Featuring:
- Taylor Hamilton, Senior Vice President & Chief Consumer Officer at Ballad Health
- Molly Luton, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Ballad Health Care
Session Highlights
Taylor Hamilton and Molly Luton, Senior Vice President & Chief Consumer Officer, and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer respectively, at Ballad Health, discuss the importance of personalization and technology in the healthcare consumer journey. They provide an overview of Ballad Health, a relatively new healthcare entity formed through a merger five years ago, operating in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. They emphasize their focus on population health initiatives and improving access to healthcare in rural regions.
Reimagining Rural Healthcare: Addressing Disparities
Consumer Expectations and Redefining Digital Experience
The speakers delve into consumer expectations, revealing that there are over 70,000 health-related Google searches happening every minute in the United States. They identify key priorities for consumers, including understanding symptoms, finding providers, seeking convenient care, price transparency, and booking appointments online. They underscore the importance of constantly evaluating and adapting digital platforms to meet evolving consumer needs. Additionally, they emphasize that improving the digital experience is a collective effort involving the entire organization, with a focus on enhancing rather than replacing care and access.
Consumer Journey and Digital Transformation Vision
The presenters outline Ballad Health’s approach to the consumer journey, mapping out touchpoints across the digital and physical realms. They differentiate between earned and managed touchpoints, emphasizing the importance of managing both consumer-facing interactions and actual care delivery. They highlight the complexity of healthcare services and stress that digital transformation is a cultural mindset, involving the entire organization. They conclude by showcasing a video that exemplifies Ballad Health’s vision for seamless, effective, and consumer-friendly healthcare delivery through digital means. The video demonstrates various scenarios where technology streamlines the patient experience, from scheduling appointments to virtual visits and prescription delivery.
Re-engaging Patients in Primary Care
Taylor Hamilton and Molly Luton address the challenges of reengaging patients with primary care services post-COVID-19. They emphasize the consumer’s desire not only to be seen and heard but also understood in their healthcare journey. The duo reveals that primary care visits across the country dropped significantly during the pandemic, impacting around 72% of Ballad Health’s patient volume.
Understanding Audiences and Customized Content
Strategic Audience Segmentation and Engagement
The team targets healthcare consumers over 25 within their service area, utilizing a mix of digital strategies including programmatic display, mobile and app messaging, and geotargeting. They focus on two main cohorts: existing Ballad Health primary care patients who hadn’t seen a provider recently, and non-Ballad Health patients in need of primary care. The duo highlights the importance of conversions, ensuring that patients not only see the ad but take action. Patients are empowered to schedule their own appointments, reflecting their consumer-centric approach.
