Monthly Archives: July 2010

Let’s turn patients into evangelists; join our beta and find out how

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

We would all love to see great healthcare organizations rewarded by great community support, both on and offline — but the truth it’s rarely that easy.  If you want feedback — even well-earned praise — you generally have to work … Continue reading →

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Opportunities ignored, or, why Target should run hospitals

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

Why did I choose St. Marigold’s? Well, despite the fact that I know a good deal about the medical business, it wasn’t because I was reading from some quality report. It wasn’t because my doctor recommended one over the other. It wasn’t even because St. Marigold’s is an easier commute from my home. I just liked it somehow. Continue reading →

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Health plan doctor ratings: Will they ever be fair?

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

Here’s a tough assessment of doctor-ratings schemes by my buddy Joe Paduda of blog Managed Care Matters: “Some physicians and physician groups are quite upset about insurers’ recent moves to offer employer customers tight, small networks of providers based on quality and … Continue reading →

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Patients don't care enough to write online hospital reviews

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

What are we doing to leave patients so untouched, unconnected and unimpressed (maybe not disappointed, but not impressed) that they do nothing to communicate about it on their own? Continue reading →

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Generating serious ROI from your content — it's no pipedream!

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

Even though they’re not in the business of publishing newsletters and magazines or writing reports, the content health providers develop and house can be turned into money, sometimes quickly. What’s more, that they can measure how much value they’ve generated in real-dollar terms. Continue reading →

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Video/satire: The real health plan business model

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

The following song, by brilliant social and political satirist Roy Zimmerman, offers his view of health plans’ real business model. His take? As far as health plans are concerned, sick patients would be (far) better off dead. Continue reading →

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Can Priceline-style tactics transform medical practice?

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

What will it take for consumers to feel comfortable paying doctors directly again? And an even bigger question: Do you see the broad mass of consumers developing those sorts of relationships with hospitals anytime soon? Continue reading →

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Video: Accountable care organizations, the Steve Jobs way

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

Why not sic Steve Jobs on the accountable care organization model? As healthcare consultant Anthony Cirillo sees it, Jobs is one of few execs out there who really understands how to build complex things in a lean, functional way. Continue reading →

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Passing the buck, or, why PCPs *are* the problem

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

With primary care practices stressed to the limit, someone’s going to have to do a better job of fielding the 5PM to 9AM gap in care. Telemedicine, urgent care centers and retail clinics are making a dent, but they can only make a dent in the problem. Continue reading →

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Doctor-patient speed dating: a good idea

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Katherine Rourke

Physician-patient speed dating programs aren’t just about marketing to patients. They’re also a tool to reach out to physicians and encourage them to refer their patients back to the hospital, NPR notes. Continue reading →

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