How large healthcare providers use internet distribution channels to shape brand image and patient experience

Healthcare Distribution Channels and Analyze Their Effect on the Following:

The brand image of healthcare providers

Some new, larger healthcare providers insist that they can offer the same quality of care as smaller healthcare organizations did before -- while others stress the benefits of expanded services when a healthcare consumer becomes part of a large healthcare network. No matter how large the organization, quality of care as well as low cost to the consumer must be a factor in the image presented to the public, to foster a sense of trust.

The type of marketing communication required

One way for large organizations to make the dissemination of information through the Internet is to provide additional online services not provided by healthcare organizations in the past. To "enhance communication," some use Internet services to give more "personalized, branded" services, such as notifying patients about appointments, and to provide other healthcare reminder, enable easier access to scheduling, billing, and insurance information ("About Soundbite," 2007, Soundbite Official Website).

The scale of shopping experience for consumers (patients) with these new, large retail chain healthcare channels

For some customers, the increased ease of 'shopping' online and finding information about healthcare providers in their area can be useful and time-efficient, as they can find out about various aspects of their plan while surfing online, at work, and not have to make lengthy phone calls to individuals at call centers. For others, the scale of shopping at a large venue for healthcare can be overwhelming and impersonal, regardless of what added value the services attempt to provide, particularly for older consumers used to more personalized forms of healthcare service.

The target market for these new healthcare distribution channels

Consumers who use the Internet frequently who wish to find a provider in the area, providers seeking to reduce their administrative costs, consumer wishing to see if a particular provider is in-network, are all potential ways for using the Internet to access information about their healthcare plans and increase this medium's usefulness for consumers accessing data through larger channels and venues.

The way technology is used to offer services at these new channels

The ability to provide information to a wide range of people enables, theoretically, an increasingly expansive health care insurance bureaucracy to disseminate information to consumers. For example, consumers can log into Aetna's website if they are considering becoming part of Aetna's healthcare plan, if they have switched insurance plans because of a job change, and also compare different plans offered by the provider. Members can set up an account where they can see if a provider is in-network, and learn about their coverage. In short, the types of information that used to be disseminated personally, by speaking to an administrative assistant at a doctor's office or hospital, is now put in the hands of the consumer. Rather than a friendly voice, there are friendly graphics that tell the user that the corporate entity cares about their health, and to underline this fact the website provides articles about preventative self-care and living a healthy lifestyle.