Marketing activities and effectiveness in hospital healthcare delivery

¶ … Marketing Activities

Marketing Forces and Diversification

For any health care organization, marketing plays a critical role in determining how effectively they are responding to: customer needs and their image in the community. In the case of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), they have been playing vital role in the field of medicine since 1811. However, like all health care facilities they have to maintain an effective marketing strategy to: sustain and build upon their achievements of the past. ("Hospital Overview," 2011) To determine how MCH is able to do this requires: examining various advertising activities, the marketing plan, its effectiveness and how it is impacting the quality of care as well as financial strength of the hospital. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights as to how they are able to use marketing to build upon their positive image.

Assess the various marketing activities and their success in your chosen hospital or health care clinic.

Massachusetts General has traditionally been using word of mouth to promote their services. However, over the years they have begun to use a more focused approach as far as their public relations is concerned. As, they have been utilizing both: on and offline strategies to be able to promote themselves. A few of the various activities that they have become involved in include: social networking, sponsoring health studies / research projects, actively supporting teaching / mentoring programs and with their web site. The success of these different initiatives has helped the hospital to maintain its favorable image. As a result, MGH has received a number of distinctions to include: they were named one of the top health care facilities in U.S. News & World Report's, they are the recipient of Golden Performance Achievement Award and they are listed as one of the best placed to work. These different elements are important, because they are showing how the marketing activities have allowed the image of the hospital to improve. ("Awards & Recognition," 2011)

Describe whether the hospital has a marketing plan. Is it effective?

Obviously MGH has marketing plan that are utilizing. It is focused on promoting the facility through: both online and offline sources. The basic idea with their philosophy is to use the various forms of mediums to highlight the achievements of the facility. This will help to fuel long-term growth and innovation. At the same time, it is keeping the hospital at the forefront of medicine. When you put these different elements together, it is clear that their marketing plan is effective. (Gualiatri, 2011)

How does it relate to the hospital's level of performance in terms of quality of care and financial viability?