In this increasingly competitive marketplace, attracting and retaining a loyal patient population can be a real challenge. Health centers need help, but many cannot afford to hire marketing staff or expensive PR consultants. PCDC's Attracting and Retaining Patients program teaches health centers to define and understand their particular target market and to use sophisticated marketing strategies that bring in new patients. By working to reshape the culture of a center, PCDC helps build a successful marketing and customer care operation with existing employees, transforming them into powerful patient advocates who are able to reach out more effectively to their communities.

Through a six- to nine-month program, Attracting and Retaining Patients participants learn how to:

• Identify potential patients through data collection, analysis, and market segmentation
• Attract patients by understanding how the center meets their needs
• Delight and retain patients through customer service and customer satisfaction
• Involve center staff and Board in marketing strategies
• Develop a marketing plan

The Process
The Attracting and Retaining Patients program develops and integrates the center’s messaging and branding in order to tap into the needs and desires of the patients and the community at large. Initially, the program participants prepare for Learning Sessions by gathering data to analyze the center's current and prospective patient markets. Then, through four Learning Sessions, the teams of participants study and apply specific marketing, customer service and problem solving techniques to:

• Identify population segments
• Increase center utilization
• Expand community outreach
• Measure outcomes
• Sustain efforts

The teams are guided by PCDC staff and leading marketing and customer service experts. Team members also share their experiences with teams from other health centers through the Learning Sessions.

During Action Periods, the time between the Learning Sessions, team members put new techniques into practice and evaluate their impact. PCDC staff coach, consult, and troubleshoot problems with teams via on-site visits, phone and e-mail throughout the program.

CLIENT TESTIMONIES

"As a direct result of my involvement in the Attracting and Retaining Patients collaborative, a new role was created at East Valley for a ‘Marketing and Patient Retention Coordinator,’ and I was promoted to this position.”
Lorena Gardea, Marketing and Patient Retention Coordinator
East Valley Community Health Center, Inc.