May 14 What if we could better inform patients about hospice?
Cooper and Nicole have a thorough discussion about hospice and home health with Stan Massey, Partner and Lead Consultant with Transcend Strategy Group.
When we turn the conversation around and ask the patient what they are asking for… and this is often in the presence of family members who may be objectionable at the time, the patient starts describing the exact same attributes that hospice care provides. We need to try to change the setting of the conversation so that it is not a diversion of hope and care but it really is redefining hope in the terms of living a quality of life in the time that remains.
Hospice marketing is a challenge because it is a great service that nobody thinks that they want. One thing that marketers often forget is that the communication has to be from the audiences point of view. A lot of times we get so caught up trying to communicate what we can do as health care providers for the patient and family we stop from stepping back and listening first and really see what is important to that audience.
Transcend has interviewed over 17,000 family healthcare decision makers and they have come to find that there is this misperception about eminency of death and hospice care. You must establish a relationship with patients and families early on by not by offering the CARE but to provide a great resource for information. Often times that social worker is the very person to sit down and explain to the patient and their family what is going on and what to expect. When you can provide a resource… be a “go to” person… or even website to help steer people on their way of this journey it is a great way to start to build trust.
A lot of times you are starting on the left hand of the spectrum with total unawareness by the consumer. The process of education, decision making, preference, and then loyalty is typical for all brand. With the advancement in digital technology we can look at each phase of that decision making process and break them down into more bite size chunks in a way that is a lot easier to consume and understand. Because of the digital world we do have the exposure right at the finger tips of the consumer.
No Comments