You are what you measure! The Vital Signs of Healthcare Marketing

"You can't improve what you don't measure,” This quote,? attributed to Peter Drucker, is particularly relevant to the healthcare industry, where it has garnered significant appreciation and application.?

While not everything in healthcare marketing is quantifiable—such as customer, doctor, or employee loyalty—there are tangible metrics that can guide and monitor a business's current status and open up new possibilities for growth and correct implementation of marketing plans.

Here are a few Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that should be closely monitored to stay informed about the hospital's business and marketing activities. Effective KPIs are specific, measurable, and impactful, and when these are measured, they can be further dissected into smaller figures to better direct organizational behavior.

Business Plan:

• Break down the hospital's business plan to track progress in terms of existing full-time consultants, visiting consultants, and new visiting consultants who are driving business. This data can be collated from the Hospital Information System (HIS) and analyzed by the business development team. Key areas to monitor include Doctor Engagement, new doctor recruitment, business empanelment, Standing Order Contracts (SOC) renewal, digital channels, trade/referral activities, outreach Outpatient Departments (OPDs), and Continuing Medical Education (CME) events, among others.

Weekly Revenue Call:

• Organize a weekly meeting to review this data and make revenue projections for the month. This helps identify areas of deficiency and strategies to address them.

Call Centre:

• The call center is often the first point of contact for patients and is thus the face of the hospital. Metrics to track include total calls, incoming calls, IVR dropped calls, queue missed calls, answered calls, missed calls, outgoing calls, and total leads. Analysis of these metrics provides insights into converted business and potential missed opportunities.

Community Connect:

• Compile a comprehensive list of local communities (samaj) and village leaders (sarpanch) that contribute to the hospital's patient base. Plan engagement activities with these groups, using cause-based marketing to raise general awareness and track metrics such as camp name, location, doctor participation, attendance, screenings conducted, and conversions from these activities.

Digital Presence:

• Utilize social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to display hospital services and track lead generation from these sources.

Operational Excellence Tracker:

• Determine relevant KPIs for your organization, such as admission time, OPD consultation waiting time, discharge time, complaint resolution times for food and beverage departments, housekeeping, and billing.

Patient Experience Measurement System:

• Beyond marketing, collecting patient experience data can enhance understanding of patient needs. Measure patient experience professionally and without bias using daily rounds feedback, discharge feedback, post-discharge feedback and NPS scores. This feedback, rated on a scale, informs the market presence and reputation of the organization and lays the groundwork for quality improvement, with successful clinical outcomes.?

Evolving hospital-based KPIs is critical for understanding your brand and finding ways to connect with the community. These metrics not only help CREATE a brand but also SUSTAIN it by ensuring exceptional patient experiences.

Dr. Vaishali Bodele

Lead- Transformation Management Office

Sterling Hospitals

Author Bio:

With nine years of experience in hospital operations, Dr. Vaishali Bodele Bodele, Lead- Transformation Management Office, Sterling Hospitals, is a seasoned healthcare management professional. She has completed her BDS & Masters in Hospital administration from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.?