January 2011 Blog Posts (13)

Aging Parents Fighting for Independence: Sound Familiar?

Both of my parents are now in their 80s. Neither one gets around very well, and both have health issues. But they are fighting to maintain their independence. Sound familiar? They recently packed up everything, put their one story home in Beaufort, NC on the market, and moved to Pensacola, Florida to be closer to my oldest… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 31, 2011 at 5:00am — No Comments

The Science Behind Medical Breakthroughs – Fact or Fiction?

Kent Bottles, MD, recently wrote an interesting post about the discrepancies in the science world. According to Dr. Bottles, it is difficult for the average individual to evaluate the latest scientific breakthrough reported in the news. Because science does not supply us with truth or certainty, it leaves us to determine what… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 26, 2011 at 4:30am — No Comments

Spokeo is Spooky!

For some, a first encounter with Spokeo is spooky. How could a website know where I live, how many individuals are in my family, the value of my home, and so on? It’s just plain creepy. According to Spokeo’s website, “Spokeo aggregates data from hundreds of online and… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 25, 2011 at 4:00am — No Comments

Community Engagement Tops Online Popularity

It’s great to have friends, but I’d rather have a few great friends I can always count on than several mediocre friends who won’t be there when I truly need them. The same goes with your hospital’s online presence. It doesn’t matter how many Facebook fans or Twitter followers you have if you aren’t appealing to your target audience. According to Phil Baumann’s latest blog post, “very few hospitals will hit it “big” in social media.” According to Baumann, and I agree, this is a good thing… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 24, 2011 at 9:30am — No Comments

From data to digital: Interviewing Cleveland Clinic's Paul Matsen

(From the CPM blog at http://www.blog.cpm.com)

It’s not every week you get to speak with the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Cleveland Clinic. But recently, I had the lucky opportunity to do just that. Paul Matsen recently joined CPM’s CEO and several other…

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Added by Kira Sparks on January 21, 2011 at 1:44pm — No Comments

A Signature Healthcare Advertising Campaign

Several months ago my firm started working with Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital in Brockton, Massachusetts. Located 30 minutes south of Boston, the hospital was in dire need of marketing and advertising support. Not only does Signature Healthcare compete with several area hospitals, it also faces a… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 18, 2011 at 4:30am — No Comments

My Call for a Strategic Shift: Healthcare Social Media in 2011

2010 was the year that many hospitals and healthcare systems found social media. It was a year where healthcare marketers and communicators worked to convince hospital leadership and IT Departments that there was an imperative to move into the realm of social media. However, the vast majority of the involvement in social media that ensued revolved around pushing information out to consumers and followers. There was very little true engagement and there was next to no strategic intent… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 17, 2011 at 4:00am — No Comments

BCBSNC, UNC Health Care to Launch Novel Patient-Centered Practice

I was recently contacted by Lew Borman, one of the media relations folks at BCBS of NC, with news about an interesting new partnership between BCBSNC and UNC Health Care. The two organizations have agreed to form a practice that looks a lot like an accountable care organization (ACO) using a version of the patient centered medical home model. They call it a novel patient-centered practice that "aims to improve health, increase satisfaction, and reduce health care costs for patients." The… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 13, 2011 at 5:00am — No Comments

What's the Deal with Klout?

Are you familiar with "Klout?" Do you have Klout? According to Klout's website (http://klout.com/kscore), "The Klout Score is the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 12, 2011 at 4:30am — No Comments

How Did I Get Here? (Professionally)

Life is fascinating. Do you ever wonder how you ended up where you are today? I started out my career in Academia. I was going to have a career as a college professor. Why? Because I loved teaching. While working on my Master's Degree I had the opportunity to teach several classes and loved it. I thought that teaching was my calling. While attending the Ph.D. program at U-Mass Amherst, I taught at local colleges to bring in extra income: Westfield State College, U-Mass Amherst and Community… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 11, 2011 at 8:59am — 1 Comment

Mommy Blog, Mommy Blog. What About Dads?

Okay, we all know that healthcare marketers tend to focus their efforts on communicating with women. Of course. Women are typically the primary healthcare decision-makers for their families. Hence the proliferation of new tools that are ideal for communicating with busy moms and women of all ages. In fact, just this week my… Continue

Added by Dan Dunlop on January 7, 2011 at 10:00am — 2 Comments

Physician Strategies Summit: Feb 27-March 1, 2011

Yesterday I received an email reminder for the upcoming Physician Strategies Summit. The Summit is produced by the Forum for Healthcare Strategists and takes place February 27 - March 1, 2011 at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. To register online go to http://tinyurl.com/3ad7v7o. See the mailer below:…

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Added by Dan Dunlop on January 5, 2011 at 2:11pm — No Comments

Upcoming Deadlines for Healthcare Marketers in Early 2011

After a great week off with my family, I'm back and ready to face 2011! And the year is off to a roaring start. Here are a few deadlines that I noted this morning as I tried to get my professional life organized:

Healthcare Advertising Awards - Early deadline (discount for entries) is January 28th.
SHSMD speakers proposals are due January 14th.
Lamplighter Awards (New England Society for Healthcare Communications) submissions due January 28th.
Mayo…

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Added by Dan Dunlop on January 3, 2011 at 3:32pm — No Comments