title: Channel leadership in health care marketing: a natural role for hospitals.
abstract: Health care has entered an era of rapid change. Most observers agree that important long-term changes will fundamentally reshape health care as we know it. To that end, health care providers should consider the benefits of operating vertically integrated marketing system with hospitals as the channel leader. Whether an administered VMS (hospitals have the power to gain compliance) or a corporate VMS (hospitals own successive levels of care providers), integrated channel management holds the promise of cost containment and quality patient care for the future. However, a great deal of integrating work must be done before VMSs will become a practical solution. Research studies are needed on each of the issues just discussed. As marketers, it is time we make a transition from treating health care marketing as a disjointed entity and instead treat it as an industry where all marketing principles are considered including channel management.
authors: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green.
authors: D L
authors: DL
authors: Fugate
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: Decker
mesh_terms: D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000379:methods*; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007857:Leadership; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014481:United States