About 3,400 Californians whose health insurance was canceled by Kaiser, Health Net, and PacifiCare will soon receive notification that they may be eligible for new coverage and for compensation for medical bills they paid while they were uninsured. In a deal with state regulators, the insurers agreed to offer former members new coverage regardless of preexisting medical conditions and to reimburse them for medical expenses. In exchange, the state Department of Managed Health Care will close investigations into the companies' rescission practices.
Brookwood Medical Center appears ready to compete with Baptist Health System in the race to be the first to build a hospital in Hoover, AL. An amendment to the State Health Plan proposed by a lawyer for Brookwood would smooth the way for approval of a 140-bed hospital in Hoover. Baptist Health System filed a similar amendment in late July, but key differences distinguish the two. Baptist's version was tailored to its desire to transfer up to 140 beds from Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham to a medical complex Baptist owns in Jefferson County. Brookwood's version would not restrict the hospital to Jefferson County and would allow the creation of newly licensed beds and not restrict the project to a transfer of existing beds.
The Care Quality Commission has set out new ground rules for how National Health Service trusts must make improvements in preventing the spread of hospital superbugs in England. All hospital boards will have to sign a declaration in January saying whether or not they have met the various requirements on the U.K. Government's hygiene code. Trusts that are unable to comply to the new code face the risk of not meeting the standard for registration as an NHS provider. Without the registration, hospitals could lose a licence to treat patients and be forced to stop operating.
Kaiser Permanente premiered its fifth season of ads during the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics with a message for the world: "Thrive."
Previously, the campaign's creative and messages focused on prevention, wellness, and "thriving" at every stage of life. The newest theme will be "Spread Health" and will highlight the work that the organization has done to spread health knowledge to the community.
"I think the best way to describe it as an extension of the campaign which has been underway for four years now," says Christine Paige, senior vice president of marketing and Internet services for Kaiser Permanente. "The campaign has focused on our approach to total health—this view takes it more into the community and the world."
The current campaign uses a multi-integrated approach featuring TV spots that premiered during the opening ceremonies for viewers in California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Georgia, and parts of Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii.
Launching the TV spots during the start of the Olympics was a strategic move based on reaching Kaiser's target consumer. "People who are interested in health and the kind of message that we are trying to send are also interested in the Olympics," says Paige. "Plus August is always the time we launch campaigns, so timing-wise it also worked out well."
Kaiser also plans to explore non-traditional advertising approaches such as bus and train wraps, cinema spots, ads in public transit areas, and displays in gyms.
Overall, Paige says, the campaign has been a success since its rollout in 2004. "The campaign has performed beautifully for us," says Paige. "It has moved our perception indexes with both consumers and employer customers. And it's also been a tremendous hit internally and a motivator as well."
Kandace McLaughlin is an editor with HealthLeaders magazine. Send her Campaign Spotlight ideas at kmclaughlin@healthleadersmedia.com If you are a marketer submitting a campaign on behalf of your facility or client, please ensure you have permission before doing so.
Even though marketers say they value the consumer voice, brand feedback and "contact us," forms are rather unfriendly. They are one-dimensional and only allow for written comments. You never see a feedback form that allows customers to post links, photos, audio clips, or videos, for example. And in some categories, such as healthcare or pharmaceuticals, you are lucky if you even see a contact-us form.
Heath Ledger's death might turn out to have a silver lining for drug marketers, prompting the public to finally pay attention to drug safety efforts. Pharma marketers are launching a campaign to dissuade consumers—namely teenagers—from abusing over-the-counter and prescription medication.