Marketing health: Local hospital administrators talk about the impact marketing has on the quality of care in Southeast Missouri

Ten years ago, four neurologists were working in Cape Girardeau. The city had no medically-integrated fitness centers, no one had heard of minimally-invasive Da Vinci robotic technology, and there was a common perception that better medical care could be found in cities like St. Louis or Memphis. Ten years ago, patients were less aware of their health care options and less involved in their own medical decisions.

Today, Cape Girardeau is home to nine neurologists. Both Saint Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital operate fitness centers, are using Da Vinci robotics, and repeatedly earn national honors and accreditations. Both hospitals encourage patients to learn as much as they can about their health care in order to make the best personal decision.

Administrators at Saint Francis and Southeast believe marketing and competition are factors in continually ratcheting up the quality of health care available in Southeast Missouri.

"All health care marketing is an extension of doctor-patient relationships," says Steven Bjelich, president and CEO of Saint Francis Medical Center. "It's designed to enhance relationships with the best possible outcomes ... and help patients learn about their choices and the capabilities in the medical community so they can make informed choices and be advocates for their own health care."

To accomplish this goal, Saint Francis reaches patients through the newspaper, TV, direct mail and the Internet. For example, the weekly health page printed in local newspapers offers advice from Saint Francis physicians and information about wellness education and services available at the hospital. The "medical minute" series, which airs on the evening news, includes 60 seconds of a physician explaining a diagnosis and treatment in "layman's terms," says Bjelich. Saint Francis is even using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to recruit nurses.

"It's not just marketing -- it's a lot deeper. Our mission and history are involved," says Bjelich. "We want to make sure patients and family members trust Saint Francis to deliver the highest quality care. Health care is scary. You're dealing with a lot of big words, complicated diagnoses and life-changing issues."

Southeast Missouri Hospital takes a three-pronged approach to marketing, says Jim Limbaugh, executive vice president of planning and business development. The hospital strives for outreach and education to potential patients, as well as families of patients and the physicians and other medical partners who admit patients. The hospital is especially interested in informing patients about family practices, as they are "gatekeepers" who refer patients to specialists within the hospital and to other partners in the area, says Limbaugh.

He sums up Southeast's marketing approach as a "call to action" and, as its slogan says, "a healthier look at health care." The goal is to encourage consumers to pay attention to their health and become more involved in their care. What the hospital doesn't want, says Limbaugh, is for patients to wait to find a doctor until a crisis occurs. Instead, he hopes patients engage intentionally with the medical community so they can build relationships with medical professionals based on trust.

"Relationships are embedded in the infrastructure," says Limbaugh, adding, "It's the golden rule. I'd like to say there are more books to it, but there's not. It's the execution of basics and providing accessible health care to the market."

Reaching potential employees is also an important part of health care marketing at Southeast.

"The more we recruit quality health care providers -- physicians, nurses -- to our area, the more it will lift the quality of health care in this area," says Limbaugh. This involves anticipating the future of health care, taking into account factors like when physicians will retire and where there are shortages.

"The quality of health care helps define a region -- 'A rising tide lifts all boats,'" quotes Limbaugh. "To the extent that we can participate in that, we're in."