Focus groups critical part of marketing program
Verbal input supplements written surveys
With the changing state of health care and reimbursement, it's more important than ever to get input from your customers, says Susan Wynne, director of marketing at Bryn Mawr Rehab in Malvern, PA. That's why Bryn Mawr hosts regular focus groups to supplement written surveys and provide more in-depth, qualitative analysis of customers.
Target audiences for the focus groups include insurance case managers, social workers, physicians, and patients and families. The process allows Bryn Mawr to gain information needed to develop business strategies and meet criteria for accreditation from CARF...The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission in Tucson, AZ.
In response to suggestions from focus groups, Bryn Mawr discarded its 50-page patient handbook and replaced it with several smaller information pieces. Those include:
· a preadmissions brochure that explains the rehab program and lists items patients need to bring;
· an amenities directory, similar to those in hotels, that lists locations of services such as the gift shop and hairdresser;
· educational guides specific to the patients' illness or injury and their rehab program.
Wynne has two or three focus groups a year for payers and quarterly insurance advisory council meetings that serve as informal focus groups. (For more on the council, see story, p. 83.) She holds a focus group at least every other year with other target audiences. "Consumers are more involved in their health care decisions, which makes their input very important and very valuable. Focus groups are good forums for that to occur. It can only mean good things for the organization."
After the focus groups identify concerns, marketing staff may conduct further research, such as written or telephone surveys, to validate the information. "You can't make assumptions about the universe at large based on what you get from six or eight people," she warns.
Or Wynne may use focus groups as a second ary step to find out more details about a trend that shows up in her quantitative research. "In a focus group, you present information to people and watch their reaction. You can't do that with a pencil and paper."
For instance, focus groups are an excellent way to present an advertising campaign or printed materials to your customers and get an immediate reaction from them. "It also gives the opportunity for people to interact with each other and build on ideas. An idea of one person may stimulate thinking by others in the group," she says.
Wynne conducts some focus groups in-house but hires an external market research firm when she needs highly specialized formal research. In those instances, the focus groups are held away from the rehab center, and Wynne and her staff observe through a one-way mirror. The outside firm tapes the session and prepares a summary report with its recommendations. "If we are conducting research on a program or product that would have a significant business return for the facility, it would warrant the cost of hiring an outside firm," she says.
Worth the cost
Costs vary depending on whether you use a professional firm. For one project, Bryn Mawr paid an outside firm about $8,000 for planning meetings, three audiotaped focus groups, and an executive summary. Other costs included about $1,000 for participant incentives, which can range from $30 to $150 per participant per session.
Another option is to contract with a consultant who conducts the focus group on your site or can advise you on how to conduct your own. "It needn't be a very costly endeavor, but it is a very critical one. You can't underestimate the value of these forums," Wynne says.
She advises including the cost of focus groups in your budget and carrying them out in a formal way. Also, remember to touch base with key referral sources at least biannually, if not annually. Before designing a new program or service, identify your customers and make sure you get their input, she says. Consider using focus groups to get details on customer satisfaction issues you may not be able get through surveys. Plan focus groups for all your customers, including patients, families, hospital case managers, insurers, and physicians.
[Susan Wynne can be reached at (610) 251-5653.]
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