Developing marketing strategies for university teaching hospitals

University teaching hospitals face increasing competition from community hospitals, expanding regulation of health care, a rising tide of consumerism, and in many cases a declining urban population base. These problems, which may threaten the teaching hospital's ability to continue tertiary care, teaching, and research functions, may be solved with the aid of new marketing strategies. In developing its marketing strategy, a hospital must assess its strengths and weaknesses, specify its goals in measurable terms, implement tactics to achieve these goals, and evaluate its marketing program. The strategies should be directed toward achieving better relationships with institutions, practitioners, and surrounding communities and increasing patient, visitor, and employee satisfaction. A wide variety of programs can be used to reach these goals and to help teaching hospitals meet the competitive challenges of this decade.