Marketing in Health Care, Term Paper Example

Why is it difficult for marketing concepts and strategiesthat are commonly used in other industries to “penetrate” the healthcare industry?

The concept marketing is perceived as the process of communicating value of a product. Precisely, marketing is an economic strategy whereby an entrepreneur sells goods and services. It is the ‘link between a society’s material requirements and its economic patterns of response’ (Christensen, 2007, p.14). Besides, marketing is the science of selecting suitable targets after conducting market analysis and market segmentation studies to understand the consumer purchase behavior. The difficulty for marketing concepts and strategies commonly used in other industries to “penetrate” the healthcare industry is that healthcare providers have not yet fully acknowledged the institution as a business in every setting, especially, when government takes it over as a social service entity. Importantly, it is difficult to sell a social service or is it ethical to trade within a social service institution? (Christensen, 2007).

Health care ethics limit the marketability of healthcare as a service and healthcare products as elements of healthcare delivery, which must be sold to the consumer/patient/client. For example, in some developing countries healthcare is free. The state feels obligated to pay the healthcare costs for citizens through taxes accrued from those who pay. Some developed nations like Canada and United Kingdom also adapt a health care delivery system whereby the state carries the cost and operates as a social service Institution. In America it is difficult to distinguish what healthcare really is. At one level it is a business when patients have to use insurance companies to pay for healthcare; and yet at another phase when Medicare/Medicaid and managed care protocols intervene it resembles a social service (Morrisey, 2008).

Importantly, a business is a firm, organization or enterprise, engaged in trading goods and services to consumers. They are mostly privately owned and operated. Social service institutions deliver a wide range of public services to their population and healthcare is one such service. Governments provide social services to the community. Businesses can choose five competing concepts through which to operate in marketing goods and services. These include the ‘production concept, the product concept, the selling concept, the marketing concept, and the holistic marketing concept’ (Christensen, 2007, p.14).  There has been some degree of limitation in articulating these concepts in healthcare marketing strategies

In your opinion, has marketing been truly accepted as anecessity for health care organizations yet, or is it still regarded as a luxury?

In my opinion fromprevious insinuationsmarketing has not been truly accepted as a necessity for health care organizations. It is still regarded as a luxury.Aras (2011) conducted a literature review pertaining to social marketing in health care. This was regarded by the researcher as an important element in health care delivery internationally. The aim of his study was to review documents that provide benefits of social marketing in healthcare todeduce whether health care really takes advantage of marketing strategies in its operations (Aras, 2011).

The researcher confirmedthat social marketing was relevant for all healthcare institutions, especially, in understanding public desires and appropriately responding to them.Consumers, he, contended have needs whether they are patients, clients or in a department store. Marketing should be routinely used in consumer research to facilitaterelationships among health care providers; institutions and consumers. Ultimately, from the literature search it was discovered that much marketing was not practiced among healthcare intuitions. The obvious question is why?(Aras, 2011).

Precisely, based on conclusions derived from this investigation it is clear that health care institutions around the world do not feel compelled to market healthcare as a service. Traditionally, the belief is that sick people cannot afford to pay for healthcare because they have no money. Therefore, the other question is who are the consumers to market? Presently, in United States of America citizens cannot pay for health care even through it is available at such high quality. Analysists have contended that America’s health care is the highest among developed nations (Morrisey, 2008).

Moreover, while the assumption is that healthcare is big business in America a vital question is what does this business consist of?   Is it really the sale of drugs; equipment and therapies such as dialysis, chemotherapy; physical therapy for which there is no need to market? Already medical science predicts how many people will be diagnosed with cancer every year; diabetes, hypertension and high risk diseases, which seem inevitable and without cures.

Could it be that health care does not need to market because they will always have clients? People will get sick and need a doctor, drugs, nurse, walkers, oxygen tanks; inhalers, and all other medical appliances just as they would need food. While supermarkets market products health care does not have to market their servicesbecause they have a steady market. Food chains, stores and supermarkets closebecause of low surpluses. If hospitals close more are sure to spring up at a faster rate than the businesses mentioned in the previous sentences. Besides,  government always stands by as a social service entity to supplement healthcare budgets. Consequently, in my opinion marketing has not been truly accepted as a necessity for health care organizations as yet. It still regarded as a luxury

References

Aras, R. (2011).Social marketing in healthcare.Australas Med J. 4(8): 418–424.

Christensen, M. (2007).The innovator’s dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to Fail. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Harvard Business School Press

Morrisey, A. (2008). Health Care: Concise Encyclopedia of Economics (2nd ed.). Indianapolis: Library of Economics and Liberty