As patients demand superior healthcare for lower costs, ASCs will be the optimal option for the educated consumer. However, what about patients unaware of the many benefits an ASC provides?
"Patients right now are empowered to research and participate in healthcare options," says Nicole Walker, RN, BSN, CASC, ASC Division Administrator for Nobilis Health. "If we don’t market our services direct to the healthcare consumer, it puts us at a huge disadvantage."
Higher out-of-pocket costs and deductibles are driving patients to seek cost-effective healthcare options, a key selling point ASCs have over their hospital counterparts. However, without a consistent, developed marketing strategy, many centers are missing out on patients. In turn, patients miss out on substantial cost savings.
"Many ASCs do minimal marketing because they don't have the capability to execute an effective marketing strategy," Ms. Walker says. "We have a whole division dedicat
ed to marketing. For a lot of ASCs, that is something that is very difficult to achieve."
ASCs vary across the board in their marketing strategies. Some ASCs don't do any marketing and rely on their partnering physicians to bring in cases, which may not prove successful as healthcare trends toward value-based care.
"The reality is most ASCs don't have the manpower or expertise to market effectively," says Adam Arnette, chief marketing officer for Nobilis. "They often fill that gap by hiring an outside agency that doesn't know the business."
For ASCs lacking an excess of capital in their budget for marketing, Mr. Arnette explains three ways they can implement a marketing strategy:
1. Allot some of your budget for marketing specifically. Budget specific funds for direct-to-consumer marketing as well as for resources to recruit new physicians to the facility. "You have to commit the funds," Mr. Arnette explains. "It's a business and you can't run a successful business without effective marketing."
2. Hire an agency partner. If an ASC cannot fund an in-house marketer, consider hiring an agency partner. However, tread carefully as that agency partner has to be well-versed in the ASC industry and understand your metrics as it relates to attracting new patients.
3. Set tangible goals. "You need to know specifically what you are trying to accomplish with your marketing investment," Mr. Arnette says. "Hold your agency partner accountable for the metrics you give them for the best chance of success."
Nobilis Health makes marketing a top priority. The company's marketing strategy encompasses two elements — recruiting physicians and targeting consumers directly, the heart of the company's marketing strategy.
"We thought to ourselves — we have to reverse-engineer the process. If we are the patient, let's start with what the best possible experience looks like and work backwards to see how we can create the best process," Mr. Arnette says. "Like anything else, patients are shopping for healthcare, so to capture them, it's imperative to offer a great experience."
To accrue more patients, Nobilis implemented a direct-to-patient marketing model across all of its brands. The company's brands include:
1. North American Spine is Nobilis' flagship brand, offering patients minimally invasive back and neck surgeries.
2. Migraine Treatment Centers of America is the exclusive provider of the Omega Procedure, a non-pharmaceutical surgical implant that works to relieve chronic migraine pain.
3. Evolve Weight Loss Experts offers innovative surgical options for weight loss.
4. MIRI Women's Health offers minimally invasive surgeries to treat gynecological conditions. The brand also offers patients alternatives to traditional hysterectomies.
5. Onward Orthopedics treats non-spine joint issues, including joint replacement and sports medicine.
6. NueStep works to combat foot and ankle pain due to nerve entrapment and other podiatric issues through minimally invasive techniques.
To manage and develop its many brands, Nobilis runs its marketing and sales operations in its Dallas office. This branch encompasses a direct marketing team comprised of over 100 employees. While Nobilis works with various agencies on some of its platforms, 90 percent of their marketing is done within Nobilis.
The marketing department works to ensure it prioritizes the patient experience as many patients travel from all across the country to receive care at Nobilis' centers.
"In the healthcare marketplace, there are always gaps as far as what is being offered to the consumer," Mr. Arnette says. "We have built this concierge model into our marketing platform that offers what so many patients are looking for."
Nobilis works to fill those gaps by making their marketing platforms educational for the patient. A highly-trained staff answers calls to address any and all questions patients may have regarding potential procedures or insurance coverage. While the staff does not relay medical advice via phone calls, they are trained on all the brands to detail what each one can offer, as well as walk patients through what they may need to do prior to surgery. Nobilis' staff can also check a potential patient's benefits as well as out-of-pocket costs. Their insurance specialists can answer patient's questions before putting that patient on the schedule.
"We work to take the headache away," Mr. Arnette says. "From where I sit, the question driving the healthcare industry is how can we constantly improve and optimize operational efficiencies while being innovative."
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