As far as buzz words go, “value” is a biggie in health care today. In fact, the focus of most strategy sessions has shifted from “volume” to “value,” and yet there doesn’t seem to be a clear path to “value.”
Clearly, healthcare providers strive to add value to every patient’s experience, every time. However, the scores do not show progress. Maybe the key to putting measurements around value is to start having more personal conversations about value.
Here’s what I’m talking about, a few questions to get the conversations rolling:
- What should a field sales call or recruitment call include when the goal is mutual respect?
- How has difficult case you’ve had in the last couple of weeks impacted you, your thinking or your practice?.
- Have you had a recent case that really reminded you of the reasons you chose medicine?
As strategists and marketers, we’re sometimes removed from care delivery. In order to define value in any kind of real and measurable way, we need to talk to doctors in the thick of it, ask about their needs, acknowledge the good work they do and give everyone a chance to talk about what’s right with healthcare. If your organization’s goal is to achieve increased “value,” the first step is to better define it. What perimeters have you put around the word value?