We're all crunched for time and that means we might miss some great content from month to month. Here are five articles from last month that I found interesting and thought would be valuable to anyone working in healthcare, especially those of us in marketing and communications.
1. The Painful Side Of Positive Health Care Marketing NPR - Sam Harnett
In general, being positive with our messaging is surely the correct way to generate a response from current and prospective patients. Without doing that it would be difficult to successfully encourage people to get screenings, see a primary care doctor or make other changes that reduce risk. In addition, the healthcare system we have in this country requires competition between healthcare providers. Yet, there is always the possibility of negatively impacting survivors and those currently dealing with serious health issues. This article from NPR shares one patient's perspective.
2. The problem is the prices: Opaque and sky high bills are breaking Americans — and our health care system VOX - Sarah Kliff
Last month, I posted an overview of healthcare marketing in four slides. One area I addressed was how price presents such difficulty for our consumers and those of us marketing our products and services. This article from VOX provides good background on some of the challenges the industry has with pricing and how that affects patients.
3. The exploding health care workforce. Politico
Part of Politico's "Agenda 2020" feature on healthcare, these workforce graphics show the sectors of healthcare most likely to grow in upcoming years.
4. 13 Questions That Will Help Align Communications and Marketing PR News - Peter Osborne
Now is the perfect time to get your marketing and PR/comm teams aligned on goals for next year. Depending on how well those two units collaborate in your organization, some simple exercises to drive better understanding and mutual respect might be time well spent. The article has some good starter questions to begin the conversation.
5. How to Be a C.E.O., From a Decade’s Worth of Them NY Times - Adam Bryant
This article is neither exclusive to healthcare nor marketing, but it's a great read nonetheless. Adam Bryant has interviewed 525 chief executives through his years writing the Corner Office column. There is a wealth of information here for anyone interested in assuming a leadership role at any level.
Bonus
6. Bridging Worlds: The Future Role of the Healthcare Strategist Second Edition SHSMD
This is cheating somewhat as the publication was technically released by the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) at the end of September; however, it really is a must-read for all healthcare marketers, communicators and strategists. The 75-page, in-depth publication evaluates and explores the evolving healthcare landscape and offers useful suggestions for how we can respond.