Something to think about on October 1

"The biggest consequence is the obscuring of the true cost of health care from those who ultimately pay it,” says Paul Starr, a sociologist at Princeton University whose 1982 book chronicling the history of American medicine won the Pulitzer Prize. “I think that created the single largest source of pressure for rising health care costs.”--Quote from National Journal article on Obamacare.

By covering more people, health reform may obscure the true cost of healthcare from 50 million more Americans. While commendable from a humanitarian perspective, this will arguably exacerbate the phenomenon Starr elucidates in the quote above.

If the cost controls built into the Affordable Care Act fail, then we could see an acceleration in the rate of increase in healthcare costs going forward.

Health service advertising to grow

In today's DTC Perspective, Bob Ehrlich made what I consider to be a prescient comment:
 
"While DTC for drugs and devices may be flat, what will grow is spending for health care service advertising. If we define DTC more broadly than pills and devices, we are entering a boom period for direct consumer marketing of services. Hospitals, doctors, diagnostic test centers, insurance companies, laboratories, mini clinics and genomic services will grow dramatically in the next five years in their spending on marketing. Like it or not, consumers will get less subsidy from employers for health spending. Higher deductibles and co-pays will force consumers to shop more carefully for their services. Service providers will need to sell their points of difference as consumers realize that they are paying their own way at least up to a deductible level that is $2500 or more."

Amidst all the controversy over Obamacare, companies are fighting rising healthcare costs by putting employees on private exchanges. Like the public exchanges, these entities offer low cost premiums for high deductible plans. Along with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), these efforts shift more of the burden of routine healthcare spending onto the customer, which may induce price competition, but which will also reduce demand. Providers may need to boost marketing to generate demand to counteract the trend.

For healthcare marketers, this may represent an opportunity, particularly as Obamacare leads to more consolidation on the provider side. Big hospitals, physician groups, and integrated health systems become big potential accounts for big media and agency holding companies.        

Must read piece on content marketing for pharma

Deirdre Coleman of eyeforpharma wrote an excellent piece “Rules of Engagement: 7 Tips for Successful Pharma Content Marketing”. Here’s a link to it. I wanted to synopsize the highlights:

Definition--Content marketing is the publication of material designed to promote a band, usually through a more oblique and subtle approach than that of traditional push advertising.
 
The goal is trust--The key to approaching a successful and sustainable health care content strategy hinges on developing a trusted relationship using content. Trust is an emotion based on credibility, but it's also one built on aligned values. So, content providers HAVE to take a point of view on their content, otherwise it's a series of facts that anyone can find with a Google search. And this is where the balance is really critical for those that are establishing relationships that focus on health. Once trust is achieved, there can be many benefits for the company, including more sales
 
You are now a media company--Content marketers have to start thinking of themselves as media companies - with a distinct point of view. Their goal is to develop an audience for that content. But they have to balance that with how, when and where they will show their distinct and unique point of view.
 
Share your values--Consumers need to feel like the pharmaceutical company understands their values and beliefs - rather than just educating them to a prescriptive solution. Look at what Pfizer is doing with the "Get Old" site and that really begins to do that. It's content that makes us re-think what it means to be old, rather than prescribe ways to manage it”.
 
Be a friend who solves problems--the biggest thing is trying to be the solver of the problem right away. it can be collaborative, in essence a friendship - where the brand acts as a place that the consumer can feel safe and trusts.
 
Use the left and right halves of the brain—Use the intellectual approach to teach, and the emotional approach to change/enhance values/beliefs.
 
Don’t be egotistical--Nobody cares about your products and services (except you). What people care about are themselves and solving their problems
 
It’s all about the reader, not the writer--Content marketing requires a shift in your thinking, from “all about us” to “all about the reader.” Being a successful publisher – and now, content marketer — means delivering content that genuinely serves your readers’ needs, not your brand’s. In return, you gain their trust and their attention. The purpose of your marketing is to build relationships – to get people to know like and trust you and consider you when it comes to making a purchasing decision.
 
Patience persistence pays--Don’t expect results after one or two months. Businesses often give up just as they’re starting to gain influence with their audience. Content marketing is a long-term investment. There are no quick wins.
 
Raise the bar--It’s not enough to publish a well-written article; it has to be valuable, useful, fulfilling a need. Make it fascinating. 

 

Physician referrals are top source for patient visits to pharma Web sites

The most striking stat in this interesting Makovsky infographic about healthcare internet searches is that physician referrals are the top source of pharma Web site patient traffic.

That's an excellent reason for pharma companies to promote their Web sites to physicans via email.
Such emails should encourage physicians to refer patients to pharma Web sites, as they are excellent patient education resources.

Of course it is incumbent upon pharma companies to make sure their Web sites are indeed superb, objective resources for patients seeking information about a disease states and drugs.  

Increase email click-through rates 61% with specific, prominent calls to action

Designing email for mobile is important, as mobile accounts for half of email opens these days. But optmizing your call to action is the key to increasing open rates.

Here's a case study from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) about how a recent redesign increased click through rates by 61%:

  http://dmaemailblog.com/2013/09/06/email-design-change-driving-a-61-click-increase