardiology patients, some of whom Waller treated.
Waller has worked at the hospital since 1999 and said he was inspired to wrap his car to advertise the new children's facility that is scheduled to open in 2010.
"People have been so impressed, not only with how the car looks but with Dr. Waller's dedication and sincere love for Le Bonheur," Ashby says. "It's such a wacky idea and I think people were really blown away that he would offer to do this to his personal vehicle, and we're just so impressed that the reason really was to promote LeBonheur and the new hospital."
Since the driving billboard was unveiled in August, Waller has received a lot of attention around the community. Luckily, the marketing department foresaw this situation and created brochures for Waller to keep in the car.
"If he has five or 10 minutes to talk to somebody about it great," Ashby says. "If he doesn't, he can hand them this piece and they can go on with it. The design matches the car so it's really like a little marketing kit for his glove compartment."
Ashby says some other doctors have mentioned that they might like to do something similar for their cars, but she's not sure whether they'll really have the guts to do it.
Marketers are starting to realize that a technique that engages one ethnic group doesn't necessarily work for another, and ignoring the intricacies of Hispanic behavior online could negatively affect marketers' abilities to reach this growing audience. A recent study by Communispace Corporation looked at more than 1,000 Hispanic members in two private, online communities. The study revealed several trends that not only validate the effectiveness of using online media such as communities and social networks to reach Hispanic audiences, but also offer strategic guidance for doing so more effectively.