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How to Beat the Odds in a New Era of Health IT Marketing

The following is a guest blog post by Mary Tobin (@mhtobin) and Nicole Burdette (@nburdette) from 300Brand.
Mary-Tobin nicole-burdette
Last week, the healthcare IT marketing and PR community gathered in Atlanta at the Healthcare IT Marketing & PR Conference.  One message was clear – change is afoot – and this group is working hard to contribute to positive change for their organizations, and most importantly, for patients.

Health providers face new expectations for the patient care process and must transition from fee-for-service to value-based care models.  As they search for new ways to decrease risks/costs and improve quality, health IT marketers must also acquaint themselves with the new landscape.

Several trends bubbled up from the sessions and conversations, also supported by new research launched at the conference from 300Brand.

#1 Patients First

Improving the patient experience is a top priority.  Both IT and non-IT healthcare provider decision makers surveyed said improving the patient experience is a top tech goal for 2016.  And, almost a quarter (23 percent) said they have a Chief Experience Officer today.  As that number grows, these leaders will bring different perspectives, many coming from consumer-focused industries outside of healthcare, such as hospitality.  New applications, ranging from integrated analytics that identify patients most at risk for medication non-compliance to tools that alert patients when doctors run behind schedule, will help providers of all sizes improve the patient experience.  (No more waiting rooms – very exciting!)

#2 New Players

The health IT decision making process is changing and there are more players at the table than ever before.  The IT executives we surveyed said they are involved in IT decisions 92% of the time.  But, the non-IT execs disagreed, reporting IT is involved 78% of the time.  More than half agreed that IT purchasing is influenced by more stakeholder groups than two years ago.  In addition to clinicians, these new decision makers include legal/compliance teams, risk managers, and the C-suite.  Attendees in Atlanta confirmed the research – they are seeing purchasing decisions and influence outside of the IT department.

#3 Keep It Personal

New players and personas mean that marketers must become fluent in new “business languages.”  Each decision maker has a slightly different business priority and perspective, driving the need for even greater micro-targeting.  The Customer Experience Officer and the Chief Data Officer have very different perspectives and requirements, yet might be weighing in on the decision process for a new CRM solution.  IT marketers have to adept at speaking both languages at the same time – no easy task!

For marketers, this means new opportunities as we rethink messaging and tactics to ensure we are addressing this broader community.  As the roles are in flux and responsibilities in transition (Chief Data Officers, Chief Experience Officers, Chief Digital Officers, etc.), it’s more important than ever to listen to our customers and understand their unique needs and priorities.  Interestingly, when we asked healthcare providers what IT vendors/marketers are doing wrong and how we can improve, their response was to listen better so we understand their goals.

What we once thought was the “future” of healthcare is here now, and there is enormous opportunity ahead – exciting possibilities for providers and the patients they serve.

It was great to be with the health IT marketing community in Atlanta.  If you didn’t make it, plan for next time – it’s a five-star opportunity to connect and learn.

And, to learn more about how healthcare IT decisions and decision makers are changing, download our full report:  Time to Double Down:  How to Beat the Odds in a New Era of Health IT Marketing – http://www.healthitinsights.com/double-down.

300Brand was a proud sponsor of the 2016 Healthcare IT Marketing and PR Conference.

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