Physicians Learn Retailing to Existing Patients Is Most Effective Way to Market
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RALEIGH, NC — (Marketwire) — 10/15/08 — As the economy continues to slow, physicians have become more cognizant of how an improved retail presence improves practice profitability. Down economy or not, patients in health care settings are requiring physicians to be innovative and establish more effective ways to educate at the point-of-care. Two companies have established a strategic partnership to help physicians understand and capitalize on the importance of patient education and in-office retailing. Medical marketing consultants The Practice Pros have allied with Mediplay,Inc. to assist medical groups with installing the Mediplay digital signage system, which transforms point-of-care marketing in doctors’ offices to highlight services and increase profitability.
This focus on retail marketing at the point-of-care made an immediate,significant impact on profitability at Valley Ear, Nose & Throat, Arizona’slargest otolaryngology practice. They experienced an increase in sales ofancillary products and services as a direct result of installing Mediplay.
“More than one-third of our hearing aid inquires were generated directlyfrom the Mediplay system,” said George Smaistrla, Jr., chief executiveofficer of Valley ENT, with 14 locations across Arizona.
According to Tim Boyd, president and chief operating officer of Mediplay,physician groups are beginning to understand the benefits of strategiesgeared toward their existing patients. His team at Mediplay has partneredwith The Practice Pros to offer a 5-step solution to help doctors makeimpactful marketing decisions:
1. Acknowledge the importance of patient education, marketing and retailing within the medical environment. The sooner physicians realize their patient base has become more inquisitive and knowledgeable, the sooner they can provide more depth of understanding about medical conditions and offer service solutions.2. Experiencing a down economy does not mean decreasing or eliminating a marketing budget. It means refocusing to become more strategic. This is done by addressing current patients sitting in the waiting room.3. Track where marketing dollars are being spent. Measure marketing costs by return on investment (ROI) for each marketing strategy. Understand the cost per lead (CPL) for each new patient and evaluate allocation of marketing spend.4. Focus marketing dollars on areas that have the lowest CPL and highest ROI for the practice. In most cases, the answer will be current patients, who want to better understand a physician group’s services, procedures and products, but may not be fully aware of the breadth of services offered.5. Highlight services, procedures, and products by improving patient education. Current patients already know, like and trust their healthcare provider, so why not educate those patients on the full breadth of services available to improve their health? It is much easier and more cost-effective to increase the number of current patients who come for multiple healthcare services, verses looking to increase new patient volume.
A creative way to address these issues is by installing a Mediplay digitalsignage system to make waiting room time more enjoyable and informative forpatients, providing them with valuable product and service details at thepoint-of-care. The Practice Pros and Mediplay have customers that run thespectrum of health care — from ear, nose throat practices to dentistry,plastic surgery and dermatology, among many other medical groups.
“By aligning marketing strategies to focus on patients, physicians canposition their practice to maximize opportunities already sitting in theirwaiting rooms and grow profitability,” said Jamie Verkamp co-founder of ThePractice Pros.
Getting started is simple since Mediplay installs the digital signage andmarries it with its Web-based content management system to create apoint-of-care information network that helps educate patients. Results showthat with Mediplay in the waiting room, physicians run a more profitablepractice.
Subscribing to Mediplay gives physician groups the ability to managecontent, with Web-based access to a video library to help them communicatetheir most important messages. The Practice Pros can work with physiciansto help define those key messages to further expand on the value ofMediplay and develop an all-encompassing marketing plan. The resultprovides patients with information to make them more fully aware of thedepth of services and expertise. And the added exposure means strongerrelationships that fuel profits.
Located in Raleigh, N.C., Mediplay creates a unique point-of-care marketingsystem designed to enhance patient communications. Mediplay was formed in2004 by a physician seeking to address the everyday challenges that doctorsface, including how to spend more time with patients, while also improvingprofitability. It allows physicians to present unique visual content thatis personalized to their practice, highlighting the services and treatmentsthey offer. Mediplay transforms waiting room time into positive, productivelearning experiences — which results in a more informed patient, a morefocused healthcare provider, and a more profitable physician practice. Formore information, please visit http://www.mediplay.com, or call ustoll-free at 1.877.417.2495.
The Practice Pros is a medical marketing consulting firm specializing inassisting medical professionals in implementing marketing techniques togrow their practices. With over 20 years of marketing experience, we offerconsultations, seminars, workshops, coaching and virtual seminars that aredesigned specifically with the medical professional in mind. For moreinformation, contact 1.877.DOC.MKTG (1.877.362.6584) or visithttp://www.thepracticepros.com.
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Media Contact:Scott Misner(919) 235-0940
