Massachusetts General Has Been Facing

¶ … Massachusetts General has been facing a number of different challenges. Part of the reason for this, is because various news reports have emerged that are a number of different problems at the facility. A good example of this can be seen by looking no further than, a report from the Joint Commission. They found that there were various issues at the hospital to include: problems with medication safety, incomplete medical records and unsanitary hand washing. At the same time, the facility has been facing a number of different challenges from regional health centers. As they are offering the same kind of: services and have been aggressively targeting patients inside Massachusetts General's key markets. Recently, there have been attempts to address the underlying problem. ("Joint Commission Finds Problems," 2007) However, in order for any kind of initiatives to be successful in the future requires: examining the current marketing plan of the hospital and how it can be improved. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights, about how Massachusetts General can adapt their marketing strategy to: the changes that are taking place in the health care industry.

Examining the Current Marketing Plan

Currently, Massachusetts General has been focused on using a strategy of incorporating traditional media (i.e. TV / newspaper advertising) with various online initiatives. At the same time, they are also working some of the more popular sports teams in Boston to help increase awareness of the facility. A good example of this can be seen with efforts to sponsor Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans for the Boston Marathon (by working with the Red Sox). The idea is to use the well-known reputation of: the hospital and the passion that many people have for the Red Sox, to create a favorable image of the facility. ("Minus the Bat," 2010) This is important, because it shows how Massachusetts General has become involved in various community events to help improve its overall marketability. At the same time, the hospital has engaged in various programs to help promote their image online. This is accomplished through: their different websites and having a number of their doctors posting articles on host of sites (such as: Web MD). These two different elements are important, because they are showing how the hospital is using both traditional and online media to help promote their facility. ("Epilepsy," 2011) (Case Study, 2010)

How to Improve the Current Marketing Strategy

To improve the current marketing strategy of Massachusetts General requires addressing some of the different safety issues that have come light. These are problematic, because they undermine the reputation of the hospital. Once this begins to occur, many competitors can claim that the hospital has lost its focus by: not concentrating on patient safety and quality. Where, they could say, that at Massachusetts General everyone is viewed as a number, because the staff will often overlook the most mundane details. In health care, these issues can be just as dangerous as major public health safety problems. To rectify the situation, requires that the marketing department addresses these challenges through: a campaign showing how they are dedicated to their patients and safety. At the same time, they could highlight how they are offering cut edge medical treatment options that are available to the general public. These two elements are important, because they are showing how the current marketing strategy is not addressing any kind of issues that could affect their reputation. When various news reports begin to surface about these kinds of issues, is the point that many patients could become nervous about the underlying levels of quality and safety (despite their outstanding reputation).

A good example of this can be seen with the death of a patient at the facility, when the primary alarms failed to notify the staff that his condition was changing. While, this may not be a major issue (for most people), the fact of the matter is that individual attention has been overlooked. (Kowlyzki, 2010) When the public hears about situations such as this, they will begin to become concerned about what is taking place at the facility. This is the point that many individuals will go to other hospitals in the area. The main reason is out of concerns about a lack of oversight at the facility (despite the well-known reputation it has and the high ranking that it received from U.S. News & World Report). (Case Study, 2010) This is important, because it shows how these kinds of small issues could have an impact upon the image of hospital. As a result, Massachusetts General needs to address these issues in a public relations campaign by: showing the problems and then discussing how they are addressing the situation. At which point, they could highlight how they are using these events, to build upon the cutting edge treatment options they are providing. When you put these different elements together, they are showing how taking this kind of approach (in the current marketing strategy) will help to improve the image of the facility.