Introduction
Today, patients have more health care options than ever before. There is a vast amount of information available about different medical facilities, and potential clients, especially those living in urban areas, do not choose hospitals based on their proximity but on the assistance they offer. Health care marketing is essential in helping medical centers advertise their services and reach new and returning patients. This marketing plan will outline the five principal aspects that aim to promote the Bay Area Accountable Health System and differentiate it from other medical facilities in the Bay Area.
Marketing Plan
The first-year marketing plan for the Bay Area Accountable Health System will be based on the core principles of health care advertising. According to Berkowitz (2021), an efficient marketing plan should be built on the response to the marketplace. In addition, such controllable variables as product, price, place, and promotion are advised to be employed to define the plan of a medical organization (Berkowitz, 2021). Furthermore, the strategy should account for potential customers’ needs in order to reach new patients and secure their return.
The first aspect of the marketing plan is to emphasize the product the Bay Area Accountable Health System offers. Thus, the strategy will present the benefits of the Accountable Care Systems (ACS) compared to other medical organizations. Specifically, the plan will highlight the integrated nature of facilities offered by ACS and focus on patient involvement in the “design and process of care and services” (Farmanova et al., 2019, p. 4). ACS is unique in its direct response to the community’s needs, which will be accentuated in the marketing campaign. The second aspect of the plan should focus on engaging the community itself.
The marketing can incorporate Bible verses to address people of religion in the Bay Area. Thus, Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? Therefore, honor God with your bodies” (Chery, 2021). Overall, the first two aspects of the marketing campaign will involve the community in shaping the ACS’s services and encouraging people to take better care of their health.
The third aspect of the marketing plan will address the price of the offered product. According to Ratna (2020), public health has declined considerably due to the privatization of the healthcare industry, with decreased access to care among the more impoverished communities. The marketing plan for the Bay Area Accountable Health System will elaborate on payment models used by the ACS, including Medicare and Medicaid Services. To attract more patients and ensure their return, the organization should invest in “improving the efficiency and quality of their health care provision” to achieve better health outcomes (Pimperl, 2018).
In turn, better outcomes will translate into more patients and new contracts with national health insurance programs. The fourth aspect of the marketing strategy will address the controllable variable of place. In particular, the advertising should emphasize that the organization’s facilities are available for many communities within the Bay Area. In addition, a mobile facility can be established to cater to patients who cannot visit other locations on their own.
Finally, the fifth aspect of the marketing campaign will consider the promotion variable of healthcare advertising. In the contemporary marketplace, the way of informing should incorporate modern technology. Thus, the marketing will occur online, using various media spaces, including medical websites, local medical facilities and social care websites, and social media platforms. In addition, the organization will be advertised through television campaigns, and information about its services will be spread via partnerships with social services.
Conclusion
In summary, the first-year marketing plan for the Bay Area Accountable Health System will target the local communities and aim to differentiate the organization as an ACS. The strategy will engage the members of the community and encourage their visits to healthcare facilities. Furthermore, an emphasis will be put on the payment options to show the affordability of the offered care through online and offline advertising campaigns.
References
Berkowitz, E. N. (2021). Essentials of health care marketing (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Chery, F. (2021). 15 important Bible verses about healthcare. Bible Reasons. Web.
Farmanova, E., Abdelhalim, R., Wallar, L. E., & Wodchis, W. P. (2019). Making way for integrated accountable care in Ontario: Enablers & challenges of implementation. Health System Performance Research Network. Web.
Pimperl, A. (2018). Re-orienting the model of care: Towards accountable care organizations. International Journal of Integrated Care, 18(1), 1–3. Web.
Ratna, H. N. (2020). Medical neoliberalism and the decline in U.S. healthcare quality. Journal of Hospital Management and Health Policy, 4, 1–8. Web.