Around the country, hospitals and health systems are investing significant capital in the development of multispecialty outpatient campuses – hospitals without beds, if you will. Such facilities require a bold, comprehensive and aligned marketing, communications, physician relations and community relations strategy to launch successfully and enjoy long-term growth.
Tidelands Health is a four-hospital community health system based on the coast of South Carolina. Historically, the health system’s operations have largely been just south of Myrtle Beach, the nation’s second-fastest-growing area. In 2019, Tidelands Health successfully opened a new, $50 million outpatient medical park to serve the population-rich Myrtle Beach area.
Since opening, the facility has significantly outperformed volume and revenue projections – a result that didn’t happen by chance. Rather, the health system began its community engagement and brand awareness efforts long before the first shovel of dirt was turned on the site.
In this session, participants will learn the importance of an integrated, aligned and innovative brand awareness and engagement strategy to fuel growth – particularly in new markets. Multiple disciplines, including marketing, communications, community relations and physician relations, must work cohesively to break into a new market and move market share from competitors.
Tidelands Health will share its playbook, including: brand awareness development through community partnerships; mass media, digital and direct mail marketing efforts; critical community relationship building initiatives (including with nearby homeowners impacted by construction); physician/provider relationship development in new territories; and content strategies to fuel buy-in through storytelling.
Participants will see tangible results of the integrated Tidelands Health strategy. As examples, the organization’s efforts generated 600 pre-opening calls to a dedicated call center in the month before opening, more than 2,500 attendees at pre-opening events in the week before opening and more than 1,500 patient appointments scheduled before the new medical park’s opening day.
By the session’s conclusion, participants will have gained insight into the importance of integrated, cross-discipline business development efforts and will have actionable takeaways to support their organization’s next major expansion project.