CHAPTER 39. Marketing the Transport Program

Kevin High

Competencies

1. Identify the components of a marketing plan for a transport program.

2. Describe marketing activities that may be used by a transport program.

3. Articulate the mission of a transport program.

This chapter presents an overview of the marketing process components and how marketing relates to the transport program.

Marketing is a planned, multistep, strategic process and not a single or isolated event; it is continuous and persistent and part of the job description of every individual in the organization.

The main components of a marketing plan are the mission statement of the program, market research, market planning, and public relations. Each component is one carefully interwoven building block in the overall marketing plan. The critical elements of the marketing process are quality of service, high performance of the transport system, and customer relations.

Marketing activities should be designed so that the end results are measurable. This design is important for the transport manager in evaluating current and past marketing activities and setting strategies for future market potentials. Marketing plans, just like continuous quality improvement programs, need to be continuously evaluated. Marketing is not the distribution of program paraphernalia, such as calendars, pens, and buttons. The expenditure of resources for such materials must be carefully planned, budgeted, and evaluated in terms of other marketing activities that are significantly more important. Marketing is not primarily a sales activity. Rather, it is the preparation and delivery of information and support to those on whom the program depends. Through marketing, the program attempts to influence the decision-making and buying practices of the users. The transport program has no control over these external agencies. However, through the informational value of the marketing program’s public relations function, the manager can influence user selection. ^1,^3,⁶

A marketing plan is a written document that describes the strategies necessary to successfully penetrate, capture, and retain market share of the patient referral area. Essentially, it is the foundation on which the transport program’s other operating plans are built.

Unfortunately, transport programs have a history of initiating operations with a limited scope of market planning. The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) educational plan may serve as a starting point and a framework for a marketing plan. CAMTS recommends that each transport program have a professional and community education program or printed information with the target audience to be defined by the medical transport service. The information provided by the transport service should be trustworthy and may include ⁴:

▪ Hours of operation.

▪ Capabilities of the medical transport personnel.

▪ Types of aircraft or ground interfacility vehicles used and operational protocols specific to type.

▪ Coverage area for the transport service.

▪ Preparation and stabilization of the patient.

Unfortunately, beyond the CAMTS regulatory recommendations, marketing may be viewed administratively as a luxury to be addressed later because it requires time, personnel, and financial support. Quick program start-ups as a response to competition have often left strategic planning processes on the back burner.

The budget line item for marketing, advertising and public relations, and program promotion is not unusually the lowest allocation in the overall transport program. In addition, the sponsor hospital’s marketing resources and marketing departments, which are assigned responsibility for promoting the transport service along with an array of other hospital services and programs, often neutralize transport managers.

Thus, the involvement of the transport manager may be limited and often quite latent. At a minimum, the transport program leader must strive to influence the informational environment in which the marketing department makes decisions that can affect the program’s success. The program leader must educate the marketing department on the program’s mission, customer base, and focus, which are often very different from typical healthcare entities to which they are accustomed.

MISSION OF THE TRANSPORT PROGRAM

A program’s mission is generally expressed as a broad statement that defines the roles and purpose of the organization and the environment in which it operates. The mission reflects the primary reasons for the organization’s existence.

Mission and scope may refer to the nature of the program’s product and activities in terms of its ability to serve its market area. The mission statement should address the basic questions “What business are we in?” and “What markets should we serve?”

The transport programs mission should have the following characteristics:

▪ Safe operation of the transport vehicle, along with the safety of the transport personnel and patient, are priority one.

▪ The focus of the transport program should align with the sponsoring hospital or institution or corporation (if applicable).

▪ The mission should define what types of individuals and organizations the program serves and how (modes of transport).

The mission statement gives clarity to the transport program with regard to what it does and whom it serves. Through the mission, the program can communicate its identity to its staff and the outside community. In essence, the mission statement is the foundation for the behavior of the organization. The mission statement should drive the goals of the transport program.

A primary mode for success in marketing is to segment the multiple macromarkets into homogeneous micromarket segments. This subclassification allows implementation by the management of an affordable focused plan of action.

IDENTIFICATION AND SEGMENTATION OF THE MARKET

Market segmentation is concerned with finding, identifying, and serving consumer and user groups in the organization’s service area. A transport program’s service area can be divided into groups of people with similar needs and characteristics to which the program can provide specific services. The focus should be on the system activator (i.e., someone who has the ability to make a transport request). This core principle is often forgotten. Marketing efforts are often focused on potential patients or end users of the service, which in most cases cannot or do not have the authority to request a transport.

Market segmentation reveals who the customers are and prioritizes the provision of information addressed to their specific needs. In the typical transport program, the two main segments are prehospital providers and hospital personnel (Table 39-1).

**TABLE 39-1** Two Groups of People Transport Programs Generally Serve
	Hospital Personnel	Prehospital Personnel
EMTs, Emergency medical technicians.
Disciplines	Physicians Nurses Administration Case managers	911 Dispatchers Firefighters EMTs, paramedics Law enforcement officers
Focus	Interhospital transport	Scene transport
High value issues	Patient safety Quality/level of care Timely/appropriate feedback	Speed/response time Aircraft/vehicle capability Timely/appropriate feedback

As Table 39-1 illustrates, transport programs have two groups of people they generally serve. Each of these groups has different needs and desires. Note that the table does not contain patients who receive direct care; more often than not, these individuals cannot and do not make a transport request. Expenditure of resources on this group has a low marketing yield with respect to boosting transport requests. Each of the noted groups should be the recipients of marketing efforts; however, efforts need to be tailored to each group.

CREATION OF AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING PLAN

The transport manager must first identify the potential activators of the service. The identification process is relatively simple. The steps are as follows:

▪ Create a list of every agency, organization, and healthcare facility within a 50–nautical mile radius of the transport vehicle’s base of operations.

▪ Divide these into two groups: prehospital providers and hospital providers.

▪ Begin building the customer database (Box 39-1).

BOX 39-1

Customer Database 101

Introduction

Whether you are using some type of sophisticated customer management software or just a piece of paper, there are a few things to keep in mind when building a customer database.

Decide on the Platform

The transport manager may use anything from a ring notebook to a software program; whatever platform is chosen, it should be easily accessible for everyone within the organization. However, this information should be kept and stored securely. A simple software spreadsheet template makes a great beginning database and can be stored on a network and accessed from the Internet.

Keep It Simple

An Internet-based system is the easiest and most accessible system but can be technically overwhelming at times. The goal should be first and foremost to gain and store information. Ideally, the transport program should want to harness the power of that information.

Gather the Right Data on the Right Customer

• Initially focus on each hospital, EMS agency, and 911 center within the contiguous counties (counties that are adjacent to your transport aircraft or vehicle base county).

• Initial focus within hospitals should be on the Emergency Department (ED) Director, Medical Director, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Director, and Charge Nurses.

• Focus on 911 centers should be aimed at Manager/Shift Supervisors.

• Focus on EMS agencies should revolve around the Director/Chief and division/shift leaders.

• Within each county are five to 10 must-see/ must-know customers within the three institutions; find out who they are and how to contact them.

• Obtain basic information; name, address, email address, and fax and phone numbers for each individual.

Focus Constantly

Initial focus needs to be on leadership of these adjacent areas or areas within a 50–nautical mile area of the base. Concentrate only on agencies, facilities, and individuals that can use the transport service.

▪ Focus efforts within this area and target the individuals within the database.

Gathering data on individuals of influence within the area can be tedious. System activators must be identified and added to a customer database (see Box 39-1).

A marketing plan for a new base startup can be particularly challenging; moving into a new market space and dealing with new customers requires a comprehensive plan. A sample plan is shown in Table 39-2.

**TABLE 39-2** Example of Marketing Plan
30 Days Before Base Opening	First 30 Days of Operation	First 90 Days of Operation
• Assemble marketing team • Begin market space study • Begin formulation of database • Focus strictly on referral area, within 50 nautical miles from base • After identifying customers, meet with each of them as quickly as possible within this time period • Plan at least one open house for customers or in combination with media day • Write press release announcing first full day in service; send this to local media and within database	• Conduct at least one visit to one of the target agencies/facilities within this time period • Conduct one transport vehicle site visit to each county within market space; tie in local media and dignitaries if possible • Begin teaching basic safety/ utilization class for EMS personnel within target area • Begin teaching basic utilization/ patient packaging class for hospital personnel within the target area	• Revisit or complete initial visits to identified customers • Continue teaching basic safety/utilization class for EMS personnel within target area • Continue teaching basic utilization/patient packaging class for hospital personnel within target area • Begin quarterly regional educational events that are rotated throughout market space • Write “first 100 days” press release • Expand database beyond initial leadership within market space

Market Research

Market research is a systematic analysis of the market to obtain objective data relevant to the goals or objectives of the transport program. Market research facilitates informed management decision making. Data from market research help identify and solve marketing problems, but these data are not a substitute for management decision making. ^1.^2.^3.^{and 4.}

As stated previously, market research is focused on people from agencies that have the ability or option to activate a patient transport. Having projected the largest potential group of activators, a survey instrument such as a questionnaire can be developed to obtain information from each specific market segment (physicians, law enforcement agencies, and so on) about the perceived servicing needs of the transport program. From this information, marketing strategies can be formulated.

In addition to the questionnaire, the transport manager can use staff to interact with activators in a community. One activity can be small focus groups. Something as simple as brief discussions at local hospital medical staff meetings, or in groups as small as a 911 dispatcher meeting, may elicit important market information. Whether the interview method or survey instrument is used, questions should be constructed in such a manner that an objective analysis can be made on the data gathered.

Competition

As of January 2008, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS; www.aams.org) put the number of rotor-wing aircraft within the United States at more than 800. Several states have more than 30 aircraft that operate from within their border. Competition between transport programs for market share is stronger than ever. Marketing efforts by transport programs must be sophisticated and focused.

In the case of competing programs, market research can objectively identify the perceived strengths and weakness of each of the transport services. A simple SCOT analysis (strengths, challenges, opportunities, and threats) performed internally can be helpful.

The transport manager must set forth policies and procedures for dealing with competing programs. These policies and procedures should include the following core concepts:

▪ Established “rules of engagement” or codes of professional conduct and interaction between the programs.

▪ Some type of regular and open dialogue with the leadership from the competitor program.

▪ Specific processes in place to address operational safety and mutual response incidents.

In a competitive environment, a transport program can easily lose its focus, which can lead to complacency and inattention to the details of everyday operation and clinical care. The transport manager must keep the team focused on the business at hand and not on what the competitor may or may not be doing. The competitor’s actions are beyond your control.

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