Diane Weber, Executive Director of the Society for Health Care Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) of the American Hospital Association joins me on Leading with Health to discuss the future of healthcare marketing.

Diane is an RN and has an extensive background in marketing, strategy, knowledge management and performance improvement in the healthcare sector. Prior to her work with SHSMD, Diane led major initiatives for knowledge management, health care quality improvement, and community engagement at Vizient (formerly known as University HealthSystem Consortium). At The Joint Commission, Diane contributed to the initial establishment of national performance measures. At Franciscan Health, Diane managed inpatient utilization, led clinical quality improvement projects, and served as a critical care nurse. 

The report mentioned in the interview can be found at Bridging Worlds.

Highlights include:

5:40 – DW: “We identified some very key implications for healthcare strategists to consider to be even more effective.”

7;50 – DW: “More and more, we are finding that organizations that are highly performing have people who are not just going to be strategic thinkers and pass it off to someone, but can actually roll up their sleeves and do the work.”

10:05 – DW: “There are a lot of disruptors right now in healthcare and surprisingly we are finding competitors we wouldn’t expect. It could be a grocery store chain or it could be Google or it could be other areas that all of a sudden are getting into the health space.”

10:37 – DW: “Learning to be nimble means that we need to rapidly introduce new ideas.”

14:18 – DW: “How do you mine data effectively? How do you get out of it what is really important?”

16:08 – DW: “You think about storytelling and initially you think of testimonials or somebody’s telling a nice story about an experience they had at your organization. But it’s far beyond that, it’s really trying to engage the consumer and you’re part of their story, you’re part of their journey.”

16:29 – DW: It’s also about helping people make good decisions based on stories.”

17:00 – DW: “Storytelling can be helpful whether you’re talking to a patient and their family. It could be helpful when you’re talking to the Board of Directors. It could be helpful when you’re trying to convey what the data is showing.”

17:37 – DW: “CEOs have actually told us that the one thing they hope for from their strategist is a way that they can help them interpret the data that they do receive.”

20:13 – DW: “There is a need to be strategic but there is also a need to be a good leader. And some of those soft skills that are so important have to do with that innovative, nimble kind of spirit. And taking on that role of someone who is really going to challenge the status quo. Someone who is going to be able to be bold and to ask the difficult questions.”

Leading with Health is hosted by Jennifer Michelle. Jennifer has a Master’s in Public Health and Epidemiology and is a certified EMT. As President of Michelle Marketing Strategies, Jennifer specializes in healthcare marketing. She is on a mission to help women find their voice so they can create a stronger, more responsive healthcare system.