Beacon Healthcare recently participated in the 2011 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Parsippany, New Jersey. Our team, Beacon of Hope, was among 8,500 walkers who joined together to support the fight against breast cancer. Together, we raised almost $15,000, making us 1 of the top 2 teams at the event. In addition, 4 team members achieved Pacesetter status by each raising over $2,500.

At Beacon, “We Hear You” and encourage you to raise your voice against breast cancer. If you would like to make a donation, feel free to visit our team page here.

As marketers you are faced with many challenges, from shrinking budgets to healthcare reform, from scrutiny by the FDA to generic competition. But you’re not letting that stop you from effectively marketing your brands. You’re facing these challenges head on.

Beacon Healthcare Communications recently conducted the 2012 Healthcare Marketer Survey to find out what industry issues and trends are most affecting your businesses.

• In 2011, three quarters of you and your colleagues saw decreases or no change in your marketing budgets compared to what was originally planned. However, many of you remain optimistic and expect a larger budget next year.
• You are slowly shifting your marketing budgets away from traditional print advertising and investing in digital media such as Web, mobile, and social media.

Even with fewer marketing dollars to work with, you are adapting to the new industry landscape, and implementing more diverse marketing plans.

We encourage you to read the full results of the survey. It’s well worth your time.

Here at Beacon Healthcare, our promise can be summed up in three words: “We hear you.” We take the time to listen so we can deliver the best possible solutions specifically designed for your brand, your challenges, and your customers.  Isn’t it time for you to really be heard?

SUPARTZ MyKneeAndMe and Beacon Healthcare just won Best Consumer Web Site/Online Initiative at the PM360 Trailblazer Awards 2011 in New York City. MyKneeAndMe.com is a new and innovative Web site designed to help patients make an informed decision about treating osteoarthritis of the knee.

Patient education is crucial in supporting a comprehensive dialogue between physicians and patients; it can lead to a better understanding of chronic illnesses and improved medication adherence. But are we doing enough?

A visit to the doctor’s office can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if we don’t know what’s wrong with us or why we’re feeling sick. We anxiously await our names to be called while sitting in the waiting room and try to calm our nerves by reading magazines. After we are called into the examination room, we tell the doctor our symptoms and hope he holds the answer to end our suffering. But what happens when the doctor breaks the news that we have an illness that we don’t know much about? This can be scary, so we’ll want to be comforted and have the doctor clearly explain our illness and how it can be treated. This is why patient education is so important.

According to a February 2011 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, patient education and medication adherence go hand-in-hand.  Even for the most highly educated patients, taking multiple medications daily can be overwhelming.  And missed or incorrect doses can lead to disease progression, complications, and even death.

The National Council on Patient Education and Adherence reports that poor adherence has reached a crisis level in the United States and around the world. A September 2010 survey conducted by MedTera Healthcare Intelligence found that doctors aren’t doing enough to educate patients about disease management. Of the 7,028 patients surveyed, 95% indicated that they are looking for more comprehensive information about disease management, and 77% said they hadn’t received any written information about their illness or medications directly from their doctor.

Our healthcare providers must use effective tools to help us before, during, and after our office visits. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists suggests that doctors use visual tools such as posters, animations, or models, to help them convey information.  Newly innovated technologies, such as digital media, give marketers more options to create educational campaigns that can help improve the patient experience. With more than half of Americans using the Internet as a source for medical information, physicians can also refer patients to specific Web sites, podcasts, or applications as additional resources. These visual education tools will help us better absorb the information our doctor is telling us.

Patient education that creates a clear and comprehensive dialogue with our doctor is becoming increasingly important. The use of proper educational tools can increase retention of medical information, allow us to better understand our illness, and teach us how to properly take our medications to avoid complications. What communication tools does your doctor use?