In order to understand the impact of marketing or the need for marketing in physician practices, it is important to look at a variety of demographic information. Over 17% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) is spent on healthcare. It is no wonder that the daily news consists of discussions around healthcare’s skyrocketing costs, healthcare reform, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The 17% of GDP equates to an excess of $2.7 trillion in costs.(Sultz & Young 1).
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the most recent estimates from 2009, the number patients that visited physician offices was more than 1 billion. It is obvious with these types of numbers that patients are seeking care and one might question the need to “market” a practice. However, when reviewing history it is evident that the types of physician practices have evolved from simple family practice settings to an increased number of specialty practices as well at a number of procedures being performed in physician offices versus in hospitals. The reasons for these shifts can be attributed to increased costs of hospital care, tightened payer restrictions,
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For example, it has been understood that there is a significant difference in infant mortality rates between the inner-city environments and more suburban areas. A physician practice, depending on the location may have to spend more time performing “social marketing” and others may focus on traditional marketing to increase profits by way of more “luxury” care initiatives. Ultimately, the advances in data collection and analysis helps providers understand better what can be expected moving forward in regards to disease, life expectancy, and prevention measures. (Sultz & Young