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ENGAGEMENT

A Midwest health system invested in Healthgrades’ CRM solution to promote their cancer institute by encouraging both men and women to get a cancer screening through a targeted direct mail campaign with a multi-channel approach. After only six months, the campaign produced a 4.73% incremental utilization rate.

CASE STUDY A MIDWEST HEALTH SYSTEM USES AN EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTION TO DRIVE VOLUME TO NEW ONCOLOGY CENTER

This Midwest health system serves a metropolitan area of more than two million households, is comprised of eight hospitals and more than 125 other outpatient locations. As a fully integrated healthcare delivery system, it off ers comprehensive cancer services, including screenings, diagnoses, and outpatient and inpatient treatments.

More than 15 years ago, its cancer institute joined with a national and university affi liated cancer institute. This designation brought the latest in cancer treatment to patients, and oncologists began

to work side-by-side at the hospital’s cancer center. The partnership expanded with the opening of a second cancer center 20 miles away.

Market research showed the partnership was attractive; however, knowledge of it was still low. The health system needed to raise awareness of the collaboration – that state-of-the-art cancer care, including clinical trials and second opinions, was available in the community. It was challenged with how to communicate a potentially sensitive message and to whom.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGE

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ENGAGEMENT

Investing in Healthgrades’ Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database and solution, the health system devised, executed and tracked a campaign to raise awareness of its partnership with the area university.

By looking at internal services data, market overlay data and U.S. Census Bureau data, the health system worked with Healthgrades to perform a gap analysis of its oncology services. This analysis looks at the diff erence between what the market is consuming and what an organization is providing. It revealed room in the market to grow its oncology service line and that approximately 80 percent of oncology charges would be generated from 10 percent of patients.

This Midwest health system needed to raise awareness of its cancer institute and university collaboration.

A year-long oncology campaign was developed by analyzing data in the health system’s CRM database.

Personalized postcards, using dynamic printing technology, resulted in 20 postcard variations printed exclusively for one individual.

After six months, the campaign resulted in 2,173 incremental patients seeking services – a 4.73% incremental utilization rate and $552,000 ROI, solely attributable to the campaign.

Strategy

SolutionThe health system chose to promote the cancer institute by encouraging both men and women to get a cancer screening. The campaign consisted of six direct mail messages; fi ve designed around specifi c cancer types – breast, prostate, colon, skin and lung cancer – and one delivering information about cancer in general. In addition to the educational message, the two-sided, color postcards touted the care provided at the cancer institute and directed recipients to a website for more information, making the campaign multi-channel.

The call to action on each piece asked recipients to call and schedule a screening specifi c to the message received. For instance, recipients of the colon cancer message were encouraged to schedule a colonoscopy. The off er for the colon, lung and general cancer messages was the same, promoting a cancer guide. The breast message off ered a self-exam shower card; the prostate message a men’s health booklet; and the skin message a fi rst-aid booklet.

© Copyright 2015 Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. All rights reserved. | MCPM7049_40_CRMRI_0815

ENGAGEMENT

SolutionThe health system delivered approximately 108,000 direct mail pieces over one year to individuals in its primary service area pulsing the communications so about 9,000 were delivered per month. To reach those most likely to respond, the health system limited the campaign to 55,000 individuals in the market based on Healthgrades’ proprietary predictive modeling analytics, which forecast a person’s propensity to use or need health services by specifi c diseases within the ICD-9 and diagnostic related groups (DRG). Healthgrades’ Consumer Healthcare Utilization Index (CHUI) identifi ed non-patients in the market most likely to use oncology services, while Healthgrades’ Patient Disease Index (PDI) identifi ed current patients most likely to need oncology services. Given that the targeted individuals were fewer than the direct mail pieces delivered, individuals identifi ed as at risk for more than one cancer could receive more than one communication, not to exceed three, and no sooner than two months after the last communication.

Age ranges were defi ned for each cancer message. For instance, individuals ages 50 to 75 received the colon cancer message while individuals ages 30 to 75 received the general cancer message. The other age ranges were as follows: breast: 35 to 75; prostate: 40 to 75; skin: 25 to 75; and lung: 25 to 75. The postcards were personalized for each recipient. While the breast and prostate messages were inherently gender specifi c, photos on the postcards were printed to resemble the recipient’s ethnicity. Messages and photos on the colon, skin, lung and general cancer postcards were personalized for each recipient based on both his/her gender and ethnicity. The campaign’s high-level of personalization resulted in 20 postcard variations with each piece printed exclusively for one individual. To track the success of the campaign, a 7 percent control group was held back, which had the same characteristics as the target group but did not receive any mailings.

© Copyright 2015 Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. All rights reserved. | MCPM7049_40_CRMRI_0815

ENGAGEMENT

Solution

© Copyright 2015 Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. All rights reserved. | MCPM7049_40_CRMRI_0815

ENGAGEMENT

ResultsHealthgrades’ CRM solution tracks not only when an individual makes contact with an organization, but also how the individual interacts with it. Since a key goal of almost every healthcare marketing campaign is to drive service utilization, the CRM solution is able to measure the eff ect of the campaign by comparing the behavior of those who received the communication with the behavior of the control group.

After only six months of service utilization tracking of recipients of the fi rst seven mailings, the campaign produced a 4.73 percent incremental utilization rate in overall service utilization at one system location. The campaign targeted 45,967 individuals, which resulted in the recruitment and reactivation of 2,173 incremental patients.

The campaign produced an increase in oncology service utilization at other area locations as well. During the same tracking period analyzing only oncology services, a 1.17 percent incremental utilization rate was found to be solely attributed to the campaign. Of the 45,967 individuals targeted, 538 incremental patients utilized oncology services as a result of the campaign.

Tracking also was performed to measure the utilization rates by the message received. The 10,410 women, who received the breast message during the same tracking period, responded at a rate of 8.76 percent. When compared to the control group, the breast message produced a 2.2 percent incremental utilization rate in oncology service utilization at health system locations. Utilization rates also were positive among recipients of the colon message. Of the 10,403 women and men receiving the communication, 5.6 percent responded, producing a 2.81 percent incremental utilization rate in oncology service utilization.

For the fi rst seven mailings of the campaign, the return on investment was approximately $552,000 across all service lines.

© Copyright 2015 Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. All rights reserved. | MCPM7049_40_CRMRI_0815

ENGAGEMENT

Results

Oncology Service Utilization

Overall Service Utilization

Individual Utilization

Utilization Rate

Individual Utilization

Utilization Rate

Targets Responding

3,780 8.22

Targets Responding

18,882 41.08

Expected Utilization*

3,242 7.05

Expected Utilization*

16,709 36.35

Incremental Patients**

538 1.17

Incremental Patients**

2,173 4.73

*Expected utilization is utilization rate in control group multiplied by the number of people in the target group. Expected utilization shows the number of people who would have come in anyway.**Incremental Patients are the number of individuals proven to be a result of the marketing eff ort. This number is the diff erence in the utilization rate between the target group and the control group.

To learn about communications solutions that improve health and fi nancial outcomes, and discover an entire suite of solutions that are already empowering over 1000 hospitals across America, please call 855.254.6519 or visit healthgradescrm.com.