A Case Study of the Augusta University Healthcare Centre
Introduction
Healthcare system is a facility, institution or an organization of individuals that offer specific health treatments to people (Carnevale & Georgetown University, 2012, p. 2). They however differ and are grouped according to the services they offer. The services include hospital services, surgical treatments, dental services, optometric services and nursing. Dental health facilities provide dental health services which involve the teeth health. Surgical treatment facilities provide sophisticated healthcare to people who include body operations (Walshe & Smith, 2011, p. 14). Optometric services are services that are presented in optical facilities which deal with eye problems. Also, hospital services entail treatment of various diseases which affect people in their daily lives. For the hospitals to provide more services to the society, they market their products and facilities to the community. One of the major healthcare providers is the hospital.
Augusta University Medical Centre
The hospital is based in Augusta, Georgia. It is a world-class healthcare network and offers a comprehensive primary and specialty care. The hospital provides skilled healthcare to its patients conducts clinical research and fosters medical education as well. The healthcare is not-for-the profit corporation but manages health operations associated with Augusta University. It is a, however, a well-recognized center and attracts the flow of customers everyday contributing much to the economic growth of the State in the healthcare sector (Malam, 1999, p. 4).
The Direct Impact of Marketing for the Augusta University Healthcare
Marketing is the activity involvement of an organization in selling, advertising and delivering services and products to people (Haimowitz, 2011, p. 2). Hospital marketing is a way of promotion which involves the provision of quality medical care to patients and the society in satisfaction of their needs (Srinivasan, 2008, p. 54). Augusta University Healthcare marketing strategy involves ensuring they meet the healthcare needs of all their customers. The hospital is proud for being a major regional employer to many people and has also benefited from partnering with other various hospital providers which ensure they fill all the health gaps through a collective effort. Augusta, therefore, meets the employment needs of the society and prides itself on being a hospital that meets the critical health needs of the society. The healthcare provides other countless benefits to the Georgia Economy. This form of marketing has impacted greatly on the growth and prosperity of the health care provider. It has enabled them to create a strong customer base as well as improving the delivery of their services. The services being sold to the public are the unique services which are being provided in the hospitals that are different to others. The delivery of services are also distinct in the hospitals thus calls for the advertisement of their unique ways of delivery. Marketing is done to purposefully retain customers and bring more to get services from the Healthcare facility.
It is clear enough that Augusta University Medical Centre has created a good image and raised its reputation among the people of Georgia. This has had a positive impact on the organizational as a whole. Direct impacts are impacts that affect the organizational activities directly and indicate a change in them. This is evident in Augusta University Medical Centre where it impacts both positively and negatively (“How to Be a Healthcare Marketing “Hero”,” 2008, p.21).
One of the positive results is that the hospital services have increased (Human, Witherspoon & Joyce, 2013, p. 22). By selling their services, many patients have gained the urge to visit the institution so as to get the proposed good services. The rate at which services are offered in the facilities have increased. This is evident from the economic growth of the hospital. According to a report by the Georgia Hospital Association in 2014, the healthcare industry pumped more than $43.6 billion into the state’s economy and a significant portion of this growth was attributed to Augusta’s massive health care (Shipley, 2014, p. 57). Also, the Hospital reinvests its profits into the hospital expenses, and this has enabled the hospital to promptly acquire the latest technology best for efficient delivery of services.
The hospital makes the customers satisfied and confident with the services that are available in the facilities. The consumers are also educated on the drugs they offer and their effectiveness during the advertisements.
Customers have found the hospital reliable from the many benefits they gain including that of advanced technology and quality delivery of servicers. Customers always need to be treated with the experienced physicians and nurses thus marketing causes reliability in hospitals. Their good reputation has promoted assurance of the services that are being offered in the hospitals (Human, Witherspoon, & Joyce, 2013, p. 41). Because people want to be confident of the services and the drugs they are issued in the hospitals, the doctors give them the quality of their services and medicines.
Patients have also benefited from the advice they get from the doctors during the treatment process. This is one way the hospital does to ensure the customers are well informed and satisfied with the treatment they get. The pieces of advice include tips on how to stay healthy, how to maintain good health status and instructions for home care. Responsiveness comes up in the hospitals from the marketing perspective. When they market their services, they ensure they embrace the responsibility of delivering what they promise (Human, Witherspoon, & Joyce, 2013, p. 42).The good care patients receive from Augusta University Healthcare has spread throughout the region and the hospital has become famous out of that. The hospital has been attracting a lot of customers which has contributed to the high profits from the increased sale of their products and services.
Marketing strategy for Augusta University Healthcare
Augusta University healthcare center strategic measure has been policy implementation. These policies direct, determine and ensure efficient operations within the hospital. The policies are strictly enforced. There are many policies the hospital has established, and they all have the objective of providing quality care. One of the policies the hospital upholds is management and protection of the personal health information. The hospital takes a leading role in efforts to improve health care through the use of technology. The hospital utilizes technology through deploying any new technology to ensure the health information is well managed up to date. The hospital guarantees the preservation of health records and their security as well, and this gives assurance to their customers (Shipley, 2014, p. 30).
The hospital policies generally focus on production of standard quality products and services to the clients. This motivates them to keep on utilizing the products and services. Most of the customers are attracted by high-quality services and products which they enjoy (Shipley, 2014, p. 30). In the hospital, however, the quality can be based on the types of treatment and the facilities which are used in the hospitals, the hospital also provides safe and proper medication to the patients.
Ways through which Augusta University Medical Centre could use to shape the buying decisions of its customers
In recommendation, the purchases are done through the decisions of the customers who have reasons or can be induced to choose on a certain product. The decision of purchase can be improvised or changed by the initiatives the hospital takes to increase their sales. One, the hospital can shape the decision of the buyer by providing high-quality products and services. High-quality services and products will prioritize the customer’s decision to purchase the goods and services from the health care center.
Another way the hospital can use to shape the buying decision of its customers is sharing preventive healthcare measures to educate the patients which will create bonds among the patients who benefit from the ideas shared thus increasing the marketing of the hospital services and products. Educating the customers on the goods and services is a strong strategy in shaping the purchasing decision; people will only purchase what they have an idea about and are content with. By educating the public, the buying capability would highly increase. Promotions are also another powerful strategy where gifts and bonuses such as receiving health care services for free are used to market the hospital’s facilities. It draws the customer’s interest and participation (Shipley, 2014, p. 57).
The use of social media is also an important step which the hospital can intensify on to advertise products and services to a significant audience. Social media remains to be a platform that can be accessed by many people. Organizations should take advantage of this platform to promote their goods and services which attract many customers from various parts of the world (“How to Be a Healthcare Marketing “Hero”, 2008, p.33).
In conclusion, marketing of hospital health facilities is trending in the business world in which almost all hospitals advertise their services and products. However, there is a lot of market competition which results in the diversity of the hospitals in the ways they provide their services so as to attract customers. Well traded hospitals benefit in profits and increase in production of services and products.
References
Carnevale, A. P. & Georgetown University. (2012). Healthcare (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Georgetown University, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Center on Education and the Workforce.
Haimowitz, I. J. (2011). Healthcare relationship marketing: Strategy, design and measurement (2nd ed.). Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
Human, S. P., Witherspoon, & Joyce. (2013). Nurses’ knowledge of the recommendations of the WHO international code of marketing breast milk substitutes in Geneva (1st ed.). (http: //hdl.handle.net/10500/9927.
Malam, J. (1999). Hospital (1st ed.). New York: Peter Bedrick Books.
Shipley, M. D. (2014). In Search of Good Medicine: Hospital Marketing Strategies to Engage Healthcare Consumers (3rd ed.). Cork: BookBaby.
Srinivasan, A. V. (2008). Managing a modern hospital (1st ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Response Books.
Walshe, K., & Smith, J. (2011). Healthcare management (2nd ed.). Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw Hill/Open University Press.
How to Be a Healthcare Marketing “Hero”. (2008). Health Services Marketing, 151-155. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-73606-8_13