Strong employee communication and recognition programs increase productivity and help to create a corporate culture of pride and, in turn, promote customer/patient satisfaction. Beyond the obvious employee newsletter, there are other cost-effective ways to positively reach out and applaud your staff. For instance, we designed birthday cards for one client where employees’ children and grandchildren provided the art. The cards were snail-mailed to employee homes in the appropriate months. In the clutter of digital communication, a real birthday card was an appreciated surprise.
There are ways, too, to freshen the old standbys. We have enlivened employee newsletters with regular, well-received features, such as one that acknowledges personal accomplishments or a wellness corner that addresses employee concerns. For a remarkably diverse community hospital, we initiated a “Where We’re From” column, which focused every month on a different ethnic group’s culture, holidays and food. For an extended-care facility, the employee newsletter spotlighted two employees every month with engaging profiles and portrait shots.
We have also worked with Human Resources to generate excitement around existing employee-of-the-month programs. Among our successful recommendations: Giving a prime/free parking spot during the month the winner is acknowledged, a pizza party in the winner’s department when the employee is announced, and, of course, a mention in the newsletter.
> If you need help with employee outreach, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
“I absolutely love working with Maryellen Lazzaro. She is extremely creative and understands intuitively what needs to be done visually to make a great ad or brochure. There are times when I’m not 100% sure what I want from a design point of view and Maryellen is willing to brainstorm ideas with me. Best thing about Maryellen is that she really over-delivers in terms of client service and responsiveness. She is also very personable and it is a pleasure to work with her.”
—Patricia Philippe
Independent Marketing Consultant and Writing Workshop Facilitator and former Assistant Director, Marketing, Mount Sinai Health System
Many busy physicians don’t have time to read much, but they do check their email. An e-blast, illustrated by a striking and appropriate medical image, conveyed in 15 seconds the important message that Continuum NeuroSciences provided cutting-edge neurosurgical solutions.
Hyperlinked throughout (to relevant web pages and the hospital’s YouTube channel), the e-blast was provided in html format to the client’s marketing department, who, in turn, immediately distributed it to all their referring physicians via their Constant Contact account.
The e-blast was well received by the client and the physicians alike. Considered an eye-catching, but powerful marketing tool, the e-blast triggered an increase in referrals…and more patients received the important care they needed for relief.
> If you need help creating effective e-blasts, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act authorized the federal government to spend billions of dollars to incentivize the widespread adoption of the electronic health record (EHR). Funds are available to healthcare providers who meet certain “Meaningful Use” objectives.
“Meaningful Use” is a list of specific objectives that have been rolled out over the years that allow a provider to prove that they are using the EHR to improve quality, safety and efficiency, and reduce health disparities; to engage patients and family; and to improve care coordination, and population and public health. Without going into more detail than space allows here, it is fair to say that healthcare providers are increasingly finding that many of these objectives are nearly impossible to achieve without a patient portal.
A patient portal is a secure online website that gives patients convenient 24-hour access to personal health information (for instance, recent doctor visits, allergies, immunizations, lab results), sometimes along with other access (such as the ability to email providers, request prescription refills or schedule appointments, or fill out forms ahead of visits). With patient portal implementation, a healthcare organization or practice can enhance patient-provider communication, empower patients, support care between visits and improve outcomes.
But a patient portal is only as good as the number of patients who sign up for it and use it (and Meaningful Use criteria looks at the enrollment percentages). We are now helping clients market their patient portals in carefully considered ways by highlighting the benefits to patients through promotional materials, posters, direct mail campaigns, infographics and stories in newsletters (the latter two, shown here), among other marketing efforts.
> If you need help marketing your patient portal, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
