Competition in the healthcare industry can spur innovation and cause price shifts that are favorable for customers. I live in rural South Georgia with a single hospital community of eighty beds. However, this fact does not imply that this facility does not have any competition. Telehealth is a primary way of reaching rural populations for many hospitals, and my town is not an exception. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, this type of service has continued to receive massive investments, which have increased its availability and capacity (Puro & Feyereisen, 2020). The local hospital had to obtain new equipment and licenses for remote consultations, which positively reflected on its quality of care. Moreover, in order to remain competitive, my local hospital optimized its price range for telehealth services and proposed discounts for in-person visits when specialists were unable to reach patients online. Nursing leaders took on the role of marketing agents, as their teams’ ability to lead patients through this new system was crucial for the hospital’s fiscal stability.
Programs that focus on patient attraction are seeing an increase in their budgets due to a strong need for expansion. While my hospital has a constant population size, it is now able to obtain additional patients through its online services. The limits on demand inevitably reflect on the quality of care, which poorly transfer into fiscal benefits in rural areas (Onder et al., 2022). The financial performance in my local community hospital improves through new technologies and enables specialists to advertise themselves to a broader audience. Programs shift toward better customer acquisition and retention with the help of telehealth.
Marketing efforts of the local hospital have been transforming over the past two years as the population that can be covered by its services is expanding. Competition is increasing due to the presence of other hospitals’ telehealth offers in the area. Highly sought-after professionals are often utilized for public enticement alongside facilities’ convenience, pricing strategies, and insurance coverages. Both urban and rural healthcare systems show quantifiable results to investors and customers since they get better responses and attraction through such statistics (Onder et al., 2022). In my community, a specific advertisement message is now prominent, which informs customers on the quality and capacity of connectivity with hospital staff. The hospital is able to hold its market share through constant improvements and gain an additional portion from nearby locations.
It is essential for healthcare facilities to work on the quality of their services continuously. Depending on the location, healthcare systems can attract more specialists, more advanced equipment, and more patients. In order to stand out among their competitors, hospitals tend to offer unique services, lower prices, or display positive outcome rates (Onder et al., 2022). Simultaneously, these efforts must be shown to the public for promotion. Healthcare institutions have to state their patients’ outcomes and rehospitalizations clearly, as these parameters possess the most significant impact on their financial viability (Onder et al., 2022). Nurse leaders take a vital role in the development of new systems in hospitals, as they maintain the direction of personnel training, manage staffing needs, address deficiencies, and teach patients how to access telehealth. This form of leadership already relies on communication, although now team leaders are required to become knowledgeable in technology as well as in medical procedures. In conclusion, despite being the only healthcare facility in my area, the local hospital has to compete with other institutions regardless of their distance, improves the quality of its services, and constantly shares its achievements.
References
Onder, O., Cook, W., & Kristal, M. (2022). Does quality help the financial viability of hospitals? A data envelopment analysis approach. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 79. Web.
Puro, N. A., & Feyereisen, S. (2020). Telehealth availability in US hospitals in the face of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The Journal of Rural Health, 36(4), 577-583. Web.