Dr P H Mishra
Healthcare services have changed tremendously. Gone are the days when doctors were very few and patients were treating them like gods. Initially when only doctors were available at far-flung places or only in government hospitals, they could afford to choose their patients and how to treat them. But now with mushrooming of private clinics, nursing homes and private hospitals, they can ill afford to treat them with disdain. With increase in competition, the role of healthcare marketing has increased.
What is marketing?
Marketing can be defined as presenting your services or products in such a way that people are motivated to buy or use them.
It is not only important to motivate them to buy or use them, but also to make sustained efforts to improve the quality of services, so that they have so much faith in the services, that they use them whenever they need them.
Basics of marketing mix
Marketing of any service or product depends on the mix of following factors Product, price, place, person, promotion: persons delivering the services
Appearance of the product
The most important aspect of any product or service is that it should be of world class quality. If it lacks in quality and performance, its sales go down sooner than later, whatever efforts we may put in its marketing.
Quality
Quality can be defined as the conformation of the product to set standards. In case of health care standards there are various accreditation like JACHO, ICRA, ISO 9001-04 etc.
A world class product delivers right result first time and every time so that it can be compared with standards.
Price
After a service is given at world class standards, it has to be competitively priced. It depends on the prices of similar services in neighbourhood, not necessarily lower than the paying capacity of the prospective customers, availability of similar services nearby, total cost of production, overheads expenditure and profits desired out of it (This may have to be kept minimum in the beginning to promote services).
Place
By place, we mean that the place where the services are produced and where they are sold. It depends on the cost of land, building, labour and technologies involved.
Person
Persons are the people who are going to use these services. It includes their requirement, their education and awareness level and the importance they attach to them, their paying capacity. This helps in selection of services for a particular group of people.
Market Segment
The market can be segmented into individual, organisational, high income, low income, middle income group, urban or rural, educated or uneducated for planning of healthcare services accordingly.
Promotion
Promotion is the means by which we create an image in the public mind to think about the products or services. With media and television having reached every home and village, it has become the strongest medium for promotion of services. Companies are spending millions of rupees to promote their products. Healthcare services cannot be advertised as such, but special promotional activities with social service and new techniques and news of new facilities can definitely help in promotion of the service.
Besides this coverage in print media, press, pamphlets, free health camp, free services, boards and hoarding can play an important role in making people aware about the presence of such services in the area. Persons delivering the services. In case of healthcare services, this is the most important aspect of marketing as healthcare delivery is an intangible service.
It cannot always be seen, but it can be felt only. It starts from the moment the patient walks into the healthcare delivery system. It includes not only doctors and nurses but also security guards, who may be the first person a patient comes in contact on entering a telephone operator or receptionist who books the case or gives information. It involves the admission clerk to the billing clerk who are involved in admission of patients to their final billing on discharge. Following standard protocols should be developed for every individual dealing with the patients and relatives in delivery of healthcare services.
All the employees should be well dressed in neat and clean uniform with their name badge or identity card promptly displayed for proper identification and services they provide. All the employees should be regularly trained during induction and afterwards at regular interval to emphasise the need of service with hospitality.
Doctors and nurses should be trained to explain the diagnosis and, treatment to the patients and their attendants to allay any anxiety or apprehension. Housekeeping and cleaning of beds, rooms and toilets should be meticulous to improve hygiene and patient satisfaction. All the services should be prompt and if there is any delay due to any unavoidable reason. It should be properly explained to avoid any misunderstanding and distress. Services like kitchen and laundry play very important part in patient satisfaction. Patient uniform should be clean and well ironed. Food served should be healthy, as prescribed by doctors and served in a clean and pleasant manner. Security should be alert, courteous, efficient and well behaved. Thefts of hospital and patients belongings should be minimised by use of latest technologies like close circuit cameras. It should be remembered that mouth to mouth publicity is the most important publicity. A satisfied and happy customer is the best ambassador of healthcare marketing. Every person playing a part in the delivery of health care services should understand that they are there because of the patients/customers and not vice versa.
Appearance
The services should be not only delivered in efficient manner but they should appear as effective, efficient and pleasant. It should appear from every individual that they are pleased to serve the customer and obliging him. Remember Gandhiji said, “A customer is not an interference in our work but he is the most important guest and purpose of it.”
If we can follow the mix of these principles, the health care services will not require millions of rupees for advertising and publicity.
The writer is deputy medical superintendent, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. email: drphmishra@rediffmail.com
Healthcare services have changed tremendously. Gone are the days when doctors were very few and patients were treating them like gods. Initially when only doctors were available at far-flung places or only in government hospitals, they could afford to choose their patients and how to treat them. But now with mushrooming of private clinics, nursing homes and private hospitals, they can ill afford to treat them with disdain. With increase in competition, the role of healthcare marketing has increased.What is marketing?
Marketing can be defined as presenting your services or products in such a way that people are motivated to buy or use them.
It is not only important to motivate them to buy or use them, but also to make sustained efforts to improve the quality of services, so that they have so much faith in the services, that they use them whenever they need them.
Basics of marketing mix
Marketing of any service or product depends on the mix of following factors Product, price, place, person, promotion: persons delivering the services
Appearance of the product
The most important aspect of any product or service is that it should be of world class quality. If it lacks in quality and performance, its sales go down sooner than later, whatever efforts we may put in its marketing.
Quality
Quality can be defined as the conformation of the product to set standards. In case of health care standards there are various accreditation like JACHO, ICRA, ISO 9001-04 etc.
A world class product delivers right result first time and every time so that it can be compared with standards.
Price
After a service is given at world class standards, it has to be competitively priced. It depends on the prices of similar services in neighbourhood, not necessarily lower than the paying capacity of the prospective customers, availability of similar services nearby, total cost of production, overheads expenditure and profits desired out of it (This may have to be kept minimum in the beginning to promote services).
Place
By place, we mean that the place where the services are produced and where they are sold. It depends on the cost of land, building, labour and technologies involved.
Person
Persons are the people who are going to use these services. It includes their requirement, their education and awareness level and the importance they attach to them, their paying capacity. This helps in selection of services for a particular group of people.
Market Segment
The market can be segmented into individual, organisational, high income, low income, middle income group, urban or rural, educated or uneducated for planning of healthcare services accordingly.
Promotion
Promotion is the means by which we create an image in the public mind to think about the products or services. With media and television having reached every home and village, it has become the strongest medium for promotion of services. Companies are spending millions of rupees to promote their products. Healthcare services cannot be advertised as such, but special promotional activities with social service and new techniques and news of new facilities can definitely help in promotion of the service.
Besides this coverage in print media, press, pamphlets, free health camp, free services, boards and hoarding can play an important role in making people aware about the presence of such services in the area. Persons delivering the services. In case of healthcare services, this is the most important aspect of marketing as healthcare delivery is an intangible service.
It cannot always be seen, but it can be felt only. It starts from the moment the patient walks into the healthcare delivery system. It includes not only doctors and nurses but also security guards, who may be the first person a patient comes in contact on entering a telephone operator or receptionist who books the case or gives information. It involves the admission clerk to the billing clerk who are involved in admission of patients to their final billing on discharge. Following standard protocols should be developed for every individual dealing with the patients and relatives in delivery of healthcare services.
All the employees should be well dressed in neat and clean uniform with their name badge or identity card promptly displayed for proper identification and services they provide. All the employees should be regularly trained during induction and afterwards at regular interval to emphasise the need of service with hospitality.
Doctors and nurses should be trained to explain the diagnosis and, treatment to the patients and their attendants to allay any anxiety or apprehension. Housekeeping and cleaning of beds, rooms and toilets should be meticulous to improve hygiene and patient satisfaction. All the services should be prompt and if there is any delay due to any unavoidable reason. It should be properly explained to avoid any misunderstanding and distress. Services like kitchen and laundry play very important part in patient satisfaction. Patient uniform should be clean and well ironed. Food served should be healthy, as prescribed by doctors and served in a clean and pleasant manner. Security should be alert, courteous, efficient and well behaved. Thefts of hospital and patients belongings should be minimised by use of latest technologies like close circuit cameras. It should be remembered that mouth to mouth publicity is the most important publicity. A satisfied and happy customer is the best ambassador of healthcare marketing. Every person playing a part in the delivery of health care services should understand that they are there because of the patients/customers and not vice versa.
Appearance
The services should be not only delivered in efficient manner but they should appear as effective, efficient and pleasant. It should appear from every individual that they are pleased to serve the customer and obliging him. Remember Gandhiji said, “A customer is not an interference in our work but he is the most important guest and purpose of it.”
If we can follow the mix of these principles, the health care services will not require millions of rupees for advertising and publicity.
The writer is deputy medical superintendent, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. email: drphmishra@rediffmail.com
