Introduction
Akron Children’s Hospital, a pediatric caregiver based in Northeastern Ohio, faces significant bed occupancy level challenges due to stiff competition from other regional rivals. Its main rivals have top ranks in the healthcare provision sector in the region, with their exceptional brand excellence and reputations. It needs to gain more excellent competitive edges regarding the bed occupancy sector against its rivals through better positioning and promotional approaches in Ohio’s healthcare industry. Hospital bed occupancy is crucial in pediatric care centers like Akron’s Children and is far more complex than people realize. The aspect is generally comprehended as the number of beds patients fill within a particular period in a center.
When digging deep into the concept, one comprehends that the rate at which the beds are accessible or will be accessible for forthcoming patients is critical and essential to the center’s long-term success. The lower the center’s occupancy, the more probable it is to suffer poor monetary performance. Akron does not want to risk closure, considering the reality is that many pediatric centers get compelled to close down if they lack adequate patients. Akron Children’s has to even out its bottom line by keeping its bed occupancy rate from decreasing to lower and lower levels. Bed occupancy is a fundamental metric in the market, which Akron Children’s has to focus on improving to gain a more competitive edge and long-term success.
Background
Akron Children’s Hospital is a health center based in Northeastern Ohio that ventures into the children’s healthcare section. This region of Ohio has significant competition in the healthcare industry, particularly regarding catering to critically sick children. This hospital was founded in 1890, and currently, it is the area’s biggest pediatric welfare giver, having two hundred and fifty-three beds. It provides thirty practice expanses of surgical procedures and medicine customized for children. Nevertheless, the center functions behind two nationwide acknowledged hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Rainbow has two hundred and forty-four beds and was graded nationwide among the top five children’s health centers. The Cleveland Clinic possesses forty-seven beds and was not graded for pediatric exceptionality, but it has a great brand image as being among the top three health centers countrywide. As much as Akron is known to be incredibly innovative, bigger, and highly reputable, its rivals overshadow it to a great extent in its central marketplaces.
Discussion
Akron Children’s Hospital conducted research to determine why parents arrived at the challenging decision of where to admit their critically ill children. The parents are significantly challenged by which pediatric caregivers to seek help from whenever their children require acute treatment needing much hospitalization time. The hospital’s research and communications partner used a regional observational study and survey focus groups to evaluate parents’ hospital-selection decision procedure. The research found that parents are attracted by a hospital’s more incredible brand promise. Akron Children’s acknowledged that it faces stiff competition in its important marketplace in Cuyahoga County and also has to widen its operational boundaries above its Summit County hometown. Thus, the main problem is that the stiff competition challenges Akron Children’s bed occupancy rates, which must be enhanced using proper communication and marketing strategies that will express its quality brand promise.
Recommendations
Akron Children’s has to incorporate a very effective online media strategy to ensure optimum bed occupancy. It can do that by maintaining a robust and active online website. For children’s parents who get referred to the center or those who are looking for a pediatric caregiver in the region, research will probably be the initial thing to do. They will look at the hospital’s website before they schedule a visit for their sick children to get treatment. They will do that to ensure they know what to expect at Akron Children’s. For the parents who will begin their search online, the website will be where they will go initially to obtain an initial impression. Akron’s Children must maintain an active website updating new information concerning the hospital’s modified operations and activities. The website should not be out of date or oversimplified so the children’s parents acknowledge that the center is not outmoded. Thus, the brand exposure of Akron Children’s will rise considerably through its robust website, where many parents of sick children will know about its exceptional pediatric operations and services. Many parents with sick children needing to be admitted will take them to the center with its more incredible brand promise promoting the hospital’s bed occupancy.
Additionally, Akron Children’s has to maintain a solid and influential presence on social media sites (Ebrahim, 2020). It must post consistently on its Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram pages, where the hospital staff will interact with potential patients online. Many parents of sick children have accounts on these three social media sites for entertainment, educational, or work purposes. They can quickly come across Akron Children’s account and page and get answers to their inquiries regarding pediatric treatment at the hospital. Akron Children’s has to ensure it is active on its social media pages and consistently posts about the quality treatment options it offers customers. Many parents of sick children will take their ill children to get treated and admitted at the hospital owing to its impressive presence and reputation on the media sites. Generally, almost every presently successful firm possesses some form of social media presence. Social media is a vital instrument that pediatric caregivers like Akron Children’s may leverage to raise their bed occupancy.
Prospective patients searching for a pediatric care provider generally visit social media pages to obtain excellent comprehension of an institution. When Akron Children’s posts constantly on its social media pages and engages with prospective patients virtually, that will sum up to raise its credibility and connection for individuals on their lookout for a pediatric caregiver. That promotes its brand promise online, which will encourage a greater patient volume and optimum bed occupancy. In this current technological era, almost every person in the world owns a social media account, be it a Facebook or Instagram account. Thus, social media has a vast variety of users and, consequently, patients seeking pediatric care providers.
Also, Akron Children’s must maintain a strong link with local medical officers to promote patient volume and bed occupancy levels. It must sustain a robust connection of mutual trust with local medical officers in its Northeastern Ohio region. It should be transparent and accountable regarding its operations with the medical officers. If community members see that Akron Children’s has a strong link with local authorities, they will trust in the hospital’s credibility and operational efficiency. Many parents of sick children will want to admit their children to the pediatric center because of its good reputation. Generally, institutions having a good relationship with local medical authorities are known to be rule followers and quality service providers. This is because local medical authorities generally seek to offer protection and quality services to community members and will not maintain a strong relationship with an incompetent service provider. Thus, the impressive brand image and reputation that Akron Children’s will gain as a rule follower and quality caregiver will help it attract new potential patients. Many patients will come to be treated and admitted to the hospital’s beds, promoting optimal bed occupancy.
Furthermore, Akron Children’s must maintain its visibility in the community by building strong connections with children’s families in the region. Opportunities to interact with societal members aid to decrease bias on the part of the society residents. Physical interactions between Akron Children and families in the community outside of the hospital environment develop mutual trust between the two. Akron Children’s has to be visible in its region and society and be aware of the inhabitants. It can do door-to-door visits where it tells the residents about the quality pediatric services it offers at the center. It can also hold physical gatherings to get to know community residents and the specific types of pediatric services they need. The gatherings will also enable it to sell itself and its impeccable services to the residents to maintain a good image and reputation. Many parents of sick children in the area will want to get treatment at Akron Children’s, whose services they trust. An excellent availability of service seekers for the hospital translates to more patients seeking admission at the center (Mahmood & Bashir, 2020). The hospital will obtain optimal bed occupancy due to more significant patient attraction.
Also, Akron Children’s can incorporate extra effective technological methods to promote optimal bed occupancy levels. It can make camera videos and advertise them on TV and radio commercials regarding patients’ lives at the hospital. The videos will capture actual children admitted and using the hospital beds. The hospital has to use and hire competent advertising creative workers to take the videos for them to be advertised on public platforms. The footage and advertisements will show how the hospital has quality bed facilities and offers exceptional admission services. Akron Children’s will have to advertise the videos and footage on TV and radio channels that are very popular among TV watchers and radio listeners. That will enable many potential patients and parents of sick children to be aware of the quality pediatric services offered at the hospital (Cham et al., 2020). The videos will significantly stimulate hospital selection for prospective patients, motivating them to choose Akron Children’s for its promising service provision.
References
Ebrahim, R. S. (2020). The role of trust in understanding the impact of social media marketing on brand equity and brand loyalty. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 19(4), 287-308.
Cham, T. H., Cheng, B. L., Low, M. P., & Cheok, J. B. C. (2020). Brand image as the competitive edge for hospitals in medical tourism. European Business Review, 33(1).
Mahmood, A., & Bashir, J. (2020). How does corporate social responsibility transform brand reputation into brand equity? Economic and noneconomic perspectives of CSR. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 12, 1847979020927547.
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