Insight

4 INSIGHT V13N3 TRUENORTHCUSTOM.COM T H E M O R E T H E federal government tries to change healthcare, the more some things are likely to stay the same. After a spring and summer of attempts by the Republican-led Congress to repeal and/or replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), one thing about the effort to overhaul healthcare is clear: It rests on shifting sands. Despite the legislative process's unpredictability, however, several outcomes and growing trends seem like safe bets regardless of the result, including: » Providers' slice of the government reimbursement pie will shrink. Whether lawmakers opt to repeal and replace the ACA concurrently, repeal it now and replace it later, or work on bipartisan fixes, the result will likely mean less money for Medicaid. » Consumer self-pay will continue to rise. For more and more individuals, insurance coverage will come in the form of high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) with health savings accounts (HSAs), which will continue to put significant pressure on acute-care and pediatric hospitals to successfully grow market share in a common insurance space. For many consumers with HDHPs, their ability to pay hinges on their capacity and willingness to contribute to their HSAs—no sure thing. » Retail, consumer-driven healthcare will keep expanding. The drive to attract patients who are able and willing to pay for services will force providers to embrace new models of care. With reduced reimbursements from government payers all but certain in the future, hospitals can't waste a moment to refine their ability to target the markets that are essential to their financial future. How and where hospitals meet the patient populations they serve will continue to evolve, but there's no doubt that content will drive the effort and data will become more important than ever. Are you putting the right message in front of the right decision-maker at the right time, via the right channel? That's a question analytics can answer—and when it comes to healthcare marketing, now more than ever, it's the only question that matters. Backed by data, you can use a blend of communication channels—research shows a mix of traditional media, such as print, and newer tools, including social media, works best—to reach would-be patients with greater precision than ever before. That sort of data-driven, meet-consumers- where-they-are marketing can give you an edge when, for example, an active empty nester who's been considering knee replacement decides to have the surgery with your hospital top of mind. A data-powered approach to marketing that embraces a wide range of communications options—in other words, embracing the future while respecting what's worked in the past—is just what your hospital needs to thrive in healthcare's brave new world. notes F R O M T H E E D I T O R ©2017 True North Custom. All Rights Reserved. Healthcare Insight is published quarterly by True North Custom, 5600 Brainerd Rd., Suite 1, Chattanooga, TN 37411. Postmaster: Send changes of address to Healthcare Insight, P.O. Box 4449, Chattanooga, TN 37402. PROUD MEMBER OF All material submitted to Healthcare Insight becomes the property of Healthcare Insight magazine. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent of True North Custom. Call (800) 624-7496 for more information. True North Custom is not responsible for claims made by any advertising appearing in Healthcare Insight. Direct editorial correspondence to Editor, Healthcare Insight, 5600 Brainerd Rd., Suite 1, Chattanooga, TN 37411; for return, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. HEALTHCARE INSIGHT JIM HOBSON Senior Executive Editor JASON SKINNER Editor-in-Chief KAYL A ANDERSON Executive Editor C ANDICE ST. JACQUES Senior Managing Editor THOMAS CROCKER, JOSH GARCIA , KAITLIN GUNTER, KATY MENA-BERKLEY, HANNAH STUART, AND TREVOR WILLINGHAM Copywriters ERIC JACKSON Vice President of Creative Services ASHLE A ROARK Creative Director CL AY PRICE Production Manager TRUE NORTH CUSTOM JIM HOBSON President & Chief Executive Officer JASON SKINNER Chief Marketing Officer ERIC JACKSON Vice President of Creative Services SANDEE CURRY Editorial Director LISA PRICE Content Director KAYL A ANDERSON Marketing Manager L AUREN KNIGHT Marketing Coordinator j h o b s o n @ t r u e n o r t h c u s t o m . c o m Dear Colleagues, P l e a s e R e c y c l e P l e a s e R e c y c l e

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