In marketing, desire is defined as creating a gap between a person’s perceived state and their desired state.
Good marketers don’t sell products, they create desire, and it is much easier to get someone to choose to align with your accountable care organization (ACO) product or and patient engagement initiatives if they’re convinced they already want it!
For ACOs, connecting with the market and engaging people to take better care of their health through prevention, healthful habits and treatment recommendations is the holy grail of population health effectiveness. I intentionally didn’t say management, because before one can manage population health, one has to first effect the changes that will later be managed. This is easier said than done and soon, it’s going to be a lot more difficult from some ACOs to deliver. That’s because ACOs have not given enough thought to marketing and branding their products.
As the number of ACOs, IPAs, and PHOs proliferate across America, competition will get tougher and the market will demand facts upon which to base consumer choice about the brand of the healthcare providers with whom they appoint to care for them.
It doesn’t matter where you are located geographically, patients are people. Most well-adjusted people want to get well, stay well, and enjoy vibrant, productive lives. I say that because there are some who suffer various forms of mental illness who may not care about getting or staying well, and they will likely be some of the hardest to engage or motivate towards wellness and take any initiative. For them, you will need to identify them and design special campaigns to reach out to them. Otherwise, their lack of drive an initiative regardless of who’s accountable for it, will plunge your ACO’s brand reputation and outcomes to disproportionately low levels. Others may not be physically ill, but may also intentionally injure themselves or feign illness and drive up utilization by engaging in certain behaviors to fool a doctor. The impetus for such behavior is the longing for nurturing, sympathy, care and concern that they feel unable to get in appropriate ways. When attempting to fish with a net for ACO market share, these individuals come in just like the ones that really want to engage in wellness and prevention and take control of chronic disease. This is a disease, but it is one in which primary psychotherapists, rather than primary care physicians may be activated within the ACO to render appropriate care and treatments. All of that revolves around the promise of the ACO’s brand and its accountability.
Healthcare providers of all types continue to be challenged by the complexities and uncertainties of healthcare reform day in and day out. Patients expect compassion, compliance, accreditation, and state of the art medical technology. Many of our clients are in the midst of consolidation or integration as new ACOs, IPAs, and PHOs. To grow an ACO brand is much more than growing and maintaining a strong patient base, winning good contracts, expanding existing patient relationships and differentiating from their competitors. Each one must consistently figure out how to deliver on its promises and meet these expectations. How effective they are at consistent performance is the result of reviewing data to measure and evaluate the ACO’s brand performance. And all that… is a part of the accountability.
About Mercury Advisory Group
Mercury Advisory Group is a full-service, global consultancy with an exclusive focus on healthcare.
We make it easier for providers to be in the business of healthcare by helping hospitals, clinics, ACO’s, pharmaceutical and device manufacturers and concierge physicians create, manage, and strengthen, measure their brands and their value.
Whether you’re launching a new product or just went through a merger, we have the expertise and tools to help you maximize your brand’s impact. We offer a full spectrum of branding guidance and services for healthcare providers, manufacturers and service partners. Since 1993, Mercury Advisory Group has developed, organized and launched more than 200 IPAs, PHOs, MSOs, ACOs and other integrated health systems in the USA and abroad, including the world’s first and only Globally Integrated Health Delivery System® granted a trademark registration for this new term of art in 2010 from the US Patent and Trademark Office in Washington, DC.
