By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Looking for Lucrative Customers: Hospital Marketing Gets Serious
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Looking for Lucrative Customers: Hospital Marketing Gets Serious
BusinessHospital AdministrationNews

Looking for Lucrative Customers: Hospital Marketing Gets Serious

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

Are you commercially insured with cancer, heart disease or an orthopedic problem? If so, you are a juicy marketing target for hospitals, which drool over the prospect of high fee for service reimbursements. USA Today (Hospitals mine patient records in search of customers) explores how hospitals are combining their own data with information from consumer marketing agencies to pinpoint likely customers for their services.

Are you commercially insured with cancer, heart disease or an orthopedic problem? If so, you are a juicy marketing target for hospitals, which drool over the prospect of high fee for service reimbursements. USA Today (Hospitals mine patient records in search of customers) explores how hospitals are combining their own data with information from consumer marketing agencies to pinpoint likely customers for their services.

The article is a little vague on exactly what aspects of the hospital’s own databases are being tapped. It appears that some elements of financial and medical records (such as insurance status) are being used, but others (such as whether someone is a smoker) are not. Outside consumer marketing agencies can match the hospital’s data up with all sort of other potentially useful information, such as income, household composition and credit worthiness.

Hospitals defend their use of these targeting tools by claiming that bringing more high-reimbursement patients in allows them to devote more resources to free or low-reimbursement care. But it’s difficult to determine whether that’s really occurring, or just a nice thing to say. At least theses marketing efforts do not appear to be focused on reducing access for those with weaker insurance or less profitable conditions.

More Read

Image
6 Tips for Healthcare Recruiting Success
How Health Facilities Can Prepare For Natural Disasters
Ebola in America: Measured Concern, Not Panic
Hospitals Can Be Dangerous
5 Excellent Qualities Of A Good Healthcare Leader

Hospitals (especially not-for-profit ones) feel compelled to say they’re using these services to help everybody. But as a whole private practice physicians are less concerned about giving altruistic reasons for improving their case mix. Online doctor finder and booking services like ZocDoc and TopDoc ask patients for their insurance information, not just to help patients find in-network doctors, but also to help doctors finds the patients they prefer to work with.

It remains to be seen whether payment reform including Accountable Care Organizations and bundled payments will change the incentives for providers and result in the curtailment of the current cherry picking strategy.


TAGGED:hospital marketing
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

contamination
Batch Failures And The Hidden Costs Of Contamination
Health Infographics
October 21, 2025
Medication Management For Seniors
Simplifying Medication Management For Seniors
Infographics Senior Care
October 21, 2025
Guide To Pursuing a Career in Nursing as a Foreigner in the USA
Collaboration Is the Prescription for Better Patient Care
Health
October 20, 2025
Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025

You Might also Like

nanotechnology in medicine
Medical InnovationsNewsTechnology

Scope of Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery: Current State of Application and Future Potential

January 26, 2015

Understanding the Patient Digital Search Process

March 27, 2015

Easy Giveaways to Grow Mindshare as a Healthcare Provider

November 18, 2015

Open Science Champions: NCBI Director, 16-Year-Old Researcher Among White House Honorees

June 28, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?