November 2003 Newsletter ********************************************** To read past issues of our newsletter, visit our newsletter archive at: http://www.clintmaun.com/newsletter/newsletter.shtml Need some help improving teamwork? Need ideas on how to Achieve Smooth Operations? Check out our store! http://www.clintmaun.com/products/products_new_1.shtml Stop by this month and save with our Tremedous Thanksgiving Sale! --------------------------------------------------------- IN THIS ISSUE: Elements of a Good PR Plan Tech Talk The Changing Face of Healthcare Resources at Your Fingertips --------------------------------------------------------- Saving Face Elements of a Sound Public Relations Plan A test to your organization's reputation can come at any time. One unfortunate incident has the possibility to tarnish the good name and standing built by the hard work of employees, staff, and volunteers. In this scenario, only one question remains: Are you prepared? Plain and simple, change" whether it be in the form of treatment breakthroughs, new drugs or technology" is making it increasingly difficult for executives to manage healthcare organizations in a proper, just and sensitive manner. Public perceptions and management decisions are further complicated by shifting attitudes and ideas on issues such as healthcare coverage, unions, and patients' rights to be born, live, or die. If a sound public relations plan is not in place, your organization stands to lose. The Basics When you sit down with the executives and staff involved, you'll want to make sure that your PR plan includes these eight basic elements: 1. Situation Analysis. First figure out what you want to work on. For example, do you need to focus on a disaster recovery plan, or does the organization want to start a media campaign to help educate the community on its stance toward a certain issue or service? You'll have to determine these specifics before moving forward. 2. Objectives. Your objectives will help determine specific outcomes from your public relations efforts. Examples of objectives include: " Increase awareness of the technology and medical advances used at the organiz- ation within the community over the next 6 months. " Strengthen the reputation of the organization in the next two years as a corner- stone of the community that provides healthcare services, jobs and community leadership. 3. Target Audiences. Your plan should focus on the group of people that are critical to inform and influence, i.e., patients, physicians, media, etc. It seems like a "no-brainer" but you'd be surprised at how easy it is to overlook your audience. 4. Strategies. "How will we reach our audience?" "How will we sway public opinion regarding our stance on emergency care?" The answers to questions like these are your strategies. Make sure that strategies in your PR plan are specific and attainable. 5. Tactics. Tactics are the mediums or actions utilized to execute your plan. Examples could include direct mailings" letters, postcards, brochures, etc" to help inform your audience. 6. Calendar. Your organization should outline the goals and desired outcomes for a period of three to five years. 7. Budget. Keep in mind that nothing is free, and remember that everything that you spend time and money on should be tied back to your objectives. 8. Evaluation. The effectiveness of a good PR program can be difficult to measure, but it is paramount in proving the value of public relations to the organization and its programs. Some indicators of success include: returned messages (i.e., comment cards), newspaper quotes, clippings from the media, etc. Pre and post surveys can also help decipher the effectiveness of your plan. --------------------------------------------------------- A Few Words on Ethics With the creation or revision of any public relations plan, comes the issue of ethics. Here are some suggestions on how the healthcare executive can work together with the public relations/marketing and communications committee to ethically achieve the organization's double bottom line: financial success that is in the public interest. Ask the Important questions. To resolve ethical dilemmas a handful of basic questions must be addressed: Are we sacrificing long-term objectives and credibility for short-term gain? Are we taking the easy way out just to ease immediate pressures from our clients, the media, or the board of directors? How would our actions end up being described on the evening news or in the newspaper? How would we look? Test your organization. Run your organization through a mock trial. Put yourselves in a bad situation" how would you explain it? What would you tell your patients, employees, or other key individuals? Respect roles and perceptions. A seasoned public relations/marketing professional, whether inside or outside the healthcare organization, can act as the early warning eyes and ears of the organization. Senior level executives and manage- ment should recognize the public relations professional(s) and work together, as advocates for the long- term interests of both the organization and its publics. Guidelines and Sources for Public Relations More information on public relations and ethics can be found at the following links: Public Relations Society of America: http://www.prsa.org/ International Association of Business Communicators: http://www.iabc.com/ American Association for Public Opinion Research: http://www.aapor.org/ American Hospital Association: or http://www.aha.org/ --------------------------------------------------------- "The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it." " George Bernard Shaw Mobile Health Care Technology Resources at Your Fingertips Perhaps one of the fastest growing sectors of healthcare technology is in the arena of mobile technologies. These technologies include the ever-evolving pagers, cell phones and now embody facets such as tablets, laptops, handheld accessing devices and "smart phones." Quite simply, mobile technologies are a vital layer in the foundation for improved healthcare delivery. Technology vendors, healthcare organizations, regulatory groups, and patients all have a vested interest in developing this foundation. When it comes to valuable resources in the world of healthcare and mobile technology, you might not have to look much further than the Mobile Health Care Alliance (MoHCA). MoHCA is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit association for vendors, healthcare institutions, government agencies, consultants, and individuals" in a word" everyone. The organization provides an active forum in which all interested healthcare industry participants can identify and advance common priorities relating to implementation, standardization, security and regulation of portable devices, wireless technologies, and mobile workflow processes. Through the industry leaders and members that comprise MoHCA, the organization is also able to provide best practices, guidelines, and model policies. Furthermore, professionals can access white papers and the latest in market research. For more information and to see what MoHCA can offer your organization, visit http://www.mohca.org/. --------------------------------------------------------- Tech Talk The Latest in Healthcare & Technology Check out these facts and stats: " Approximately 15.6 million adult Internet users go online regularly for healthcare information. Seventy-seven percent of these seeking heath information reportedly want online information from their own physicians. " During 1997, the number of consumers search- ing online for alternative medicine increased 175%. " A study of IT at eight hospitals by the University of Notre Dame found that analyzing actual IT usage rather than technology investment is a better way to determine ITs effects on organizational performance. " The Internet affects quality of patient care, physicians feel, with 71 percent ranking the benefit positively as three or four on a scale of five. Health-e Connections Online Activities of Physicians in the U.S.* 2001 2002 Research Clinical Information 90% 90% Read medical journal articles 78% 74% Communicate with colleagues 61% 63% Attend online conferences 31% 42% *: as a % of respondents Source: Boston Consulting Group/Harris Interactive --------------------------------------------------------- "All of the biggest technological inventions created by man - the airplane, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness." " Mark Kennedy The Changing Face of Healthcare How Technology is Effecting Your Organization Paying for gas at the pump, buying a new shirt at the click of a mouse, swiping your card to get groceries" the world is brimming with expert systems that operate seamlessly and are amazingly accurate. Every day millions of consumers are confident enough in these systems that they allow their personal financial information to travel through an electronic network to take money from their own personal accounts. This trend in consumer technology is just one aspect that is crossing over to the healthcare world. In fact, it may not be long before expert electronic systems are the norm for healthcare organizations" performing functions such as verifying the services patients have received, filing claims instantly, while sending prescriptions electronically to the pharmacist. The shift in the nation's attention, resources and interest toward Internet-related healthcare activities, is dramatic and significant development in the healthcare environment. The future holds much opportunity and change. Indeed, IT will bring benefits across healthcare delivery including reduced medical errors, enhanced quality of care, reduced costs, and improved efficiency. Listed below are a number of examples of how healthcare technology" also known as e-health" is changing the landscape of your organization along with the rest of the nation's. Business to business online marketplaces are saving millions of dollars as purchasers are able to directly and quickly access the goods and services of businesses. "Smart cards" are being used to access patient information. Because typical smart cards include patient identity as well benefit and clinical information, redundant and time-consuming activities, such as patient registration are virtually eliminated. Managed care organizations have created virtual customer service as alternatives to traditional customer service allowing online, real-time access to information that often includes claims history and payment data, deductibles and out-of-pocket information, eligibility, and inpatient/outpatient authorizations. Individual doctors, hospitals, and health plans are sponsoring websites. Hospitals are moving to Internet claims handling, hospital-provider patient- centered systems, online prescriptions, and electronic physician credentialing. Providers are facilitating patients e-mailing prescription refill requests, obtaining lab results, and scheduling appointments. Final Thoughts The transition to these technologies is not without risk or cost. While the resources of getting involved and remaining current can be extensive, the price of not getting on-board just might prove to be detrimental to the future success of your organization. |