Differentiation Strategies in the Hospital - Essay Example

?        Positioning and Differentiation Strategies in relation to Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital and HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital in Richmond VA  Name   Subject   Professor   Date         With the rise of new hospitals around the country, marketing has become an essential practice in the promotion of services offered by these institutions to ensure their relevance in the health care sector. There are a number of strategies that can be in this practice. Two of the more common ones include positioning and differentiation strategies. Positioning strategies consist of the process whereby an organization places itself in the consumers’ minds through creating a unique identity that makes it hard for them to be forgotten. Positioning strategies aims to ensure that an organization’s names pops up in the minds of consumers whenever services in their field of expertise are required. Differentiation strategies ensure that the products and services offered to the market are unique compared to those offered by their competitors. This gives an organization the edge over their competitors when battling for consumers in that particular market (Guidry, 2011). These strategies are implemented in a number of businesses, including hospitals and other health care facilities.  An example that can is used to showcase their use is the comparison between Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital and HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital that are both located in Richmond VA. Both of these hospitals function independently but are part of larger organizations that have other hospitals in the Richmond area and throughout the United States.  Though these two organizations essentially offer similar services to their clientele positioning and differentiation strategies are used to ensure that they stand out from their competitors as they strive to develop a better grasp on the region’s market. The use of these strategies has enabled them to stand out from other hospitals that may be present in the area. Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital The Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital is a non-profit, private hospital that has been serving the public of Richmond, Virginia since 1966.  It is part of Bon Secours Health System that is a not-for-profit Catholic health system backed by Bon Secours Ministries (Bon Secours Health System, Inc., 2012). This hospital has created marketing strategies that have ensured its survival over the years most notably in this case positioning, and differentiation strategies. The differentiation strategies used by the hospital is seen in the types of services that it offers the clients who visit their premises. One service includes: Bon Secours for Women. This is an initiative launched by the hospital and aims to offer specialized healthcare services to the women who visit the hospital (Bon Secours Health System, Inc., 2012).  Bon Secours for Women deals with medical issues that solely affect women, such as giving birth and parenting issues that follow afterwards.  Classes and education is offered and presented to consumers on breastfeeding, parenting and management of any complication that may arise after the birthing process, such as the care of wounds for women who have had to undergo a Caesarian section. Though these services are offered by other hospitals as well, St. Mary's Hospital has gone a step farther by setting it aside from the other medical services on offer, thus making the women who seek these services from their hospital believe that they are cared for and appreciated, unlike other healthcare facilities whereby these services are alligned with the rest of the medical care that they have to offer.  Bon Secours for Women concentrates on a particular niche in the market, which is women, and their needs.  They aim their marketing toward women customers who prefer specialized care when dealing with any medical issues. Home care services are another specialized area for Bon Secours.  This is also another clever way of differentiating the hospital’s services from those offered by other healthcare facilities. Home care services provide medical care to clients from the comfort of their home, thus negating the need for an individual to travel to where the premises is to get the care that they need (Bon Secours Health System, Inc., 2012). These services also allow St. Mary's Hospital to concentrate on another niche in the market made up of the elderly and those who may be too weak to travel comfortably. Through the home care services that are provided, St. Mary's Hospital can demonstrate to their clients that they are willing to go beyond the required lengths showing that they care for their patients and are not just in it for the money (Bon Secours Health System, Inc., 2012). This sort of message is the type that will attract new customers as individuals want to go to a place where they feel they are in the hands of people that are generally concerned over their wellbeing. In terms of positioning strategies, St. Mary's Hospital has strived to create a brand that exhibits quality and excellence. This is seen through the advertisements it has released in the media that promote their level of competence as well as their ability to keep up with the latest trends in medical techniques (Bon Secours Health System, Inc., 2012). This strategy aims at painting St. Mary's Hospital as class above its peers in a bid to attract those looking for the best healthcare in the market.   HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital is part of a larger corporation with more than 100 branches situated all over the country. Its branch in Richmond, Virginia, has been one of the healthcare facilities to implement positioning and differentiation strategies in marketing in a bid to increase their clientele base and compete with other healthcare facilities. Though HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital has been a recognized medical institution in Virginia for a while now, it has not relaxed in the promotion of its services in what can prove to be a fickle market, especially with the number of alternatives that consumers can turn to (Henrico Doctor's Hospital, 2012). The differentiation strategies implemented by HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital include the offering of unique services such as Robotic Surgery.  This involves the use of robotic systems in surgical procedures. The introduction of computer assisted surgery has not yet become a popular practice in the medical realm and thus this gives the hospital an edge over its competitors. Offering these particular services shows that the hospital stays in touch with the latest technology and surgical procedures that come out in the market (Henrico Doctor's Hospital, 2012). Such a statement goes a long way in enhancing the look of the organization as many individuals look at the use of the latest technology as proof that the services offered are automatically better than organizations that may offer the same services but using more traditional means. However, the offer of these services holds a disadvantage as they are more expensive than more traditional means.  Sometimes insurance does not cover the whole procedure and thus few people can afford it. The price may serve to turn away a number of individuals who shy away from such services because of their financial constraints. Behavioral Health is another niche that Henrico Doctor’s Hospital focuses on. This is a service whereby individuals are offered specialized medical treatment, according to their needs in what the health care facility refers to as a dedicated setting meaning that it is not exactly a hospital, but one still has access to the same services but in a more private setting. These services deal with a number of problems, such as drug addiction which an individual will need 24-hour surveillance to enhance his or her chances of recovery and sleep centers for individuals who may be suffering from sleep deprivation or other insomnia related issues (Henrico Doctor's Hospital, 2012). In relation to the positioning strategies implemented by the hospital, HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital concentrates on a de-positioning aimed at painting its competitors in a junior positioned light meaning that they are not able to reach the same level of quality that has been achieved by Henrico Doctor’s Hospital, though, repositioning is also used to some extent.  The hospital does not directly hit out at its competitor. The statements made in its advertisements imply that an individual will not be able to get better or equal services anywhere else (Henrico Doctor's Hospital, 2012). This strategy can be successful to an extent especially, if it is combined with the shareholder value model in its differentiation strategy. The existence of robotic surgery ensures that the hospital can implement this particular model in its differentiation strategy. To an extent, both Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital and HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital offer similar services, such as emergency services and cancer care, the differences are seen in their differentiation approach. Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital opts for an unlimited resources model whereby it depends on its resources whereas HCA Henrico Doctor's Hospital as mentioned earlier utilizes the shareholder value model with their knowledge in robotic surgery. Similarities can be found in their positioning strategies where they both attempt to use both repositioning and de-positioning in their marketing strategies. Marketing strategies is a practice that cannot be ignored if an organization aims for current and future success in their endeavors as they are the reason that clients will be attracted to the products on offer by the organization. However, it should be noted that the use of just one particular strategy is not advisable as it depicts the proverbial “eggs in one basket” scenario.  If the strategy fails to provide positive results, it could lead to significant losses. Organizations would rather mix up the strategies according to the various scenarios they are confronted with (Richard &Mark, 2007).     References Bon Secours Health System, Inc. (2012).Welcome To St. Mary's Hospital. Retrieved on September 26, 2012 from: http://www.bonsecours.com/find-a-facility-st-marys-hospital.html Christian, H., Kuester, S and Krohmer, H. (2009). Marketing Management - A Contemporary Perspective (1st ed.), London: McGraw Hill. Guidry, M (2011) "Marketing Concepts that Win! Save Time, Money and Work by Crafting Concept Right the First Time", Austin, TX: Live Oak Book Company. Henrico Doctor's Hospital. (2012).HCA Virginia Health System. Retrieved on September 26, 2012 from: http://henricodoctors.com/ Richard, L. and Mark, S. (2007). Punk Marketing. Harper Collins: New York Ries, A. and Trout,J. (2006). Positioning, The Battle For Your Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc. Read More