Health Care Consumer: Trends and Marketing

Instructions: I rather hear about your experiences, experiences of others you know, opinions and ideas when answering the following questions. Must write up 100 to 150 word count.

1. Please tell me what an ACO is and if you think this is a successful model for the health care industry.

2. ACO is basically a network of care. Think of a spoked wheel. The patient is in the center. Each spoke represents a care for that patient. If you have a patient that went into the hospital for a new knee, for example, that patient may also be overweight, have diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis. Each spoke will be taking care of one or more of these areas, since the overall health of the patient requires all areas to be addressed. The patient's weight is going to have a direct relationship on the weight bearing of the knee. The diabetes will have a direct bearing on how quickly the patient heals. The patient will not have tests done by one doctor, then the same test done by another, and each one prescribing something to counteract what the other prescribed. This is a common problem in health care today. The model makes the care coordinated. For the patient, it is a wonderful model. But today many doctors that are part of the ACO now want no part of it. Can anyone guess why?

3. How do you get consumers to think about their health before it becomes a necessity?

4. What are things that a community or workplace can do to make the consumer think about their health?

5. Are advances in technology and medicine enabling consumers to make healthy or unhealthy choices?

6. What does your community do to connect the residents to the local health care systems/facilities?

7. Compare three hospitals near your zip code (07090), (07052) and (07102) and read through the link https://www.medicare.gov/forms-help-and-resources/find-doctors-hospitals-and-facilities/quality-care-finder.html. Did you think the findings were invalid?

8. Confidence, knowledge, patience, and persistence are all key to being a successful salesperson. You would also have to develop the ability to convince a person that they need the item you are selling. It was amazing to hear how successful the salesman in the video was and how his biggest contract was originally at the bottom of his list. The business of selling is very tough and not everyone has the skill to do it. I think watching the progress of his 1 year journey is amazing. Confidence in your product helps to show you believe in it and gives them the chance to see it through your eyes. Changing their perception to identify with the product the same as you do or changing their attitude from something the consumer is comfortable with to a new way is essential in a competitive society. Thoughts?

9. Discuss the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JL0m_4HJB4 What are your thoughts?

10. Create a full marketing strategy for your client, a clinic that will soon open. Strategy: Open a Pediatric clinic that Targets: Parents and Children

Address the following:

• How might government agencies or regulations impact your product? What does your target audience need to know about this and how will you communicate it to them?
• How might health care reform affect your product? How will it affect your target audience? How will this affect how you market to them?