St. Peter's Cardiac Center Medical Marketing Case Study
Albany, New York

We created a four-zone medical marketing and communications campaign that aligned physician referral patterns, educated patients and introduced a toll-free number that provides the caller with a free cardiac risk assessment. Once initiated, St. Peter’s saw an increase in affiliations with community hospitals, brand awareness, preference for their services, patient volume and revenues.

To kick-off the campaign, we developed and coordinated the first live medical marketing broadcast of an angioplasty procedure at an event entitled, “Celebration of the Heart.” The event was cooperatively produced and promoted with the Times Union (a local newspaper) and WNYT (the NBC affiliate) in Albany, NY. The event featured a renowned key-note speaker and a physician panel.

In April 2001, The Jackson Organization predicted that there was no possibility for St. Peter’s to service preference similar to that of its competitor, Albany Medical Center. Through a partnership with Banahan.Communications, the impossible was achieved.

In a letter to St. Peter's in April 2001, the Jackson Organization said “It is our experience that there is no way you will be able to achieve heart services preference share equal to Albany Medical Center. In 1999, heart services preference for St. Peter’s was 16%, while Albany Medical Center’s preference share was 50%. We have never seen any hospital make up a 34% preference share deficit in three-years time. Moreover, we have never seen a community hospital have preference share equal to an academic medical center for any type of highly specialized service, such as heart or cancer.”

Yet that is exactly what St. Peter's did. In addition to service preference, St. Peter’s has been able to achieve an increased quality rating of 64 percent. This was also thought to be an unobtainable goal. According to the 2001 analysis by the Jackson Organization, “The overall quality goal of 60% “excellent/very good” responses can be achieved, but we would consider this a “stretch” goal. An increase of this magnitude for hospitals is very rare.”

Despite this prediction, St. Peter’s has indeed achieved its goals. Corporate Communications in tandem with Banahan.Communications medical marketing services, successfully positioned St. Peter’s against a formidable academic medical center/competitor.