BY: RHODA WEISS
Ms. Weiss is a Santa Monica, CA-based health care consultant and speaker.
For Catholic hospitals, "open enrollment" is one of the most important
times of the year to communicate with employees at local companies. During this
period, most often held in the fall, employers offer their workers the opportunity
to choose a health plan, medical group, or physicians for themselves and their
families.
The decisions made during this critical time can have a dramatic effect on
market share for your physicians and hospitals. More and more, hospitals are
developing strategic communications plans to implement strategies that ensure
their affiliated physicians and health plans are at the top of consumers' minds
before they complete their company's enrollment card. Some of the more successful
tactics used by Catholic health care providers include:
- Hosting health screenings or educational programs before
and during open enrollment on-site at the local employer or at union gatherings
("selling" the organization during the program).
- Cosponsoring programs with local employers for benefits
managers, insurance consultants, and other key executives that provide useful
information about health benefits while also promoting the organization and
physicians.
- Producing and widely distributing an online and print
informational booklet on how to choose a health plan. These booklets typically
answer frequently asked questions about open enrollment, provide tips on selecting
a health plan and provider, demonstrate why their organization and doctors
are the best choice, and include lists of primary care physicians.
- Publishing newspaper ads that list primary care physicians
by location, physician group, and — in highly ethnic communities — foreign languages
spoken by the physician or office staff. These ads encourage readers to select
from a listing of preferred plans, emphasizing their links to the physicians,
medical groups, or hospital sponsoring the ad. For instant answers to consumer
questions, ads prominently feature 24-hour telephone numbers, websites, and
e-mail addresses. Some ads even list specific page numbers in health plan
directories. Although many ads are directed to the general public, hospitals
in areas with large employers often begin the copy by including the name of
an employer at the top of the page (e.g., "Attention Boeing Employees") during
the company's open enrollment period.
- Identifying local employers with company newsletters
and offering to write articles that provide tips on choosing a health plan,
physician, and hospital. Some company newsletters offer advertising space,
which provides an additional opportunity to showcase their expertise and list
reasons why their organization and physicians should be the preferred choice
for care.
- Purchasing radio ads that call attention to open enrollment
in general and mention specific names of businesses during their open enrollment
periods. Include an easy-to-remember phone number, website, or e-mail address
to obtain open enrollment or family health guides.
- Advertising on billboards near businesses before and
during the open enrollment process can remind workers to select a plan that
includes a particular hospital or medical group.
- Increasing media relations efforts that convince journalists
to cover stories on interesting patient outcomes, new technologies and treatments,
or the organization's clinical expertise.
- Using physicians and executives to speak to business,
religious, social, and civic organizations on health tips or current health
care issues. All speakers should include information on open enrollment, illustrate
the strengths of the local hospital and doctors, and distribute the open enrollment
guide and other organization information.
- Remembering that employees, physicians, volunteers, vendors,
and board members can provide word-of-mouth marketing during open enrollment
and help distribute important information. These "family" members provide
firsthand accounts of superior patient care.
Copyright © 2001 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3477.