Neil Badlani, MD, opened his practice as a minimally invasive spine surgeon in Houston. The Orthopedic Sports Clinic, affiliated with Nobilis Health, is dedicated to sports medicine and providing complete diagnostic as well as therapeutic services.
Dr. Badlani is the Chief Medical Officer for Nobilis Health, an industry leader in direct to consumer marketing. Marketing nine independent brands, Nobilis deploys a unique patient acquisition strategy driven by proprietary direct-to-consumer marketing technology, focusing on a specified set of procedures that are performed at our centers by local physicians. Their flagship brand, North American Spine has generated over 6,000 surgical procedures and 9 million unique website visits in the last three years.
Here, he discusses how direct-to-consumer marketing affects his practice and three strategies independent physicians can use to launch their program.
Dr. Badlani will be speaking at the Becker's 16th Annual Future of Spine + The Orthopedic, Spine and Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference. To learn more and register, click here. Contact Maura Jodoin at mjodoin@beckershealthcare.com or Kristelle Khazzaka at Kkhazzaka@beckershealthcare.com for further information about sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities.
Question: Why is direct-to-consumer marketing so important for physicians today?
Dr. Neil Badlani: Healthcare is becoming an increasingly consumer-driven industry. Patients have access to healthcare information everywhere because of the internet and direct-to-consumer marketing. They are more educated about their healthcare choices and they have higher expectations and want to be active as long as they possibly can. Healthcare dollars are also being shifted more toward our patients in the form of higher deductibles and co-insurance payments. This trend of consumerism in healthcare is not going away, and physicians should be equipped to handle it. As physicians, it is our responsibility to educate our patients with accurate and comprehensive information about their conditions and treatment options. Direct-to-consumer marketing is an increasingly important way to provide that patient education and an opportunity for physicians to grow their practices for continued success.
Q: What are the top three strategies for independent physicians and physician groups for direct-to-consumer advertising?
NB: In order to build an effective direct-to-consumer marketing campaign, there are several key components of a successful strategy:
1. Know your audience. Every marketing campaign starts with defining a target audience. In healthcare, we can focus on patient demographics such as age, occupation, income and insurance. We also have to consider the conditions we are treating and the expectations of our potential patients. By understanding our patients and what they are looking for, we can best figure out how to connect with them and what message we want to convey.
2. Have a clear message. Information is everywhere. Patients are overloaded with healthcare information from online resources, traditional media, social media, and a growing number of alternative providers and treatment options. A good marketing campaign succeeds in this ocean of information by providing a clear, concise message that grabs the attention of our target audience and opens the door for further conversation.
3. Focus on education. Ultimately, as physicians, it is our responsibility to educate our patients. We must provide options and help them understand the risks, benefits and alternatives to these options, but in the end we should allow patients to choose. Marketing involves presenting options to patients that we know can be beneficial in a way that highlights our successes but does not involve compromising the integrity of our profession. With information at their fingertips, patients are able to make intelligent choices about their healthcare and can see through marketing campaigns that lack substance. In the long run, a direct-to-consumer marketing campaign in healthcare will be successful if its goal is to educate the patient and is backed by good medicine.