Out-migration is a continuing issue in the current rural and community healthcare environment. It is an issue that continues to drastically impact patient volume and market share. Some of the consequences of out-migration can include affecting your facility financially, damaging your facility’s reputation, and hindering your image within the community.
Increased out-migration starts with the idea, within the community’s mind, that bigger equals better. That is, a hospital within a metropolitan area is better suited and equipped to handle their overall healthcare needs than the local hospital situated within their community. The basic premise behind this idea is that the surrounding community believes that they need to go elsewhere for first rate medical care.
As bad as that may sound, righting the ship is not as difficult to as one might perceive it to be. With a tactical and integrated approach, you can build goodwill and awareness in your community. Most importantly, you can not only recapture, but increase your facility’s market share. As I like to say, exposure=awareness=sales.
The way I see it, a vast majority of patients’ medical needs can easily be accommodated at the local level. However, many rural and community healthcare facilities don’t seem to know how to convey the message that their community’s healthcare needs can be taken care of right in their own backyard.
You can raise awareness by educating the local populace about the capabilities and specific services your facility provides. Doing so will also deliver measurable and tangible results, along with goodwill.
To get these results, however, you must find innovative and creative ways to develop a message that will resonate with the community. How to communicate the right message that will also resonate with your community happens to be my expertise.
Remember that exposure=awareness=sales, and that in rural and small communities positive word of mouth can travel quickly and have a tremendous impact. It is possible to brand your facility in the eyes of potential patients as not only the closest, but as the best option to serve their immediate medical needs.
For more than 21 years, I’ve been working directly with hospitals and healthcare facilities to develop comprehensive strategies to raise awareness and improve market share and presence. I invite you to give me a call at 214-528-5775 to learn more about how I can help your facility increase all three components of exposure, awareness, and sales.
