Marketing Plan for Chevra Hatzalah Emergency Medical Services

Introduction and Overview

One of the major concerns across the country is the state of emergency medical services and the impact of societal factors on those services, such as increasing crime rates, a lack of employment opportunities, and widespread poverty. The Chevra Hatzalah Emergency Medical Rescue Service in New York City offers well-organized and professional medical care. The main objective of this marketing plan is to assist Chevra Hatzalah Emergency Medical Rescue Service in becoming the best and most preferred source for pre- and post-hospital emergency medical services in its target markets. This plan is intended to give Chevra Hatzalah a competitive advantage, thereby increasing its market share. The plan also addresses the current market situation, organizational objectives and goals, applied marketing strategies, and financial considerations (Hiebing & Cooper, 2000).

Situation Analysis and SWOT

A geographic and demographic foundation for market segmentation will be employed throughout this marketing plan.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis

Strengths

1. Strong and effective office with citywide coverage
2. Statewide recognized center
3. Good brand image resulting from quality service delivery
4. Excellent quality of services
5. Good positioning of the base of operations, easily accessible to main routes (Barley, 2007)

Weaknesses

1. All decisions must be approved by management at the main office, which can cause delays.
2. Apparent weak levels of communication between the main office and other branches
3. Main office management style affects organizational culture negatively, though this can be corrected (Barley, 2007)

Opportunities

1. Several unemployed individuals who could serve as trained personnel
2. Possible ventures with the local police department and breakdown vehicle services
3. Contractual arrangements with private medical practitioners
4. A limited number of emergency rescue medical services in the area, creating a strong possibility of increasing market share and market dominance (Barley, 2007)

Threats

1. Increased competition from private emergency medical services
2. Negative press and media coverage for inadequate patient treatment or poor emergency scene management
3. False reports and rumors spread by rival companies in their promotions
4. Full compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act may be costly
5. Increases in employee union membership (Barley, 2007)

Competition

The private sector in the field of emergency medical services is currently in a growth phase. Over the past several years, there has been an increase in private businesses entering this space, including Chevra Hatzalah Emergency Medical Rescue Service. The primary driver of this growth is the lack of comprehensive coverage provided by state and government services. However, consumers in this field are often uninformed about the quality of services they should expect to receive. Although all Emergency Medical Rescue Services offer similar benefits, the quality of those services does differ. Chevra Hatzalah has a competitive advantage over its rivals because of its strong reputation within its consumer base. Through proper media coverage and continued word of mouth, the business can further increase its market share (Barley, 2007).

Marketing Objectives, Target Audience, and Positioning

Marketing Objectives and Goals

1. Become the number one preferred emergency medical services business
2. Increase the consumer base of the company
3. Increase the financial revenue of the business

Target Audience

The primary target markets for this marketing plan include hospitals and clinics, the large segment of the employed population, and high-income individuals.

Positioning

To achieve a competitive edge over rivals, Chevra Hatzalah Emergency Medical Rescue Service will position its offerings in every target segment as a low-price service with diversity and variation. This strategy is designed to offer differentiated services compared to those of competitors at a lower price point. This positioning will provide the business with the highest level of advantage across every targeted market (Luther, 2011).

Marketing Mix: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion

1. Product

Chevra Hatzalah Emergency Medical Rescue Service offers the following core services:

1. 24/7 telephone emergency medical services for healthcare advice and information, operated from the main offices. Medical advice on critical life-saving aspects and specific healthcare incidents is provided by doctors, healthcare practitioners, and other medical personnel during emergency calls, during the period while a medical team is dispatched to the location. Patients are assisted by telephone to temporarily manage their emergency circumstances while they await medical assistance.
2. 24/7 emergency medical response by road and by air (using helicopters and small planes as needed), including on-scene emergency medical assistance. This service provides highly rapid response utilizing the most appropriate transportation from the emergency scene via road or air. Transport vehicles are operated by highly skilled, well-trained paramedics and emergency care personnel, who oversee both short-term and long-term life-saving measures and stabilization treatment en route to hospital facilities.
3. 24/7 patient transfer to appropriate emergency medical facilities. For example, in the case of a cardiac emergency call from a local patient, Chevra emergency services will provide best-fit transportation — by road or air-lift as necessary — to the nearest and most appropriate medical facility. It is Chevra's policy, for any life-threatening emergency, to provide optimal transportation by air or road as appropriate to stabilize the patient and rapidly deliver them to the nearest or most appropriate medical facility (Barley, 2007).

2. Price

The fees for services will be divided into different categories. Policy holders of Chevra will be offered a flat-rate emergency service fee of $350 per annum for any available Chevra service. A second level of pricing will be unlimited pricing offered to private consumers, determined by the type of service requested. For example, if a patient requests emergency transportation via air rather than road, the base fee quoted will be correspondingly higher.

3. Place

Services offered by Chevra Emergency Health Care Service will not be confined to a specific location but will encompass the entire city, state, and nearby surroundings. This broad coverage is both a potential drawback and a positive factor: emergency healthcare requires highly rapid response, and a wider geographic range may result in lower levels of care due to delays in reaching more distant locations.

4. Promotion

Promotional strategies for Chevra Emergency Health Care Services will vary depending on the target market. In general, these strategies will range from advertising and sales promotion to public relations. The main office will carry out mass media promotion and advertising not only in the state where the business is headquartered, but in other states as well. Pamphlets and brochures will be distributed throughout the state — in hospitals, health clinics, physicians' offices, other healthcare facilities, and law enforcement offices — to ensure that awareness of Chevra's services and quality is widely disseminated. Chevra will also seek to grow its customer base through word of mouth from former patients (Westwood, 2013).