From: Uganda's Pied Piper
Re: Uganda's Pied piper: I hate to bring this up, but the question over lack of awareness/involvement on the part of American public may require self-examination…
From: Red, White & Harry
Bring on your bad self! If some foraign automaker thinks they can make hay out of detroit, just let'em try We can hang with the best, our automakers…
From: The Poison Apple
Unfortunately, depends on your p.o.v. I don' t have the disposable income to indulge myself in every fad that comes along, ergo, I am a "late joiner"…
Choices. The market is full of choices. Hospitals have been competing with each other through advertisements for years. "We have the best heart surgery options!" "We do more one day surgeries!" "Come to our hospital, we are friendly - unlike the other guys!" The messages vary, but the intent is the same and the competition is oftentimes fierce: hospitals want your business and they are willing to influence you through marketing.
Enter one of the latest marketing trends for hospitals with emergency room services: billboards with updated wait times for the ER. I pass these signs daily and at first, I thought it was a novelty. I mean, who is going to research wait times in an emergency? "Oh, wait - I'm in pain, and I know the bone is poking through my skin, but let's drive by the sign and check the wait time first."
Often, an ER choice is based on location or level of trauma. But hospitals have been getting market smart; they have to. The ER is a gateway to admissions. The numbers vary, but some hospitals admit 60-80% of their ER patients into the hospital. These admission numbers mean more opportunities for billing, and more billing means more revenue for the hospital. It's like a loss leader at the supermarket - you may lose money on one item, but so many customers will come in for it and end up buying more so the loss becomes a gain.
Will the wait times at the ER affect where you seek treatment?
Graphic Credit:
Animationfactory.com
