Hospitals: Centers for Disease or Centers for Life?

In our most recent Pulse360 survey of insured women across the southeast, only one in five recognized their local hospital as the leader for health and wellness in their community.

What’s that about?

Hospitals are the driving force behind the health of any community, so why aren’t they recognized as such? And, why do the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and even fitness centers score better as leaders in health and wellness locally?

To begin with, it’s because all too many hospitals have let themselves be perceived as centers for disease rather than centers for life. Also, the non-profits have done a better job of promoting themselves and their educational activities.

I think one key to the future of hospitals is to seize that mantle of leadership. A critical aspect of any future healthcare reform will be prevention. Why not be at the forefront of the effort?

A lot of hospitals think they are doing this with their education programs, but leadership is more than educating, it’s doing. Hospitals need to lead – drag, if necessary – their communities into launching programs to fight obesity, diabetes and the host of other life-threatening conditions.

Hospitals are about life. Every day they invest time, expertise and millions of dollars to improve the quality of life in their communities. Now it’s time to take it to the next level.

Technology Can Affect Hospital Choice

Hospitals often wrestle with how much emphasis to place on technology in their marketing efforts. Too much emphasis on technology and the advertising can be cold and impersonal.

Obviously, you don’t want your marketing to appear cold but technology is a barometer of competence for healthcare consumers. Our Pulse360 research has consistently found technology ranks behind only doctors and insurance in the choice of a hospital.

It’s difficult for consumers to get a handle on what constitutes quality treatment or even the competence of doctors. Technology gives them a tangible measure – such that if the hospital continually invests in advanced technology, it must be more competent.

We see it throughout our research. Acquisition of advanced imaging, daVinci robotic surgery, even the display of flat screen TVs throughout the hospital lead consumers to assume a hospital is more state-of-the-art and, therefore, more competent.

Our most recent Pulse360 survey showed another dimension to this. Advanced technology in a hospital made women feel much better about patient safety. In fact, it made them feel a lot safer than a high score from HealthGrades.

Since technology in a hospital translates to competence as well as confidence in the mind of the consumer, hospitals obviously need to promote it. Just don’t pop in a visual showing only a machine. People connect better when they understand benefits and outcomes, and can see them in the advertising.

The experience factor in cancer care.

I recently read a Newsweek article that detailed the differences found between elite cancer centers in the U.S. versus local hospitals, in terms of diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. In a nutshell, for most patients the outcome isn’t going to be very different. As a surgeon from the renowned Cleveland Clinic observes, “Eighty percent of cancers can and should be treated in community settings.” Most cancers cases are straightforward, in terms of diagnosis and treatment. The treatment you receive in the community hospital isn’t going vary greatly from what you receive at Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center or Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The most important factor in these cases is that the patient receives an accurate diagnosis from an experienced physician, or even better, multiple physicians. For the other twenty percent with very serious cases, it was found that the elite cancer centers make a very significant difference in treatment. The factor deemed most important was experience again. In this case, the cancer centers have large teams of very experienced specialists.

Through our Pulse360 research, we’ve found that the reputation of the physicians at a hospital is one of the most important factors for a healthcare consumer when considering a hospital. In terms of promoting cancer care as a service line, showcasing the hospital physicians’ experience in diagnosis and treatment is a smart way to help enhance the hospital’s reputation.

Would you rather be sick or well?

Of course, I want to be well. Who wants to be sick? For years, we at The Adams Group have been championing the idea that hospitals should promote overall well being throughout life as a significant component of their services. Instead of just being a place to go when you are ill, be the go to place for health and wellness.

It seems that the healthcare consumer is craving this too. A recent Pew Internet study found that online searches for exercise and fitness jumped 88 percent since 2002. At 38 percent it is now third in all health topic searches behind medical problem at 49 percent and treatment at 41 percent.

People know that hospitals can make them well, but like I said no one wants to be sick. Maybe it is time for them to know that hospitals can also help keep them well. Take the lead for health and wellness in your community.

There’s more to social media than Facebook and Twitter.

tveskov's (@tveskov) LEGO Fail Whale

Love it or hate it social media is here to stay. But with all the talk centered mostly on Facebook and Twitter, there’s a lot out there that’s not being talked about.

Social News Sites
Social news sites like Digg  and Reddit  allow users to submit news stories, articles and media for sharing among their respective communities or the general public. Community members’ interest in a posted item gives it value. StumbleUpon, which I believe I heard Tim say was cool once, is explained very well here.

Niche Social Networks
Whatever you’re into, there’s probably a niche social network for it. One well-worded search can uncork just about anything these days and there are oodles of these sites out there: for knitters, for fitness junkies, people with diabetes and new ones come online every day.

Groups
There are national and local opt-in “groups” through Yahoo and Google, and Big Boards tracks the most active bulletin boards and forums currently on the web. Does your child have a medical condition like, say, torticollis? Search the web  or the blogs to get detailed information and insight from others who have been through it or share your experience with others.

Blogs
Of course, there are billions of blogs, like this one. Blogs are started every day through Blogger, Wordpess, Typepad and MySpace like this one  or aggregators collect them for you by areas of interest, like this and this.

Of course, it’s a big wide web world and I have left tons and tons out of this lil’ old post. Please share your insight in the comments and we can update this post in a few weeks. Til then Traffikd has compiled an impressive list of social media and social networking sites here. 

Now that thinking social media is mainstream, do yourself a favor. Look outside the Goliaths. There are hundreds and hundreds of Davids just waiting to be discovered. One of them may be just right for you.

Never Underestimate The Power Of Women

An excellent piece in HealthLeaders further cemented what we already know: women are the coveted decision-makers in healthcare. But the data behind the article exposed a bigger question for hospitals: What are you doing about it – really?

According to the latest study from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality:

• Conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth were the reason for more than 1 out of every 5 female hospitalizations in 2007.
• When combined with stays for newborn infants, these hospitalizations accounted for 1/4 of all stays.
• Maternal discharges increased 16% from 1997 to 2007, and infant hospitalizations jumped 21% in the same time.

The writer wondered if those who are laser-focused on heart or orthopedic or cancer programs may want to re-look at how they approach women’s and children’s services.

Yes, despite the volume, the average hospital cost for pregnancy, childbirth and newborn conditions are lower. But, they remain third highest overall.

And, we’re not just talking about OB. When pregnancy and childbirth stays are excluded, women still accounted for more stays than men—18.2 million stays vs. 16.2 million stays.

How should that affect strategic priorities for healthcare providers, now and in the coming years?

Time for my mammogram.

Up ‘til this week, my biggest experience with a mammogram was this. But now that I am about to turn 40 and have no family history of breast cancer that means it’s time for my first mammogram.

While it’s a seemingly inconsequential milestone, it’s sparked two conversations already this morning.

First, the conversation with my gynecologist. Like many practices, my ob/gyn practice offers mammograms in their office. While I made an appointment for an in-office mammogram next January, I am going to go through the exercise of seeing what my other options are.

Do most consumers do this? My guess is no. It will take time and require phone calls: to my ob/gyn’s office, insurance provider and local facilities that offer mammograms. Once I make a decision, there will be more phone calls to my insurance provider, mammogram provider of choice and then back to my ob/gyn’s office.

When you look at this option, the in-office mammogram seems like a no-brainer. But as I was chatting with Jeff here at work, my motivation to seek out another provider took a different direction.

At first I had the attitude that I would use this milestone for work-related research. I write about healthcare so the more I live it, the better. But as I thought about it, the reality of what is in my hands sharpened.

This is my baseline mammogram. It’s not a research project. It’s something that can help protect me from breast cancer and other breast-related problems. This is the mammogram that my next mammogram will be compared against. It’s what stands against me and breast cancer.

So, although I do appreciate the convenience of that in-office mammogram and it would certainly be easier to do, I am going to do some digging. I want to make sure I am getting the highest quality, best-read mammogram I can get. To me, there’s way too much riding on this mammogram to just take the easy route.

If you’ve had a mammogram or mammograms, what route did you choose? Did you look at different options in mammography or providers?

Celebrating Creativity

One of the most rejuvenating things about working in advertising is the creativity.

When Liz had back surgery awhile back, we created a Liz-edition Operation game. When the agency had our 25th anniversary, we didn’t get a Lucite paperweight; we got cool bowling shirts. With our names embroidered on them. That we wore bowling that afternoon. For my own baby shower last year, we had a potluck lunch and all the food had bacon in it. And, this past week we have been celebrating Andrew’s wedding.

There are plenty of people who go to work every day at a place where there’s no room for fun and laughter in-between all the real work. I am glad I am not one of them.

Get off the sideline

For those of you who know me, you know I really LOVE football. I played from the age of eight until I was a college sophomore. The players I most admire are those playing multiple roles. You’ve seen them. Guys who play defense and offense. Running backs that play on the kick-off team. Receivers that return punts. For the football illiterate I am simply saying this: versatility on the gridiron is good.

Another place versatility is vital these days is any advertising, marketing, design or other creative shop. While most agency folks are assigned a title (web designer, art director, copywriter, etc.) those titles can be blinders that prevent people from doing their real job: coming up with great ideas for clients.

In our creative department we take versatility seriously.

For example, we have a copywriter who makes music, art directors who design websites and anything else they can get their hands on and a web designer/developer who also happens to be a talented art director and overall idea guy. These discoveries weren’t the result of some agency wide cross-training effort; they happened because people saw beyond defined roles or titles. They got out there, tried new things and helped each other out. The result has been great work for our clients.

I believe the best path to great ideas is across the lines of job titles and disciplines. Get out there, return a few kicks and see what happens.

Like I said, I like football. In fact, here’s a blank helmet so you can design your own team helmet. I know you can do it. While you’re at it, send me your creations. We’ll post the winning designs.

Real-life experience speaks volumes.

One of the best ways to learn about the hospital experience? Talk to people who have recently experienced it. When a friend spent the evening in the ER with her five year old daughter in August, she took the time to share the good, the bad and the ugly of a night in the ER. Her daughter, who has an allergic reaction to fire ant bites, ended up being fine but the experience left some lasting impressions … some good, some not so good.

 The Good

• There was a separate waiting room from main ER just for kids, complete with kids’ movie/tv and separate bathroom.
• If I had wanted her to be monitored, they would have kept her longer. Nice, but she was fine and I was ready to get out.
• Check out took two minutes.

 The Bad

• As a parent, I felt like an idiot because I did not know where to go or which entrance to use. I wasted 15 minutes parking in the wrong lot and running thru the hospital thru the wrong entrance.
• Everyone starts and waits in the same kids-only waiting room: broken bones, concussions, swine flu, stomach ailments, blood dripping down leg, poison, etc.
• Triage nurse sees everyone first to determine how severe and to assess the ailment. Then back to the waiting room until called back to see doctor which was really more waiting.

The Ugly

• I am not a germ-phobe, but it was gross. And it felt like everyone in there had the swine flu. They did pass out masks which is disconcerting to walk in and see 75% of people wearing masks.
• I about passed out when I heard a nurse yell, “I have a 4 year old amputee in Room B!”
• The check-in people were NOT customer service driven. Meaning, we are here for paperwork only, ma’am. No questions, no how much longer, no updates.

In the end, their scenario wasn’t bad, “Just a long wait in a gross waiting room. I felt for the parents who had the child with the bloody leg or who swallowed chorine tablets and had to wait like us. You really have to arrive without a pulse or in full trauma to be seen right away.”

This is one experience, but it echoes what we’ve heard from ER focus group participants.

While some things about the ER experience cannot change, there are touchpoints and services that can be addressed. And solutions don’t have to be elaborate. Simple updates of progress or some form of communication can make a long wait seem less endless. More frequent rounds by housekeeping staff can keep a much-used area of the hospital clean.

The reality is you may only have one chance to give a healthcare decision maker a first impression of your hospital or practice. Whether it’s in the ER, outpatient surgery or diagnostics, you have to make the most of it if you want her to come back again.