Hospital growth: Strategies to reach potential male patients

by Andrea J. Simon In my last blog post for Hospital Impact, I shared a case study in which a hospital realized men represented an untapped market for growing its patient base. I encouraged all hospitals to see the opportunities awaiting them if they likewise targeted men and men's health. Tellingly, several readers who commented wanted to "know more about how you do this," as did a number of clients. So I'd now like to tell you more about men's health from the perspective of the physicians who became "men's health champions" at Men's Health University, a successful initiative at Integris Health in Oklahoma. In preparation for a talk I will be giving on men's health later this month, I have been interviewing physicians who have been involved in their hospitals' men's health outreach. They shared their insights into how they overcome the challenges of reaching the "guys" who don't want to see a doctor unless they are really, really feeling horrible. The first thing these doctors universally agree on is that changing behavior is very difficult. Men who are already in the healthcare system are not the problem. It is the 40 percent who don't have a doctor, don't get annual check-ups, and if diagnosed with an illness, don't stay compliant on a care regimen. The doctors also know that changing behavior can only occur if men are interested in changing. So how do you get men engaged? For Integris Health, the approach was both simple and yet grounded in the reality of behavi...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs