Improving Inter/Intra Professional Relations

Establishing Rapport within the Medical Community
By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
Publisher-in-Chief
By Hope Rachel Hetico; RN, MHA, CMP™
Managing Editor
In our consulting work, publishing, speaking engagements and relate professional endeavors, we are often asked how to establish and even increase professional visibility in a particular medical, or even alternative-medial community.
While there is no-one-size-fits-all answer, the following [...]

Eroding Doctor-Patient Relationships

The “Bed-Side Manner” Deterioration Continues
Staff Reporters
A growing chorus of discontent suggests that the once-revered doctor-patient relationship is on the rocks.
Results
About one in four patients feel that their physicians sometimes expose them to unnecessary risk, according to data from a Johns Hopkins University [JHU] study published in the journal, Medicine, while two recent studies show [...]

Alternative Medical Communities

Credibility and Physician Referrals  
By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
Publisher-in-Chief
By Hope Rachel Hetico; RN, MHA, CMP™
Managing Editor
As a member of the Board of Directors, Anthony Robert “Tony” Narushka DC of Poland recently commented on the founding of the Polish Chiropractic Association [PCA]. Comments, largely private, have been interesting and prompted us to post this [...]

Relationship Marketing for Concierge Medical Practices

Developing a Deep-Niche Focus
Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
Publisher-in-Chief
As a concierge medical practitioner, you know that personalized marketing leads to new patients and subscribers; improved financial health for you, and improved community health for the geographic area you serve.
Know your Patients
In any marketing situation, the more you know about your target patient audience, the [...]

Marketing Intangible Concierge Medical Services

Understanding Intangible Products
Staff Writers
Concierge practice and related medical services are intangible products; even though most marketing theories that apply to products apply equally to services. Yet, medical services do have some differences. For example, medical services are: 

Intangible,

Highly perishable,

Variable quality,

Inseparable from medical provider, and,

Difficult to quality-assess. 

Perishability
Of what value to an airline is an empty seat on [...]

Patient Survey of Retail Health Clinics

One-Third Lack a Family Doctor
Staff Reporters
According to results of an online survey of 4,937 US adults conducted by Harris Interactive® between May 2 and 6, 2008 for the Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition, 30% of patients who used retail-based health clinics do not have a primary care provider.
Other findings include:
 

The use of [...]

Improving Patient Communications

Managed Care Ethical Considerations
By Render S. Davis; MHA, CHE
In contemporary medicine, and managed care, ethical dilemmas in communications are increasingly common and may come in many different forms. For example: 

Physician’s failing to communicate necessary clinical information to patients in terms and language the patients can truly understand;

Physicians’ offering only limited treatment choices to patients because [...]

CMS Shells Out to Compare Hospitals

“You show me – I’ll show you”
Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
Publisher-in-Chief
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [CMS] just launched an advertising campaign to demonstrate how some patients get needed help … and how other hospitals give surgical patients antibiotics! Say what?
Site Traffic Quadruples
Yep! All told, the ads include more than 2,500 hospitals, according [...]

Internal Healthcare Marketing and Patient Satisfaction

Managing Expectations and Perceptions
By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
By Dr. Gary L. Bode; MSA, CPA, CMP™ (Hon)
Patient satisfaction occurs when patient perceptions exceed their expectations. They get an intangible “something extra” from the visit, above what they, or their TPA / health plan / Medicare / Medicaid plan, paid for. 
Managing Perceptions
We’ll concentrate on [...]

Hospital, Clinic and Physician Pricing

Emerging Medical Transparency Initiatives
By Hope Rachel Hetico; RN, MHA, CMP™
In 2007, federal and state legislatures first called for hospitals across the country to make their prices “transparent.” 
Definition
The term transparency was defined as the full, accurate, and timely disclosure of hospital charges to consumers of healthcare, as well as the process employed to arrive at [...]

Patient [Customer] Relationship Management

What it is – What are it’s Goals
By DeeVee Devarakonda, MBA
Patient or [Customer Relationship Management] can help healthcare organizations and medical practices achieve their business objectives while addressing today’s increasing competitive challenges.
Conflicted Meanings
In the last few years P-CRM came to mean different things to different people. First CRM, and then P-CRM, became a general [...]

Support “E-P” Research and Development

Integrating Health Economics, Personal Finance and Medical Practice Management
Staff Writers
Producing innovative electronic forums, interviewing movers-and-shakers, producing books, stellar dictionaries and crating unique white-papers is arduous and costly in the fluctuating healthcare industrial complex. Writers, editors, managers and all types of journalistic and IT staff are involved. And so, we often reach out to readers and [...]

Crafting a Medical Practice Marketing Plan

Necessary Today – Not So In the Past
By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™
By Hope Hetico Hetico; RN, MHA, CMP™
 
Marketing plays a vital role in successful practice ventures. How well you market your practice, along with a few other considerations, will ultimately determine your degree of success or failure. 
The key element of a successful marketing [...]

The Medical Practice Advertising Plan

New Advertising Methodologies Needed Today
Staff Writers 
 
A well-defined advertising plan - not needed only a decade ago - is an essential part of medical practice business success today. Your medical practice advertising should be visually stimulating and include several more rational considerations, as listed below. 
Plan Components 

Goals:  The objectives of any advertising plan should be reasonable and quantifiable.  [...]

Crafting a Medical Practice Business Plan

An Essential Document for Start-Up Practices
Staff Writers  
The analog to a personal financial plan is the medical practice business plan. While mature practitioners may casually be familiar with some elements of the former by default, most new physicians are totally unfamiliar with requirements of the later.  
The Need 
Unfortunately, without an initial business plan, the need for a [...]

Competitive Practice Strategies for Physicians

How Physicians Must Develop a Strategic Competitive Practice Philosophy!
Staff Writers
 
It is currently believed that a general medical, or even broad specialty, practice will have limited appeal to patients and buyers of healthcare services in the future. 
In its place, a doctor must philosophically decide if she or he is to become a (1) discount, (2) service or [...]