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Q&A with Chris Bethell, GM of Vennli's Healthcare Division

by Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | August 31, 2015
Chris Bethell
In a competitive health system, it's important for providers to be able to differentiate themselves from their competitors in ways that matter to patients and physicians. For Vennli, a growth strategy software company, this is an area of expertise. DOTmed HealthCare Business News spoke with Chris Bethell, the general manager of their healthcare division, about the kind of growth strategies that are essential for helping facilities stand out from the crowd.

HCB News: Can you give us some background on what “growth strategy” is and explain why it’s important to healthcare organizations?

Chris Bethell: Growth is a core objective of every healthcare organization. Whether it’s increasing patient volume, building a loyal base of referring physicians, expanding services, or creating a new service line, you need a corresponding growth strategy. Too often, healthcare organizations overlook the concept of choice in developing this strategy—but really, every financial outcome for a healthcare organization is the result of a patient or physician making a choice. Understanding what impacts that choice is imperative to growth.

HCB News: What are some of the most common challenges to growth that you see in healthcare organizations?

CB:
When it comes to growth in hospitals, patient volume always tops the list. The key here is to define what segment of patient volume you want to grow and what access points to care best support those growth goals. I may want to increase volume within my ED unit because it’s a key source of admissions. But that raises the question: do I want to grow total patient volume or just the volume of private payer patients? The factors that drive those patients to choose your ED are likely different than for patients with Medicare or with no insurance at all.

Another top driver of growth for healthcare organizations is physician-hospital alignment—understanding why and when physicians refer patients to you rather than to your competitors.

HCB News: How do most organizations deal with these challenges today?

CB:
It may be hard to believe, but most hospitals don’t have the right data or insights to deal with these challenges. They spend a small fortune on population and community studies that show them what’s happening at the macro level. They learn about patients’ past experiences, but not on why prospective patients choose one hospital over another.

HCB News: Don’t healthcare leaders recognize that gap in the data?

CB:
Healthcare organizations have smart, experienced people building their strategic growth plan. Sometimes, though, that experience means that bias can creep in. We find over and over again that the internal perception of what consumers want varies greatly from the actual consumer perspective. It’s vital to test assumptions and act on real, up-to-date data.

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