The AHCC Secrets Of Health Marketing

Back in the 1990's I was working as a Registered Nurse for AHCC - a private health group who were Australia's largest private hospital group. AHCC had a range of health facilities across the nation.

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With AHCC I was working in a number of roles - as the Clinical Nurse Educator, as the Nurse Graduate Manager (that was lecturing and working with trainee AHCC nurses) and as the Resuscitation Expert in the hospital.

AHCC provided plenty of training and scope for improvement and that how I found myself, at age 25, as the Manager of the hospital After Hours. It was a huge responsibility for a young guy and presented a great challenge.

One minute I might have been presenting a health talk on hepatocellular carcinoma, the next organising theatre times for multiple crash victims, the next dealing with a crisis in the ER.

AHCC Marketing

Over time I started doing some marketing for AHCC and then was seconded to head up the marketing at the company's biggest hospital acquisition - Allamanda Hospital in 1996.

And that's when I learnt some fascinating aspects of marketing that I still use every single day.

When I told people I marketed hospitals there was always a bit of a funny look - "How do you market hospitals? Encourage people to smoke?!" was the usual joke.

Rent Surgeons Cheap Rooms

• 1. Identify your target market - the patient/paying customer doesn't make the buying decision regarding the hospital.

When you go to hospital for elective surgery you generally go where the surgeon recommends. And he recommends the hospital where he operates the most or is closest to (a surgeon only makes money when he is seeing patients or operating on patients).

"Mr Smith, we need to operate and I operate at Smithville Hospital on Tuesday - I'd like to book you in there."

The patient never, ever argues.

Marketing tactic - rent surgeons cheap rooms in/close to your hospital. When the surgeon has the choice of a 1 minute commute or 1 hour commute they'll take the 1 minute commute. AHCC understood this well.

• 2. Identify the choice influencers - in private hospitals the other type of admissions are via your Emergency Department. AHCC developed superb Emergency Departments in their hospitals.

The sickest people - and thus the people most likely to be admitted for longer - come in via Ambulance.

When an Ambulance driver has a choice of 3 hospitals within a 5 km radius to choose from you need to give them a compelling reason to choose your hospital.

• You build relationships with them so you can educate them on the advantages of your facilities
• You improve Ambulance access
• You keep them informed of the positive outcomes of patients
• You contribute to their ongoing clinical training
• You make them feel welcome

3 Cheap & Easy Tactics To Attract Ambulances To Your Hospital

Are you ready? You might not believe how easy they are.

1. Throw a party for the Ambulance drivers and the Emergency Room nurses - everyone gets to meet. They all have a chat. They get to understand a little about each other. They learn about each other. They get friendly.

Who would you deal with? Someone you didn't know? or someone you knew, who knew you, who you just learnt had done a 2 year Emergency Room course, who you knew had the latest equipment, someone you liked, someone who makes you feel welcome when you see them next?

Throw a party - spend $1,500 and watch the 8 extra Ambulance jobs a day come to your Emergency Room. Do the math on that one - 8 ambulances = 8 patients.

Let's say the average length of stay of 5 days. That's 40 bed days per day. That's 280 extra bed days per week. Let's say the profit per day is $150. That's $42,000 in the first week alone. That's $2 million a year.

2. Have the kitchen make up 20 lunches - big salad roll, chocolate bars, fresh banana and apple & a can of Coke every day.

Put each lunch in a big paper bag. Put those lunches in your Emergency Department for any Ambulance guys to help themselves to during their busy day.

Okay, now imagine this - you're a busy Ambo. You haven't had time for lunch, let alone breakfast. You're very, very hungry. But the patients need you out on the street. You pick up a patient needing to be taken to a hospital. You have a choice of 3 hospitals.

Where do you take the patient? To the hospital that takes the patient and sends you out the door. Or the hospital where you know that on your way out you can grab a delicious lunch, all freshly prepared and easy to manage inside the Ambulance? And all prepared especially for you.

Add another 2 patients a day at a minimum.

Coffee Anyone?

The 3rd strategy was this:

3. Clean out an old linen closet in the Emergency Room. Put in a comfy couch. And a TV. And a cappuccino machine. And fill the cookie jar with gourmet cookies. Put a sign on the door saying "Ambulance Officers Only".

Many nights are slow for Ambulance officers. After they bring in a patient there might not be a lot for them to do - may as well have a seat, make a fresh cup of coffeee and watch a bit of TV.

When the next call comes in they'll probably bring the patinet into the hospital they just left.

After all, they've been chatting with the nurses and doctors who they know pretty well - and respect and trust. And there is that great cappuccino machine and their own room when they can relax........

Add another 1 patient a night.

Lessons From AHCC

They were great lessons I learnt at AHCC. Simple stuff that gets big results.

• 1. Always identify your target market - it may not be who you think it is.
• 2. Assist the choice influencers in a positive way (and develop the relationship to facilitate this).

Whenever I'm marketing anything these days, I always think back to the health business AHCC and see how what I applied at AHCC can be used now. Because they're simple strategies that work.

And the funny thing is, most people wouldn't even consider those above 3 tactics as marketing. And that's often the best sort.

Hope those secrets have been of some interest.

• More information on Australian Hospital Care
• Information on AHCC - Active Hexose Correlated Compound

Brendon Sinclair