Transparent Data to the Consumer
Transparent Data to the Consumer A few decades ago, it was common for consumers to receive health care at whatever hospital was closest to them geographically. If a needed service was not available there, consumers would be guided on where to seek care next. Today, consumers have many options to make an informed decision on where they want to receive care based on how hospitals perform. The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grade is a leading tool used in publishing safety grades for hospitals across the country. Scores are calculated in broad categories including patient experience, structure of the organization, and health outcomes of patients. With a simple zip code, the software will present grades for all area organizations including how the grade was calculated. A hospital with a grade of C may have higher rates of infection or more safety concerns reported than a hospital with a grade of A. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services also offers a way for consumers to compare hospitals and other health related organizations through their Hospital Compare function. This method uses a star rating in patient experience and overall star rating. As a marketing professional, it is important to stay up to date with these reports and how your organization rates. If patient experience is low, marketing may need to target there. If safety issues are of concern, partnering with leaders in that area would be helpful to learn how we are improving the experience. If major changes are underway or if data have changed, those may be key facts to market to consumers.
