title: Marketing and the medical specialist in the managed care environment.
abstract: Marketing means more than just communicating or advertising to potential patients; marketing means identifying your customers and working to meet or exceed their expectations. There are five key areas of a marketing plan: (1) Establish the foundation, beginning with your mission statement; (2) Assess your marketing environment by internal and external research; (3) Target your efforts, looking at image and perception; (4) Develop your particular mix of product, price, place of distribution, and promotion; and (5) implement and evaluate your marketing process. This article discusses the importance of a marketing plan for the medical specialist and highlights the features unique to a practice working in a system of capitated reimbursement. Applying these principles will help to demonstrate added value, protect the fundamental role of the patient-physician relationship, ensure that our efforts are aligned with professional missions and goals, and ultimately increase profitability and professional success.
authors.affiliation: San Diego Cardiology Network, CA, USA.
authors.forename: N W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Treister
mesh_terms: D002204:Capitation Fee; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004470:Economics, Medical; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008389:Marketing of Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011357:Product Line Management / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013038:Specialization; D014481:United States