Hospital Marketing Journal

Making Data Work for the Consumer

by Scott Mosley

Americans today have direct access to an unprecedented and rapidly-expanding amount of data. This can easily lead to the paralysis of data overload, if raw data is not filtered and focused through the thoughtful and purposeful use of consumer-oriented decision support platforms. A wide range of decision support platforms/tools are available to today’s healthcare consumer. However, studies of the extent to which these tools are effectively employed suggest very mixed results. There are a number of barriers which account for this mixed effectiveness, many arising from the design, content, format and dissemination of the tools themselves. Limited consumer awareness of information sources and data repositories. Few people really know where to look for the information they need. Poor tool design and confusing presentation of complex information. As educated as consumers have become, effectively digesting outcomes data requires a level of sophistication which is rare in the general population. Lack of relevant content supporting the comparison of individual practitioners and healthcare organizations. Most of the time, data is so general that it’s of little value in making relevant side-by-side evaluations. Low levels of data literacy often limit data consumption. Particularly among the growing elderly population, reading healthcare data can be a very challenging proposition. Lack of online access to data repositories remains a factor. This is particular true where the nation’s poor and underserved populations are concerned. Lack of trust in the source of data. The extent to which selective or self-serving analysis comes into play makes many data sources highly suspect to many consumers. Difficulty engaging healthcare practitioners to discuss relevant information. A general lack of time and training on the part of practitioners and the absence of incentives often present insurmountable barriers to consumers in their attempts to engage physicians and other providers in meaningful dialogue. Considering the collective impact of these barriers suggests that there are steps which can be taken to dramatically enhance the utility of decision support platforms/tools. The designers of these platforms can do a better job of considering the context within which information is being sought and will most often be used. The user-friendly presentation of data in formats specifically geared toward comparison and basic decision-making can go a long way in easing many common consumer frustrations. The testing of consumer functionality, through focus groups and similar techniques that engage potential users can also play a major role in ensuring that tools are capable of satisfying the most common needs and interests of consumers. Studies suggest that report cards can be positive tools in guiding consumer decision-making when the information is easy to understand. Tool developers need to be challenged to present sometimes complex information in simple formats, helping users to more easily access relevant content, apply it to their particular circumstances and understand its specific implications. This means providing assistance in breaking complicated decisions down into discrete steps and simplifying difficult tradeoffs, like the choice between cost and quality. It means making navigation easier with the guidance of simple, easy-to-understand words, symbols and graphics and giving information greater resonance through the use of color, rankings, summary tables and reinforcing narratives. It means layering information so only the necessary level of depth indicated by the decision at play is imposed. The availability of healthcare information is greater today than ever before, but mere availability is only half the battle for enhanced transparency. We still have a long way to go in making healthcare data usable for the average consumer. And, even further to ensure a good foundation for healthcare decision-making.

Free iPhone Apps every Marketing Professional Should Have

by Ashley Sollars

Ten Adams Blog Manager

When I purchased my first iPhone a few weeks ago, my first priority was not business. And, as long as we are being honest here, I have spent the first couple of weeks downloading social media apps, games and other non-business related apps that I never knew existed but can’t live without. (Everyone needs the Wisconsin Cheese Cupid app, right?) When I sat down to write this blog, my goal was simple: What free apps can I find that would make my life as a marketing professional easier and more efficient? See my list below and feel free to chime in on any apps that are designed for the busy marketing practitioner.

iClick Powerpoint Remote Go to your next PowerPoint presentation in style with i-Clickr PowerPoint Remote for iPhone/iPod Touch. Complete control of your PowerPoint presentation including animations. View your slides AND slide notes directly on your iPhone/iPod Touch during your presentation. Navigate through your slides with finger swipes and taps. Grab your audience's attention with realtime annotations. Help you track your presentation time with onboard clock. Set presentation alarm so that your iPhone/iPod Touch will alert you with a silent buzz before your time runs out. Work with both Windows and Mac Office (see below for the Office versions supported).   

 MobileMe iDisk  With MobileMe iDisk, it’s easy to store, access, and share files online. You have plenty of storage space — even large files are no problem. Just add the files you need to your iDisk, and whatever you upload will be there for you to download using a web browser on any computer or using the iDisk App for iPhone or iPod touch.  

USA Today The latest news stories, scores, weather and photos you've come to expect from USA TODAY are now available for your iPhone and iPod touch. Staying informed on the go has never been this quick, easy or enjoyable.   

  Drop Box Dropbox works with its web service that lets you keep files in multiple computers in sync as well as make it available via a web interface. Dropbox iPhone app lets you access those files on your iPhone now!  

InstaPaper Simply install the Instapaper app and download your unread articles when you have WiFi, EDGE, or 3G coverage, then you can read them anytime: on the train, on the bus, on line at the bank, or in space (you never know).  

Personal Assistant Ten essential life management application in one app: credit card control, bank account status, investment portfolio, cell minute tracker, frequent flyer miles, travel itineraries, shopping management, bill management, Netflix queue, and alerts. 

Lockbox Lockbox is a password & secret information storage native 3rd party app for the iPhone. You can add, edit, remove, and view your password list. It stores passwords for websites (or any system), credit card info, or any secret information you need to keep ready at hand, encrypted on your iPhone. Lockbox stores your passwords by encrypting them via AES128.    

 Avis Reservation App If you're always on the move, just grab your iPhone and make an Avis reservation any time, anywhere. No need to access a computer or call an agent. Now iPhone puts car rental reservations at your fingertips! With the Avis Reservation Application, all iPhone and iPod Touch users can reserve vehicles at airport locations in the U.S. and Canada. Besides creating a reservation, users can instantly access reduced rates and other benefits, just by providing an Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number, Wizard number, and/or coupon code.   

AAA Roadside AAA’s legendary roadside assistance is available easily through the iPhone App Store. Your current location and specific information about your vehicle’s trouble is automatically sent to AAA for rapid  response. Avoid waiting on the phone and receive confirmation that the information sent to the AAA roadside problem-solving technician is correct.  

The iPhone is an Internet and multimedia enabled smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Because its minimal hardware interface lacks a physical keyboard, the multi-touch screen renders a virtual keyboard when necessary. The iPhone functions as a camera phone (also including text messaging and visual voicemail), a portable media player (equivalent to a video iPod), and an Internet client (with email, web browsing, and Wi-Fi connectivity). -wikipedia  

Patient Censorship?

In the past, we’ve posted about well known consumer rating services like Zagat's and Angie's List moving into the healthcare space by rating physicians. Well, it appears many docs don’t care for the new spirit of transparency and are requiring patients to sign waivers preventing them from posting negative comments online.

They're basically forcing the patients to choose between health care and their First Amendment rights, and I really find that repulsive," Swapceinski said.

Doc Hollywood

One third of the 80 percent of Americans who utilize the web as a health information resource, also use it as a tool to identify doctors and hospitals. That’s a lot of people, but some physicians still struggle with the whole concept. Of course, other docs have more than embraced the idea and are even featured performers in their own online video. Want proof? There are some interesting examples in this post on the WSJ Health Blog.

Many doctors are being pulled kicking and screaming into the electronic age. But some are jumping right in, going so far as to make online videos to promote their practices.

These videos aren’t exactly Hollywood productions, though some have higher production values than others. But most, as Victoria Knight of Dow Jones Newswires reports, are trying to give a glimpse of their credentials and bedside manners to potential patients.

See-through Healthcare

If you’re not already, you may soon find yourself in a state that requires providers to post quality, pricing and patient satisfaction data online. Either way, you should seriously consider reading Case Studies in Transparency: Real World Ways Marketers Educate Consumers. While it may not be what you thought you signed on for, your ability to successfully communicate the cost-effective, quality care your hospital delivers is what could ultimately define you in the times ahead. At least that’s what David Marlowe, principal of Strategic Marketing Concepts, thinks.

Transparency has become one of the key marketing issues for healthcare providers across the country. But this trend – the provision of useful quality and price information to key audiences but in particular to consumers – is really only in its very early stages. Providers are wrestling with how to implement a transparency strategy that will be both meaningful and a key competitive differentiator for their organization. In this book, Maureen Larkin has pulled together case studies of provider organizations who are on the cutting edge of the development and implementation of transparency as strategy. She profiles the challenges they face, the approach they have taken, and the challenges and results seen to date.