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The Module Pre-Assessment is your opportunity to practice applying module content before submitting the final Competency Assessment. In the Final Assessment, you will be asked to develop an analysis of a strategic plan of healthcare organization you select.

To prepare for Part 1 of your Final Assessment, based on a healthcare organization where you work or one of which you are familiar, consider the key products or services that organization offers. If this is not a viable option, look at the products or services offered at other healthcare organizations. Next, reflect on the organization’s strategic plan including its mission, vision and goals. Then, think about how to align a potential marketing plan with the organization’s strategic plan. Also, consider the organization’s key competitors, where they are located, and how the products or services of the organization you selected differ from its competitors’ offerings. Finally, reflect on how one of your organization’s products and services fits into its strategic plan.

For this Module Pre-Assessment, create a draft summarizing your strategic plan analysis. Be sure to review the Final Assessment Instructions for more guidance and reference the sources used to support the content of your summary.

To prepare for Part II of your Final Assessment, review the following:

• Section 1: Place of Service and Channels of Distribution
  • Consider how the product or service you selected can be delivered or offered to its customers. Next, reflect on the benefits and constraints of this distribution. Also, think about trends that are impacting or might impact this distribution channel or place of service. Then, consider how technology is impacting delivery of this product or service and how technology might impact the concept of place. Finally, think about how channels of distribution or place of service relate to the strategic plan.
• Section 2: Pricing and/or Contracting Strategies
  • Consider the apparent pricing and contracting strategies of the organization you selected. Next, reflect on how price might be a strategic issue for the organization including a rationale as to why price might align with strategic planning. Then, think about how current trends in healthcare are impacting pricing strategies for the product or service you selected. Finally, consider how competition is impacting pricing of the product or service you selected.

For this Module Pre-Assessment, create a draft for Section 1 and Section 2 of your marketing plan. Be sure to review the Final Assessment Instructions for both sections for more guidance and cite the resources used to support the content of your drafts.

The Module Pre-Assessment is your opportunity to practice applying module content before submitting the final Competency Assessment. As mentioned earlier, in the Final Assessment, you will be asked to create a marketing plan.

To continue preparing for Part II of your Final Assessment, review the following:

• Section 3: Promotional Strategies and Techniques
  • Consider promotional strategies you would use to promote the product or service in order to attract consumers, keeping in mind that the market you are in has everything to do with determining appropriate marketing techniques. Be sure to also consider a rationale for why each marketing strategy is appropriate for the intended market. Then, reflect on the advantages and possible disadvantages of each strategy. Finally, think about how social networking could be tapped to engage customers for this product or service.
• Section 4: The Marketing Budget
  • Consider categories of costs/expenses (both internal and external expenses not including dollar amounts) that would have to be reflected in the budget for each of the three promotional strategies you suggested in Section 3 (for example, printing, mailing, consulting and advertising costs, market research, publicity, sales efforts, etc.). Finally, think about the impact of current trends on marketing budgets of the business unit within the organization you selected.
• Section 5: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Marketing Plan
  • Consider variables that must be taken into account when creating an approach for evaluating the effectiveness of a healthcare marketing plan. Then, reflect on specific measurements that indicate marketing effectiveness for this product or service. Finally, consider how the data sources that can inform outcomes of marketing activities regarding this product or service compare to each other.

For this Module Pre-Assessment, create a draft for Sections 3 – 5 of your marketing plan. Be sure to review the Final Assessment Instructions for both sections for more guidance and cite the resources used to support the content of your drafts.

DEVELOPMENT OF A MARKETING PLAN FOR A HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION

In this Assessment, you will prepare a marketing plan for a product or service of the healthcare organization you selected. If possible, this should be a healthcare organization for which you work. If that is not viable, look online at other healthcare organizations for which information is available. This marketing plan must take into consideration and demonstrate alignment to that organization’s strategic plan. It should take into consideration the competitors and where the competitors are located. Keep in mind that product is one of the traditional “4 Ps” of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion—a mix that is the foundation of a customer-focused approach to marketing products and services.

Access the following to complete this Assessment:

• Use the APA course paper template available here
• Download the Writing Checklist to review prior to submitting your Assessment.

This assessment has two-parts. Click each of the items below to complete this assessment.

Part 1: Analysis of a Healthcare Organization’s Strategic Plan

Locate and analyze a healthcare organization’s strategic plan. Based on the strategic plan, select one product or service in which to focus your marketing plan.

Create a summary of your analysis as follows (4–5 pages):

• Provide an overarching description of the healthcare organization, including the organization’s strategic plan, which also includes the organization’s mission, vision, and goals.
• Briefly describe key products and services of this organization. Explain how these align to the organization’s mission and vision. Note: It is not necessary to include every product and service. Focus on key offerings.
• Describe the marketing opportunities for the organization based on the organization’s strategic plan.
• Describe one product or service on which to focus your marketing plan. Provide an overview of the market for this product or service including two special considerations you might take into account related to this market. Who are you marketing to?
• Describe at least three key competitors and where they are located.
• Explain how this product or service differs from at least two competitors’ offerings.
• Describe how this product or service fits into the organization’s strategic plan.

Part 2: Marketing Plan

Create a marketing plan that includes the following five sections:

Section 1: Place of Service and Channels of Distribution

After the analysis of the market has been completed, and with your product or service in mind, the marketing plan must address who the services are being sold to, what the potential reimbursement levels are, and what organization will contract with the healthcare facility for the services. For a product or service to reach its target market, it actually has to get to the market or the market has to get to it—to the place of service. “Place” is another of the 4 Ps. Determining workable places of service and/or effective distribution channels is an ongoing challenge in the healthcare market. Current trends, changes in policy, and technological advances have all contributed to altering the landscape of distribution. For example, prescriptions that used to require face-to-face interaction can be ordered online and delivered by mail. How does that cost-saving fact impact the pharmacy services of a healthcare organization? What can the organization do to encourage its customers to take advantage of this alternative means of distribution? New and different channels of distribution are evident in all areas of healthcare.

In 3–4 pages of your marketing plan:

• Describe one way the product or service can be delivered or offered to its customers.
• Evaluate the benefits and constraints of this distribution.
• Describe trends that are impacting or might impact this distribution channel or place of service.
• Explain how technology is impacting delivery of this product or service. How might technology impact the concept of place?
• Describe how channels of distribution or place of service relate to the strategic plan.

Section 2: Pricing and/or Contracting Strategies

In today’s healthcare landscape, there are multiple payers with multiple price points of their own. Many managed care organizations, as well as CMS, are creating discounted bundle payment structures. In the marketing plan, the healthcare facilities must understand what their bottom price point is so the facility can decide in what contracting opportunities they want to participate.How is the product or service priced? Pricing in healthcare is not a matter of “sales, discounts, and specials.” Many complex considerations come into play. Pricing in this industry involves various and sometime sophisticated contracting and managed care strategies. Increasingly, with high-deductible health plans, pricing is critical to the customer and becomes a strategic issue for the healthcare organization. Price is another of the 4 Ps.

In a 2–3-page section of your marketing Plan:

• Describe pricing and contracting strategies apparent in this healthcare organization.
• Explain how price might be a strategic issue for the organization. Provide rationale as to why price might align with strategic planning.
• Explain how current trends in healthcare are impacting pricing strategies for the product or service on which you are focused.
• Analyze how competition is impacting pricing of the product or service on which you are focused.

Section 3: Promotional Strategies and Techniques

Promotion is the fourth “P” addressed in this Assessment. Consider: Your healthcare organization has a product or service to offer. You are very familiar with the strategic plan of the organization. You know its mission, vision, and goals. Now, as a marketing advisor, how are you going to use promotional media to advance your cause? Promotional strategies have to be carefully and sensitively targeted in areas such as television and radio, print and web-based, and social media. They reflect the organization as well as the customer or, in most cases, many different customers.

In 3–4 pages of your marketing plan:

• Describe three promotional strategies other than social media that you would use to promote the product or service in order to attract consumers. Keep in mind that the market you are in has everything to do with determining appropriate marketing strategies. For each marketing technique you suggest, include a rationale for why it is appropriate for the intended market.
• Explain at least three advantages of each strategy and at least three possible disadvantages.
• Describe how social networking could be tapped to engage customers for this product or service. Provide examples of at least three different social media strategies.

Section 4: The Marketing Budget

Once promotional strategies have been determined, the costs of these initiatives must be moved into the budget. In some cases, a strategy will prove to be too costly and will need to be reconsidered.In 2–3 pages of your marketing plan:

• Hypothesize categories of costs/expenses that would have to be reflected in the budget for each of the three promotional strategies you suggested in Section 3 (for example, printing, mailing, consulting and advertising costs, market research, publicity, sales efforts, etc.) Include both in-house and external expenses. Note: You are not expected to attach dollar amounts.
• Analyze the impact of at least two current trends on marketing budgets of the business unit on which you are focused including the influence of these trends on marketing budgets.

Section 5: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Marketing Plan

Any marketing plan must include a plan for evaluating its effectiveness. In an authentic situation, the evaluation plan is developed up front, and the evaluation(s) take place at specified intervals once the plan is implemented. The evaluation is critical for ensuring that marketing dollars are well spent. For example, if it is proven after an appropriate period of time, with decision-making parameters set, that monthly mailings are ineffective and do not warrant the cost, you will likely look at other promotional strategies and put the money to better marketing use. Every good marketing plan has to look at ROI, return on investment, to determine if dollars spent are benefiting the healthcare organization. How else would you know if a marketing plan is viable?

In 2–3 pages of your marketing plan, and with your product or service in mind:

• Describe at least three variables that must be taken into account when creating an approach for evaluating the effectiveness of a healthcare marketing plan.
• Develop two specific measurements that indicate marketing effectiveness for this product or service.
• Compare three data sources that can inform outcomes of marketing activities regarding this product or service.