If you’re not familiar with the battle taking place right now in Boston between Tufts Medical Center and BCBS of Massachusetts, let me tell you it’s a big one! It has been featured in the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, and numerous other news outlets. But what’s interesting to me is how Tufts Medical Center and its constituents are using social media and the Internet to tell its story.
To give you some quick background information, Tufts and BCBS have been unable to agree upon a new contract. The contract would set the reimbursement rate that Tufts receives from BCBS for various procedures, etc. Currently, Tufts is reimbursed at a rate that is anywhere from 20% to 40% below that of its competitors (Partners hospitals in the Boston area). This is because when it comes to negotiating managed care contract, size matters a lot, and Tufts is a small, stand alone hospital in inner city Boston. Simply put, they just don’t have the negotiating clout. So, contract talks have come to a stand still and Tufts may no longer be able to accept BCBS insurance plans at its hospital. This is a bad outcome for everyone involved, especially patients. (For more info, you can check out my post on thehealthcaremarketer.wordpress.com. It gives a more extensive account of the battle.)
So, Tufts has turned to the Internet to tell its story, to make its case, and to organize support. It has set up a separate microsite to handle questions from patients and physicians – www.keepmydoc.org. At this site they also give visitors contact information for filing grievances with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts – and instructions for writing letters to the editor of various regional newspapers.
There is also a Facebook Group that individuals can join to show their support. It’s interesting to read what supporters are writing on the wallpaper. Several of the people to join the group are current and former patients. They have strong emotional connections to the brand.
As I’ve reviewed the various news stories online, I’ve been amazed by the number of people (primarily pro-Tufts) commenting on each story. This is yet another form of social marketing – citizen journalism. I love seeing people passionately supporting something they feel so strongly about.
And of course there are people like me (and many others) who are writing blog posts about the situation and adding their own unique perspectives to the analysis. Click here to access a post from the BawstonBlog. Here’s another interesting post on the subject titled: Tufts to Blue Cross: Fuhgettaboutit.
Given that the healthcare realm has been slow to adopt social media tactics, to see this crisis unfold online demonstrates the utility of social media for communicating quickly with key brand constituents, and for asserting a specific agenda. I can’t wait to see how this one plays out.
Post by Dan Dunlop, Brand Expeditions
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