Marketing strategies in a competitive managed care environment

In the new health care marketplace dominated by managed care, patients expect more from their physicians and other providers. Because cost is not an issue for the managed care patient, physicians must find a way to distinguish their practices from others in the managed care plan directory. This article provides low-cost strategies that physicians may use to do so. These include: focusing on the customer; ensuring friendly, attentive, and trained staff using patient-friendly office policies; making the patient priority number one; listening to and communicating with patients; being a patient advocate; giving patients choices to increase their control over their care; respecting the time demands on the patient and his or her family, and others.