I had lunch last week with a health policy consultant with whom we’ve been working on a number of public affairs and legislative efforts. We were actually in Harrisburg for a press event we helped coordinate with a senator and several advocacy groups. 
What I heard at lunch was validating to me and, likely, troubling to many: with health care reform bearing down on them, health system executives are focused primarily on one area – reimbursement and revenue.
And when I talk about revenue, I don’t mean spending it. I mean earning it. Maintaining it. Holding onto as much of it as possible in these unsure times of the Affordable Care Act.
So what if your business is built on selling to health systems? How are you going to cut through the health care reform clutter and hand wringing over reimbursement and resonate with the health system C-suite? It won’t be easy, but it can be done.
You’ve got a product or service that will improve outcomes and is more efficient than current process or practice, you say? Even if you do, the bet hospital executives have to make to implement a new system may be more than they can stomach. The potential for a greater return or outcome in exchange for the time and money it will take to implement and see results is a risk, especially for a system staring down more Medicare reimbursement cuts.
Two months ago, just before the April sequester, Modern Healthcare wrote, “Many hospitals that expect to see less from Medicare starting next month will spend less themselves under efforts to slash costs. Executives say they’ll have no choice as pressure to curb healthcare spending grows.”
What’s more, according to Modern Healthcare, “Hospital executives in Chicago last week (in March) for the American College of Healthcare Executives’ 2013 Congress on Healthcare Leadership said they would seek to wring costs to offset the lost revenue and prepare for further pressure on revenue from public and private payers.”
Hospitals are in a catch-22. They’re expected to improve quality and be more efficient. They need to increase patient volume. But they can’t spend enough money on new, better, innovative products and services, because they’re being paid less.
I’ve often written about how health systems can – and need to – do a better job of telling their story in order to, for example, differentiate themselves and drive volume or defend tax-exempt status. Those same core principles and strategies hold true for telling your company’s story, whether it is of technological innovation or superior consulting insight, to a health system. But there are nuances. There’s a level of understanding required. Deep knowledge of the business of health care, the provision of care, the fabric of communities and the implications of legislation is a must to develop an effective public relations strategy.
No doubt health care executives believe they are living the Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Many companies that sell to hospitals are likely feeling the same. But interesting doesn’t translate to impossible. With the right insight and strategy, credible products and services can find the right health care audience.
What has your experience been in trying to get to the right health care audience? If you’re interested in talking, I’d be happy to share more of mine.
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Jason Snyder is a senior vice president for WordWrite Communications.
