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PRESS RELEASESFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local marketing efforts by hospitals in the U.S. usually result in shuffling patient load from one area facility to the another. Hospitals that wish to attract international patients actually increase the size of the pie instead of slicing it differently. For example, in 1997, Johns Hopkins' international program generated annual revenues of roughly $30 million treating more than 7,000 patients per year. The University of Pennsylvania Health System, which has been focusing marketing efforts on international patients for years, understands the impact of promoting medical services online to international patients. "Most of those are self-referrals, meaning they refer themselves here based on something they see on the Internet or because of our rankings in...some other publication," says Patrick C. Donahue, director of international marketing (Philadelphia Business Journal; Monday, November 17, 1997). International marketing efforts have long been limited to promotion via print media, word-of-mouth, networking with foreign physicians and hospitals, and satellite hospitals and medical centers in other countries. However, with the easy and cost-effective Internet as a marketing tool, more and more hospitals are beginning to realize that they do not have to be Johns Hopkins to attract full-pay international patients. In addition to marketing the site to countries that sponsor their citizens to visit the U.S. for medical treatment, targeted promotion of www.americanhospitals.com will cost-effectively focus on the large number of affluent people worldwide who seek and can afford American healthcare. Besides hosting its own resource bank of hospitals that have expressed interest in serving the needs of international patients, www.americanhospitals.com links visitors to hundreds of American medical associations, health organizations, online medical resources by specialty, other hospital databases, pharmaceutical indices, medical journals and dictionaries, symptoms and illnesses directories, and articles about selecting health facilities and physicians. Hospitals and/or Centers of Excellence can participate as featured organizations to highlight their services and specialty programs. The magazine also covers associated areas of concern to the international visitor. Included are state and city profiles, information and links about travel, obtaining a visa, U.S. weather, finances, required documents, car rentals, accommodations, and much more. Furthermore, www.americanhospitals.com addresses other aspects of life in the United States such as American food and restaurants, parking, safety, ground transportation, conversational English, sports, television, and American values and education. ### |
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