Advanced Target Marketing: Wound Care

Citrus Memorial Wound Care facility provides comprehensive healing of chronic and acute non-healing wounds and offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy in an outpatient setting. The center utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to wound care. A team approach is used to provide patients with the most optimal wound treatment possible. The clinic optimizes its ability to provide patients with the best care possible by using advanced wound healing products including bioengineered skin products, total contact casting, and comprehensive compression wraps. The wound care center offers complete coordination of care including scheduling appointment for patients that require services that are provided outside of the clinic. Budget constraints on the marketing department has created a great need for market segmentation. Treating the surrounding population as a homogenous group is not cost effective or efficient. There is many benefits that can be obtained from a more selective target marketing approach than what is already currently used. Therefore Citrus Memorial Wound Care has recently adopted an new marketing outreach program that will be discussed in greater detail later in this summary. Lifestyle Profile Importance Costumer needs and preferences differ based on their lifestyles. It is important to research and utilize this information to produce the best marketing stagey possible. Eric Berkowitz (Berkowitz 2006, p. 111) wrote in the book Essentials of Health Care Marketing that, â€Å"Lifestyle is an important aspect affecting a consumer’s decision-making process. † The term lifestyle incorporates the way individuals perceive events, prioritize their interests, and how they spend their time. Obtaining knowledge about the surrounding demographic’s life style will greatly improve Citrus Memorials ability to develop appropriate strategies to market to specific consumers. To better the companies ability to market to the most beneficial market in the surrounding area the facility has established which market is the most likely to seek wound care treatment. Wound care patients are predominately patients 55 to 85 years of age with diabetes, venous or arterial insufficiencies, or post surgical patients. The optimal demographic for the wound care center to market to are insured patients that are highly motivated in maintaining their health and quality of life. The marketing department has selected the most promising and cost beneficial demographic groups to focus our marketing programs based on the previously stated information. Citrus county is predominately caucasian. According to the U. S Census Bureau (2009) persons 65 years make up greater than 30% of the total population. Specific locations in Citrus County have been targeted which contain the largest population of the target market. Exclusively 55 and older communities are frequent and will be targeted directly. Income levels are not significantly predictive of the most likely economical demographic that seeks wound care treatment. Both males and females utilize the services equally. In their annual report Wellflorida (Wellflorida 2010), states that Citrus County has a high percentage, 21%, of non-elderly uninsured individuals. This statistical data re-enforces the decision not to target this demographic. The statistical data has proven to be vary reliable and correlates directly with the observations of the author. Target Market Services for chronic non healing ulcers will be marketed to diabetic elderly adults ages 55 to 85 as well as disabled individuals. These services will also marketed to skilled nursing facilities as well as family practitioners in the area due to the large incidence of the selected demographic housed within the facilities. Specific areas in the community will be targeted that contain higher than average percentages of the target market. Hyperbaric treatments will be marketed to radiation therapy patients, diabetic ulcer patients, osteomyolitis patients, post surgical patients, as well as patients with osteoradionecrosis. Health professionals that will be marketed to for the hyperbaric therapy services include oncologist, cancer treatment centers, as well as reconstructive surgeons. Much care has been taken in deciding how the the marketing schemes will be positioned throughout the community. It is important to distinguish Citrus Memorial Wound Care from competitors and become local health professionals and consumers preferred location to prescribe services to or receive service at. Citrus Memorial Wound Care is a hospital based outpatient facility however there are significantly small rates of referrals from within the hospital itself. Significant marketing will be done within the hospital to encourage physicians and staff to utilize the wound care facility as a valuable resource. Educational lunches and promotional seminars will be offered to surround facilities that have been targeted as having a high likelihood of utilizing the wound care services Citrus Memorial provides. Social indicators are key to locating the appropriate location to advertise to. Selecting appropriate mediums to advertise through greatly improve responses from marketing. Citrus Memorial has adopted a direct marketing approach to target the best prospective consumers. Utilizing the database from the local chamber of commerce 26 health facilities have been selected that fit the desired target market profile. Representatives from each facility attended an educational dinner. The event showcased detailed information on how Citrus Memorial Wound Care can help each facility successfully treat patients. Each representative who attended the program was provided a box of Citrus Memorial Wound Care business cards. Patient education pamphlets, referral templates, as well as other promotional items were also distributed amongst the attendees. To stimulate patient awareness of the wound care facility throughout the community lifestyle profiles questionnaires have been distributed via newspaper inserts in select locations previously selected by the marketing department. The lifestyle questionnaires stimulate patients to become aware of their health status. The questionnaires are provided with free postage to the patient to increase the response rate. The questions asked in the marketing tools allows the marketing department locate potential patients as well as provides insight in to how the community perceives the facility. Conclusion Citrus Memorial Wound Care facility provides comprehensive healing of chronic and acute non-healing wounds and offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy in an outpatient setting. In order to improve patient visitations rates the center has adapted multiple techniques to improve its marketing ability. The center utilizes a multidisciplinary approach that provides patients with the most optimal wound treatment possible. Reaching the appropriate demographic through statistical analyzation of the communities lifestyle profile has proved to be successful and effective. The wound care center offers complete coordination of care that can benefit many individuals. It is the duty of the Citrus Memorial Marketing team to create the opportunities necessary for individuals to choose to peruse wound care at Citrus Memorial Heath Systems.