By: David F. Zirkle. PhD
Hospitals and healthcare systems frequently conduct a variety of studies to support their planning efforts. However, the data is often used to support the project objectives for which the study was done and little consideration is given as to how to extend the information to other decision-makers in the organization.
One example in healthcare involves consumer studies and medical staff planning. Medical staff planning is generally done to ensure an adequate number and mix of physicians is maintained. On the other hand, consumer studies are frequently conducted to support business and market planning projects.
For those organizations that conduct both types of studies, there may be an opportunity to incorporate consumer input into the medical staff planning process. Reasons to consider a combined approach are discussed below.
Social and behavioral risks
Hospitals have been involved with community health assessments for years. This includes an evaluation of socio-economic and behavioral risk factors affecting community health e.g. obesity, poor nutrition, substance abuse, etc. When incorporated into the medical staff planning process, this information provides valuable insight into the complement of physicians and services needed to effectively address these community issues.
Primary care
Consumer studies often seek to identify healthcare services not readily available in the community. Surveys are designed to access primary care availability including pediatrics, women’s and senior care as well as ancillary services such as imaging and screenings. Medical staff and physician recruitment planning can benefit from identifying primary care services not readily available to the community.
Specialty care
Other consumer studies are designed to identify specialty services available in other markets that consumers would like to see in the local community. A common approach is to explore the specialty services and reasons why residents have migrated out of the community in the past for care. This information can help identify specialty services that are good candidates for expansion into the local community and the mix of specialists needed to support the growth initiatives.
Access barriers
While healthcare may be available in the community, many individuals may have difficulty accessing the services. For example, practices may not be accepting new patients, have excessive wait times for an appointment or restrictions on insurance plans that are accepted which limits access. Organizations may want to consider these barriers as they develop medical staff plans to improve healthcare access in the community.
Consumer perceptions and preferences
Healthcare marketers frequently conduct studies to understand consumer perceptions and preferences for different healthcare providers in the local market. Opinions of the organization and physicians, quality of care, use of up-to-date technology, etc. can affect where patients decide to seek care. As a result, program strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors can impact recruitment strategies even if traditional medical staff planning studies show no community need.
Full use of information
One organization recently conducted a consumer study and a medical staff planning project to assess physician need in the marketplace. Consumer findings were generally consistent with medical staff planning results; however, additional insight was gained by incorporating consumer input into the planning process. For example, while no need was found for additional mental health providers in the community, consumer input indicated the current location of providers was inconvenient and created access issues. As a result, the organization is now considering physician placement strategies rather than adding providers in the community.