“Hospitals are so five minutes ago,” one healthcare journalist has noted. While hospitals are in fact, alive and well, the doctor is also “in” at a growing number of freestanding emergency care centers springing up in affluent, suburban areas across the United States. As baby boomers age and the population swells, demand for urgent care continues to soar, causing more overcrowding (and longer waits) at traditional hospital emergency rooms. One solution is the freestanding center, offering state-of-the-art medicine, including on-premises imaging, laboratory and diagnostic services.
Traditional hospital ER’s have documented wait times of three to six hours for treatment, and extended waits for testing or for hospital admittance. And as the number of uninsured Americans continues to climb, many patients substitute the hospital emergency room (where all patients are treated regardless of their ability to pay) for the office of a primary care physician. The resulting bottlenecks are as frustrating to physicians are they are to patients.
Enter the freestanding emergency care center.
Identify the primary market for services
Unlike traditional hospital ER’s, freestanding emergency centers are more able to “target” their primary patient market. Their locations (typically suburban or at least not inner city) tend to draw patients who are insured or those who are able to self pay at the time of service. While freestanding centers will not turn away uninsured patients with a life threatening condition that needs immediate attention, most patients who present at these centers are insured, live nearby, and expect to avoid some of the congestion and trauma of a busy, inner city ER.
Because these patients are accustomed to high-quality, high-convenience service, they are unlikely to return if their expectations are not met. They value personal attention, ease of use, high-end amenities and excellent care. Whether they are seeking treatment for a minor injury or a suspected heart attack or stroke, they expect to be treated with courtesy and respect, to be seen quickly, and diagnosed accurately.
Position the center using storytelling
Freestanding emergency centers can benefit from the use of storytelling and archetypes in brand positioning. By employing archetypal characters such as caregiver, ruler, creator, innocent, sage, explorer, hero and others, marketers can tell their institution’s story using recognizable identities that resonate almost universally. Archetyping gives a more meaningful, distinctive and emotionally compelling image of any brand – allowing potential patients to “connect” with the brand in a way that resonates and often even outweighs features and benefits.
To a mom whose young son has fallen on the playground and may have broken a bone, an emergency center that allows her son to be pre-registered enroute, avoid a long and stressful wait upon arrival, and receive treatment within a half hour isn’t just a “provider” – it’s a “hero.” Telling the story of how a retired CEO is seen immediately after experiencing chest pains on the golf course, is greeted by name, and whose primary physician can view his test results instantly, communicates a “ruler,” compared to other slower and more impersonal providers.
Using archetypal characters and stories to communicate the brand experience will set your facility apart from the rest, and make its messaging memorable and impactful. Ongoing stories employing archetypes are strong, compelling vehicles for your marketing message.
Communicate features and benefits
Because the primary market for freestanding emergency centers are patients with the ability to choose from among several service providers, it is important to clearly communicate why they should select a freestanding center over a hospital ER. One of the simplest and most straightforward ways to do this is by outlining the features and benefits of the freestanding facility. Is it conveniently located? Is there plenty of parking? Valet service? Can patients pre-register? Are patients are routinely seen within 30 minutes of arrival? Then say so.
The target audience for these freestanding centers is also extremely quality-conscious, and may need assurance that the physicians and other professionals associated with the facility are of the highest caliber. Board certification and other credentialing should be noted where it applies. Some centers offer “concierge emergency medicine,” with additional services including EMR (electronic medical record) updates to primary physicians and referring doctors, online pre-registration, health related classes and online access to individual and family health records. These features and benefits should be communicated in all marketing communications. “Open 24 hours” is simply not enough to compete in this high-end market.
Establish strong relationships
Establishing and maintaining strong physician relationships is a key factor in the success of any freestanding emergency center. Physicians with established reputations for clinical excellence should be identified as potential partners; their roots in the community will provide a solid base for ongoing referrals. Strategic relationships with nearby healthcare systems are also critical when ER patients need to be admitted to the hospital (one out of ten emergency patients is typically admitted as an inpatient.) Affiliations with larger healthcare systems also enhance a freestanding center’s ability to recruit quality physicians.
Ongoing relationships with patients are important, too. Many freestanding centers cultivate this relationship with informative newsletters promoting good health practices, with on-site workshops open to the public, and by offering online access to individual and family health records.
But the most important moment of the patient/center relationship is the first impression, as these comments prove:
“All I can say is fantastic! Very professional, seen even before I could finish filling out the paperwork. I will never go to the hospital ER again unless it is a severe trauma. My first experience with ***** was exceptional.”
“Got right in, no waiting. In and out in 15 minutes. Thanks.”
“I was very pleased with the care. Very professional and knowledgeable, but with a wonderful ‘bedside manner.’ I have recommended your facility to several people. Thank you.”
“The care I was given when I visited your facility a week ago was phenomenal. I have two small children, and my ten year old is always needing stitches or x-rays, so I will definitely return for my entire family’s needs. You have a wonderful staff and facility.”
The freestanding emergency center is an evolutionary concept that is catching hold in most major U.S. cities. As centers proliferate, competition for customers will increase. The center that tells its story in a clear and compelling way, focuses its marketing message on tangible features and benefits, and establishes key relationships with patients and referring physicians and healthcare systems will have a decided advantage in every case.
Adam Nisenson is co-founder of Active Imagination, a Houston-based marketing firm specializing in healthcare and sports branding and marketing. For more information on sports sponsorships and how they might benefit your organization, contact adam@aimagination.com.
