Volume 178

August 23, 2023

  • Educate Always, Treat Well
  • Unique Value Proposition
  • 3rd Party Impact
  • Apples to Apples
  • Our Lexicon, A Foreign Language
  • Ask Us, Learn More

I was inspired when a leading practice eloquently stated, “by proving ourselves as subject matter experts, patients trust our education and visit us often to learn more, granting us permission to take great care of them. Throughout their audiological journey, when timing is right, they may periodically invest in technology treatment options, initial or upgrades.”


With respect to treatment armamentarium’s hearing aid component, their model is:

Educate Always, Treat Well 

In this context, we appreciate positive feedback on Issue 171, which discussed LVOPS: Lifetime Value of Patient Service. Please review here.

In contrast to LVOPS calculating Value by summing revenue received, we realize patients’ perspective on “getting their money’s worth” is nuanced. Amid overly competitive marketplace conditions characterized by an unfortunate frequency of confusing (or unethical…) promotional tactics, clearly conveying the value of products and services delivered is integral. Of course, each practice applies their version of bundled, unbundled or hybrid approaches. As disruptive forces accelerate, is your Unique Value Proposition status quo optimal or requiring rejuvenation?


To the point, what trends are evident with how 3rd Party intermediaries impact your market area?


This stock chart displays 10-year performance of United Healthcare, a juggernaut currently capitalized at $462 billion. Quite a steep ascent…

Click to view live chart

UNH’s growth initiatives include: www.uhchearing.com and when aggressive advertising proliferates writ large, 3rd Party influence gains prominence. When assessing if or how to engage with this genre of mass marketers, leading practices are emphatic about prompting patients to understand “Special Offers” seen in mailboxes or TV ads may not be Apples to Apples:

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What high road approaches will fruitfully guide current and prospective patients to navigate inherent complexity? We often discuss the Curse of Knowledge which suggests those deeply knowledgeable on a topic may struggle to realize when others lack mutual understanding. Cases in point, if not:


  • an I.T. expert, do you grasp explanations about how to fix computer glitches?
  • mechanically inclined, do you grapple with performing engine repairs?
  • fluent in German, can you speak it?


Personal note: I’m 0 for 3 on above, as our son now living in Germany would (quickly) tell you.

To wit, how can hearing care consumers effectively obtain and process all necessary decision-making info if they lack cognizance of key questions? To them, hearing care lexicon might sound foreign.


Are mass marketing “Special Offers” truly special? When 3rd party discussions arise, many find this type of reference usefully directs the due diligence process. As always, easily customizable and omni-channel:

View larger


When current or prospective patients are encouraged to proactively ask these questions, they are more likely to. In constructive ways, their valid queries present golden opportunities to reputably enlighten. Take pride in the right answers being on your side, showcasing how your practice strictly adheres to clinical excellence standards, from the start and for life.

“Honesty is the Best Policy.”

– Benjamin Franklin 

In stark contrast, when they ask someone at a “surprised” 800# call center or local (quasi) competitor, what will they discover? Caveat Emptor, “Let the buyer beware.” “Tru That”….


See you next week, from 3rd Party to Mass Merchants, discover what’s In Store.

If you feel our weekly Insights may be useful to a colleague, please encourage them to subscribe at:

Practice Growth Insights

Bruce Essman

CEO

High Definition Impressions (HDI)


PracticeGrowthbyDesign.com


bruce@hdimpressions.com



314.276.7392

View Previous Issue by Clicking on Link Below:

COVID-19 2020-03-26 | COVID-19 & Springing Forward

PGI #1 2020-04-02 | Communication Wellness Matters

PGI #2 2020-04-09 | Communication Wellness Starts with Why

PGI #3 2020-04-16 | Comorbidity Education, "Did You Know?"

PGI #4 2020-04-22 | “Diagnose & Treat” Comorbidity Education

PGI #5 2020-04-29 | Guiding Principles of The Art & Science of HealthScapes®

PGI #6 2020-05-06 | Plan for the Other Side

PGI #7 2020-05-13 | Subject Matter Expertise & Social Currency

PGI #8 2020-05-20| Educate Well Monthly & Care to Share Daily

PGI #9 2020-05-27| The Survey Says, Take Science Seriously

PGI #10 2020-06-03 | MD Referrals, Start with the ABC's

PGI #11 2020-06-10 | Going Digital with Omni-Channel Benefits

PGI #12 2020-06-17 | Monthly E-Newsletters, Stay in Touch

PGI #13 2020-06-24 | Wellness Wednesdays, Healthy Habits

PGI #14 2020-07-01 | Get Well Organized, Be an Educational Curator

PGI #15 2020-07-08 | Good Humor, Healthy Hearing

PGI #16 2020-07-15 | Nurturing Campaigns and Automatic Comorbidity Education

PGI #17 2020-07-22 | On the List, Tag You're It

PGI #18 2020-07-29 | Nurturing Campaigns, Go with The Flow

PGI #19 2020-08-05 | "Outsmart, Don't Outspend," The Right Fit

PGI #20 2020-08-12 | Targeted Mail, On Purpose

PGI #21 2020-08-19 | Tech Upgrades, Just What the Doctor Ordered

PGI #22 2020-08-26 | 5Ws of the Core 4 Learn More

PGI #23 2020-09-02 | The Art of Hearing, More Should Know

PGI #24 2020-09-09 | Friends & Family “Share the Joy of Hearing”

PGI #25 2020-09-16 | Your Unique Value Proposition, Pearls of Wisdom

PGI #26 2020-09-23 | Your patients' journey to well-informed decisions

PGI #27 2020-09-30 | Hear the Facts and care to share daily

PGI #28 2020-10-07 | Take the Lead, Start with Why

PGI #29 2020-10-14 | Change is evident. Let's diagnose and treat.

PGI #30 2020-10-21 | Your Local Pride. Let It Show.

PGI #31 2020-10-28 | Tell Your Story, Make It Memorable.

PGI #32 2020-11-04 | The Art of Hearing, Visibility Matters.

PGI #33 2020-11-11 | See the Pathway to Better Hearing

PGI #34 2020-11-18 | Our Experts, the Right Fit

PGI #35 2020-11-25 | Giving Thanks. Electing Gratitude as an Attitude

PGI #36 2020-12-02 | Get 2021 On Schedule and In Mind

PGI #37 2020-12-09 | E-Newsletters, Open Opportunities

PGI #38 2020-12-16 | Targeted Trio for All to See

PGI #39 2020-12-23 | Time to Celebrate, by the Book

PGI #40 2020-12-30 | 2021 For the Better

PGI #41 2021-01-06 | In 2021, HDI+. For the Better

PGI #42 2021-01-13 | More Wellness Referrals. A Resolution.

PGI #43 2021-01-20 | A Super Launch Meeting. Your VIP Ticket.

PGI #44 2021-01-27 | Motivational PCCs: Practice Culture Commitments

PGI #45 2021-02-03 | The Art & Science of HealthScapes® with Just 3 Words

PGI #46 2021-02-10 | In Their Own Words, a PET Project

PGI #47 2021-02-17 | Habit-forming progress is 1% better

PGI #48 2021-02-24 | Make Routine Progress Easy and Satisfying

PGI #49 2021-03-03 | The Art of Customer Service, Be Our Guest

PGI #50 2021-03-10 | Time for R&R (Rewards and Recognition)

PGI #51 2021-03-17 | A Year of Insights, For All to See

PGI #52 2021-03-24 | 3 C's, 1 Purpose. Your Practice Growth by Design.

PGI #53 2021-03-31 | Original Content, On Demand

PGI #54 2021-04-07 | Expert Coaching, Great Sports

PGI #55 2021-04-14 | Base Hits & a Double Play

PGI #56 2021-04-21 | Personalized Care, Think Local

PGI #57 2021-04-28 | The Art of Hearing, Who Knows?

PGI #58 2021-05-05 | Circles of Life, Listen Up

PGI #59 2021-05-12 | Customized Presentation Folders, Lasting Impressions

PGI #60 2021-05-19 | Practice Growth, From the Outside In

PGI#61 2021-05-26 | Physician Referrals, Doctor’s Orders

PGI #62 2021-06-02 | The ABC’s of Physician Referrals

PGI #63 2021-06-09 | Senior Living, The Numbers Speak

PGI #64 2021-06-16 | PEAK Performance, Measured Targets

PGI #65 2021-06-23 | PEAK Performance, High Priorities

PGI #66 2021-06-30 | SLC Growth, Be the Early Bird

PGI #67 2021-07-07 | From Their View, What’s Your Story?

PGI #68 2021-07-14 | An Informative Quartet, All Can Hear

PGI #69 2021-07-21 | Open Opportunities. Did You Know?

PGI #70 2021-07-28 | Educational Presentations, On the Menu

PGI #71 2021-08-04 | Live and Learn. The Curse of Knowledge.

PGI #72 2021-08-11 | To Be Memorable, Stick with It

PGI #73 2021-08-18 | Hearing Health Bingo, We've Got Your #

PGI #74 2021-08-25 | Hearing Health Bingo. Know How.

PGI #75 2021-09-01 | Frontline Staff. Who Can Help?

PGI #76 2021-09-08 | Opportune Invention & Hearing Health Ambassadors.

PGI #77 2021-09-15| Bring Precious Sounds to Life, Justice Served

PGI #78 2021-09-22 | Hearing Health Ambassadors SAVE

PGI #79 2021-09-29 | Hearing Health Ambassadors, Time to Find

PGI #80 2021-10-06 | The Networking Effect, Bringing it Home

PGI #81 2021-10-13 | Healthy Hearing, Good Business.

PGI #82 2021-10-20 | Corporate Wellness Matters

PGI #83 2021-10-27 | Hearing Health Partners, Carefully Funneled

PGI #84 2021-11-03 | Corporate Wellness Programs. How Rewarding.

PGI #85 2021-11-10 | Valuable Benefits, That’s The Story

PGI #86 2021-11-17 | Outside-In Growth, Handy Reference Guide

PGI #87 2021-11-24 | Go-Givers, Inspiring Heroes

PGI #88 2021-12-01 | 2022 Priorities, Ready to Rock.

PGI #89 2021-12-08 | 90 and Counting, Speaks Volumes

PGI #90 2021-12-15 | Educate Well Monthly™, Back to Basics

PGI #91 2021-12-22 | Did You Know? Targeted Trio

PGI #92 2021-12-29 | By the Book, Turning the Page

PGI #93 2022-01-05 | In 2022, Change for the Better

PGI #94 2022-01-12 | Super Practice Culture, The 3 Ts

PGI #95 2022-01-19 | Facebook Features, Wellness Wednesdays

PGI #96 2022-01-26 | Your Competitive Edge. Thankful Ripple Effects.

PGI #97 2022-02-02 | Good Humor, Healthy Hearing

PGI #98 2022-02-09 | Branding Basic$

PGI #99 2022-02-16 | 100th Practice Growth Insights™, @ Your Service

PGI #100 2022-02-23 | Your Practice Growth Insights, Go With The Flow

PGI #101 2022-03-02 | Your Growth OpportUNITY, Search Away

PGI #102 2022-03-09 | Your Practice, Uniquely Better & For Review

PGI #103 2022-03-16 | Your Health Questionnaire, Blue Man Style.

PGI #104 2022-03-23 | Ears Collect, Brains Connect™

PGI #105 2022-03-30 | 9 Facts, 1 Goal. Dementia Awareness.

PGI #106 2022-04-06 | Peer-Reviewed Success, Lead The Way

PGI #107 2022-04-13 | Knowledge Itself. Omni-Channel Works

PGI #108 2022-04-20 | Educational Architecture, Form Ever Follows Function

PGI #109 2022-04-27 | Grow Physician Referrals, Don’t be $alesy!

PGI #110 2022-05-04 | Hear the Fax™, Stay in Touch

PGI #111 2022-05-11 | E-Newsletter Nurturing = Healthy Growth.

PGI #112 2022-05-18 | Dementia Awareness Contagion & Social Currency

PGI #113 2022-05-25 | Dementia Education, The Lancet Journal Speaks

PGI #114 2022-06-01 | Modify Dementia Risk, Be Accountable.

PGI #115 2022-06-08 | By the Book, We Promise

PGI #116 2022-06-15 | Hearing Loss Prevention, A Sense of Urgency

PGI #117 2022-06-22 | Safer Soundscapes, Sustainable Hearing™

PGI #118 2022-06-29 | Safer Soundscapes, Sounds Risky, By the Number

PGI #119 2022-07-06 | Taking Care of Ears in the Teenage Years

PGI #120 2022-07-13 | Hear the Facts About NIHL

PGI #121 2022-07-20 | NIHL Collection & Just Saying Thanks

PGI #122 2022-07-27 | High Performance, Cognitive Decline

PGI #123 2022-08-03 | Cognitive Decisions, In Mind

PGI #124 2022-08-10 | Pearls of Wisdom™, Trustworthy Information

PGI #125 2022-08-17 | Keep Your Educational Tools, In Mind

PGI #126 2022-08-24 | OTC Hearing Aids, Healthy Choices

PGI #127 2022-08-31 | OTC Hearing Aids. Mild Concerns, Profound Opportunities.

PGI #128 2022-09-07 | OTC is for Over-the-Counter. R is for Resilience.

PGI #129 2022-09-14 | Best Practices, How Many Lives?

PGI #130 2022-09-21 | Products & Services, New On-Ramps?

PGI #131 2022-09-28 | Service Delivery Duo, For the Future

PGI #132 2022-10-05 | OTC, Open to Counseling. By Definition.

PGI #133 2022-10-12 | Radical Transparency. Candid Conversations

PGI #134 2022-10-19 | Candid Conversations, All About It

PGI #135 2022-10-26 | OTC HA. Ask Us, Learn More.™

PGI #136 2022-11-02 | OTC HA Guiding Principles → 8 Words

PGI #137 2022-11-09 | Got Hearing?™, A Choice Matter

PGI #138 2022-11-16 | Got Hearing?™, A Primary Care

PGI #139 2022-11-23 | Attitude of Gratitude, Gifts of Hearing

PGI #140 2022-11-30 | Your Top Docs, Get A Round Tuit

PGI #141 2022-12-07 | Gifts of Hearing, Team Efforts

PGI #142 2022-12-14 | 2023, A Sense of Optimism.

PGI #143 2022-12-21 | Customized or Commoditized, Experience the Difference.

PGI #144 2022-12-28 | 2023 Success, Let’s Resolve.

PGI #145 2023-01-04 | 2023 Planning, In Review.

PGI #146 2023-01-11 | Powerful Moments, Remarkable Impact

PGI #147 2023-01-18 | Elevate Positives, 9X Better

PGI #148 2023-01-25 | Get Insights, Tripping Over Truth

PGI #149 2023-02-01 | Be Proud, Multiply Milestones

PGI #150 2023-02-08 | Healthy Connections, What Matters

PGI #151 2023-02-15 | Super Goals & Winning Ways

PGI #152 2023-02-22 | Mutual Understanding, Speaks My Language

PGI #153 2023-03-01 | Health Literacy, All-Inclusive.

PGI #154 2023-03-08 | To Help More People, Speak Their Language

PGI #155 2023-03-15 | Educational Climate, Change For the Better

PGI #156 2023-03-22 | Multilingual Marketing, Just Keep Nurturing

PGI #157 2023-03-29 | Good Humor, Healthy Hearing

PGI #158 2023-04-05 | Healthy Awareness, Made to Stick™

PGI #159 2023-04-12 | Clear Views, Made to Stick™

PGI #160 2023-04-19 | Brand Awareness, Made to Stick™

PGI #161 2023-04-26 | Motivational Messages, Made to Stick™

PGI #162 2023-05-03 | Better Growth, Outsmart, Don't Outspend

PGI #163 2023-05-10 | Better Time, Better Ways

PGI #164 2023-05-17 | Internal Locus of Control, Just Makes Sense

PGI #165 2023-05-24 | Center of Excellence, Educationally So

PGI #166 2023-05-31 | Dementia Awareness, Join the Fight

PGI #167 2023-06-07 | The Longest Day, An Opportune Catalyst

PGI #168 2023-06-14 | Dual Sensory Loss & Dementia, What Research Indicates

PGI #169 2023-06-21 | Positively Contagious, Virtuous Cycles

PGI #170 2023-06-28 | Outsmart, Don’t Outspend, Déjà vu

PGI #171 2023-07-05 | LVOPS: Lifetime Value of Patient Service

PGI #172 2023-07-12 | E-Newsletters Trending, What's Up?

PGI #173 2023-07-19 | Educational Engagement, Simply Better

PGI #174 2023-07-26 | Wellness Wednesdays, Facebook Fun

PGI #175 2023-08-02 | Facebook and Instagram, Dynamic Duo

PGI #176 2023-08-09 | Social Media Architecture, What's the Plan?

PGI #177 2023-08-16 | Be Social, By Design

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