"The big change in the world is that patients are taking control." The remarks from TEDMED's Jay Walker at last week's World Health Care Congress captured the prevailing sentiment of the conference for medical and healthcare executives. Nearly every session and keynote focused on the theme that consumers, once a secondary business consideration in the industry, have shot to the forefront of healthcare business strategy.

Continue reading "Executives Put Customers at the Center of the Healthcare Discussion" »

Posted by Elizabeth Glagowski | Permalink | Comments ()

The healthcare industry is in a state of drastic change. Legislative changes, new technologies, rising costs and growing consumer expectations mean that health insurers need to think differently about how they build and nurture relationships with their customers.

Marc Ruggiano of Peppers & Rogers Group discusses the important role consumers have in how the healthcare industry evolves, and how the idea of consumer trust can be the foundation of transformation.

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Posted by Marc Ruggiano | Permalink | Comments ()

Health insurers seeking to compete and win in this new world must quickly understand and address a critical topic that has long been given little attention in the industry -- branding. In my last post, I discussed why branding matters in healthcare.

Taking the topic further, health insurers that are just now starting to wrestle with the topic must start with three key questions:

1. What customer insights do I need in order to make brand decisions?
2. What is a brand strategy and how do I develop one?
3. How do I prepare my organization to deliver on the promises made by my brand?

Gathering actionable customer insight is the first step to developing a beneficial brand identity. Understanding the customer, and especially that new breed called the consumer, means understanding what health means to them and how that affects the healthcare choices that they make, as well as what they expect of their health insurer.

Continue reading "Branding in Healthcare: Define Your Brand With Customer Insights " »

Posted by Marc Ruggiano | Permalink | Comments ()