I. Communication Challenge
Independent Health (IH), a Buffalo-based, not-for-profit health plan, has been involved in an effort to transform health care by taking a proactive, collaborative approach to “bend the trend” on rising costs. Those efforts were ramped up in 2009 as the Obama administration pushed Congress to enact national health care reform legislation.
A communication plan was put in motion with Travers Collins (TC), with the overall goal to position IH – and Dr. Michael Cropp, the plan’s president/CEO – at the cutting edge of change in the health care industry.
II. Strategy and Execution
We prepared a white paper/print piece titled, “Developing a High-Performing Community: Transforming Health Care in Western New York,” which focused on four actions to help solve the health care crisis:
- Prevention and wellness
- Payment reform
- Improved efficiency
- Embracing technology
Other tactics and techniques used to support the plan included:
- Numerous meetings between Dr. Cropp with top employers throughout the region
- A series of op-eds written by Dr. Cropp in The Buffalo News and Business First of Buffalo, along with extensive earned media
- A section of the company’s website devoted to health care reform/transformation
- Two IH-founded, community-wide initiatives:
- P2 (Pursuing Perfection) Collaborative of WNY
- HEALTHeLink
III. Outcome
- A telephone survey of 500+ WNY residents conducted by Thoroughbred Opinion Research found that 43% of respondents felt IH was the local plan “taking the lead to deliver quality/affordable care” (compared to 37% and 13% for its two major local competitors). The same survey found nearly 53% felt IH was “most involved in offering health promotion and fitness activities to better the community” (compared to 31% and 13% percent).
- The survey findings supported other key IH messages:
- 60% said doctors should be paid based on quality of care, not volume of services
- 67% favored the use of electronic/computer based medical records
- An annual satisfaction survey of employers, members, physician’s offices and brokers conducted by DSS Research of Texas during 2009 ranked IH the number one local plan for taking the lead to deliver affordable, quality care
- Dr. Cropp was invited to participate in meetings with the Obama administration and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer to address health care reform at the national level
- IH successfully negotiated new contracts with the area’s three largest hospital systems
