MHA626 Strategic Planning & Marketing in Health Care

Instructor ’s Guidance

When providing definitio ns, be sure to also include examples. It is through the inclusio n of

examples that you demonstrate to your instructor a level of understand ing. By showing your

ability to apply definitio ns to real world situatio ns you will be emphas izing your true

understand ing of the course materia l. If you have any questions please let me know as I am here

to help.

Instructor’s Intellectua l Elaboration/ References:

Week Six students will examine ethical and legal issues centered on the use of social media.

Students will also draw from their work in previous weeks to develop a successful marketing

plan that is cen tered on a specified product or service for a chosen healthcare organizatio n.

Ethical and Legal Issues Associated With Social Media

As the various forms of social media’s become an integra l part of our culture, health care

organiza tio ns and marketing te ams are caught in the dilemma of “how” to incorporate social

media’s into contemporary marketing plans. The positive aspects of social media’s are evident,

primarily the ability to market a service or product to multip le segments and target markets;

howeve r, there are a vast array of ethical and legal unknowns that need to be explored. In

particular, issues such as disclosure of confidentia l informatio n, unauthorized use of trademarks,

and security are just a few commonly known problems that can arise from the use of social

media. However, the unknown aspects that fall within the area of HIPAA regulatio ns present the

greatest concern for health care managers and marketing teams (Stamatis, 2008). With this said,

health care organizatio ns need to be vigila nt c oncerning in servicing marketing departments

regarding both federal and state policy changes concerning patent informa tio n disclosure,

HIPAA regulatio ns and the use of social media’s.

Marketing Plan

As health care organizatio ns segment their products a nd services into specific target market

categories, the need for a well -defined market plan becomes increasingly pertinent to the success

of the organizatio n. The corporate missio n and vision provide the pathway for marketing teams

to follow; specific obje ctives are defined to fulfill the needs of known and perspective customers.

Stevens & Silver (2015) suggest that monitoring and assessing outcomes are an important

component in sustainin g the success of an organizatio ns marketing plan. It should be noted t hat

environme nta l changes and market trends all influe nce the development of an organiza tio ns

marketing plan; therefore, the process should be considered ever changing, a fluid process,

marketing teams should always be willing to assess, change, and imple m e nt new plans that will

meet or exceed the expectations of their customer base.

Stamatis, D.H. (2008). Total quality service, principle s, practices, and imple me nta tio n. Boca

Raton, Florida. CRC Press LLC.

Stevens, R., & Silver, L. S. (2015 ). Strategic planning and marketing in healthcare organizatio ns.