Nestled in the heart of one of the most diverse communities in Los Angeles, is a hospital which has achieved good success with the help of medical marketing company, the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) which is reaching out to families throughout the city with a promise to be their trusted home away from home; a place that is comfortable and secure, night and day, rain or shine.

Keeping up with the current medical marketing trend, Jim Banahan, the Vice President of Marketing and Community Relations at HPMC said “We are building a relationship with our community based on the simple principle of trust. But for the community to trust HPMC, it needs to build a relationship with us first … to get to know who we are.”

Earlier this year, the hospital (via telephonic research) asked the many diverse communities living within 5-miles of the hospital if they would like to know more about Hollywood Presbyterian and the many health services it offers the community. “They said yes,” Banahan said.

Based on that answer, the hospital has been reaching out to the community, unlike any other health care facility in the region, by taking its simple message directly to the people of Los Angeles.

“Rather than making them come to us, we went out to them,” said Banahan. “We made it as easy as possible for people in our community to learn about our physicians, nurses and programs by going to the streets, to where the population congregates and commutes.”

For the last few months, the hospital has been adorning the streets of Hollywood with HPMC panels that promote family care and healthy living. Appearing at bus-stops throughout the community, these panels present images of Hollywood Presbyterian physicians, nurses and patients that highlight the hospital’s dedication to improving the health and welfare of all the residents of Los Angeles.

“Every panel is tailored to the community it serves,” said Banahan, adding that the panels in Little Armenia are in Armenian, those in Korea Town are in Korean, while Spanish language panels are located throughout the entire region surrounding the hospital.

HPMC has also been increasing awareness of its name and mission below the streets of LA, utilizing the subway system to transform one of the largest transportation hubs in the city into an informative environment where commuters can get better acquainted with the hospital’s audacious goal of becoming the most trusted medical center by 2012.

“The hospital displayed its message on every media space within the subway station at Downtown’s 7th and Figueroa Metro terminal, enhancing the experience with specialized displays highlighting the diverse character of the Hollywood Presbyterian family,” said Les Harrison of CBS Outdoor, who coordinated the effort with HPMC.

The 7th and Figueroa station connects Los Angeles to Long Beach and serves the largest volume of commuters in the MTA system. The expansive ad space allowed the hospital to share a variety of messages to riders during a single visit.
The campaign’s goal is to introduce the community to the hospital’s friendly atmosphere by using its own staff and physicians to spread the message. “We photographed ourselves for the ad banners, using life size images of our nurses, physicians and patients,” Banahan said. “We’re honest, open and use real people to express our dedication of quality, trust and family.”

“Trust is the key ingredient in choosing a hospital and we want to earn the right to be the most trusted hospital in town,” Banahan said. “Educating the public about our commitment to quality care and safety is the first step in building a bond.”

Follow this discussion on medical marketing company on the web.

Looking for a problem solver who can increase patient volume and enhance your market position? Campaigns that connect with your community and that have grass roots orgins starting with your employees is something Banahan Communications  Medical Marketing Agency excels at.

Website: www.Banahan.com
Email: jim@banahan.com
Phone: 602.395.8900
Toll Free: 877.395.8901
Fax: 602-395 8912

Healthcare reputation management can be a challenge for small facilities trying to expand beyond their local markets. But it can be done.

This article is from Healthcare Leaders Media by Gienna Shaw - Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles on improving your healthcare organization’s reputation. Last month’s story focused on improving your local relationships. This month’s article explores how to expand into broader markets.

Brand-name hospitals attract patients from all over the world, garnering widespread media attention for their high-profile cases and quietly treating the rich and famous. Many smaller hospitals may not have the name recognition of those larger organizations, but that doesn’t mean they can’t break out of their regional markets.

On the rural coast of Maine, about a four-hour drive from Boston, a 25-bed critical-access hospital has built a national and international reputation for its speech pathology services. Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast has eight speech pathologists on staff, making it one of the largest providers of that service in the state. And they treat patients from all over the world.

“When people hear about this, they say, ‘Holy mackerel, how do you do that?’” says Michael Towey, a voice specialist/speech language pathologist at Waldo’s Voice & Swallowing Center.

The organization has built its program with technology, partnerships, outreach to international audiences, and a laserlike focus on a niche market. “What drives our service here is we focus on what we can be best at, what we really like to do, and what the economic drivers are—that triangle,” Towey says.

In fact, says Jim Banahan, president of Banahan Communications, a healthcare marketing consultancy based in Phoenix, AZ, expanding your market isn’t that difficult or expensive.

“It’s inappropriate not to budget for secondary and tertiary marketing, even if it’s $1,000 and you have a Web presence internationally,” he says. Translating your Web site into several different languages, for example, costs about $4,000 and is a quick way to reach broad audiences.

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles translated its site into several languages, including Spanish and Korean. Another inexpensive tactic: Link exchanges with other sites, such as foreign embassies.

Since taking those two small steps, the hospital’s site gets hits from some 16 different countries. Admittedly, Los Angeles is already a destination spot for international travelers, as are New York, Miami, Houston, and Chicago. But, as Waldo County General Hospital proves, you don’t have to be in a major market to attract medical tourists.

“Does it mean a large chunk of business? Probably not,” says Banahan. “But yet it’s that periphery that can make or break your financial year, your volume year. Especially with certain service lines—cardiovascular in particular.”

For Waldo County General Hospital, building a national and international reputation was a little more involved. Among their tactics:

Technology: The hospital has made a “substantial investment” in equipment and training. It provides fiber optic, endoscopic imaging that allows specialists to look at patients’ vocal folds, for example. The hospital also uses technology that allows staff to treat patients remotely, which it uses to treat voice disorders for telemarketers and other professionals across the country.

Partnerships: The hospital formed a partnership with an agency that works with daycares and preschools in several different communities. It partnered to get a grant and now consults with schools to provide language and literacy consulting and teacher training.

Training: Specialists travel frequently to share their expertise with others in the field. Towey calls it “an investment in intellectual capital.” It also helps build relationships—and referral business. “We now can connect with people anywhere in the world and provide that service.”

Reputation: “I have relationships now with people as a result of the national work we’ve done in different parts of the country,” Towey says. “We can get on the phone and get in touch with someone—they take our call. It creates greater access to the really cutting-edge and absolute most current technology and treatment approaches.”

Hard work: The hospital’s success didn’t happen overnight. “We established our credibility and our credentials within our own community. From a marketing perspective . . . if anyone wants to compete with us, they’re really going to have to hustle to get on the same level as us.”

Learn more about managing your reputation in healthcare at www.Banahan.com | medical marketing agency or call (602) 395-8900.