1. Engagement builds relationships and strong advocates
6 Spectrum | September/October 2016
Gundersen Health System is using
an online consumer panel to make
and validate marketing decisions.
By Pamela Maas
Healthcare consumersare
evolving. They are becoming “customers”
in the classical sense of the word. They are
asking more questions, shopping around,
comparing prices, reading reviews, and
overall taking on increased ownership
of their healthcare.
As hospital and health system leaders
and marketers, we must evolve to meet the
expectations of the engaged healthcare con-
sumer. But how? Many of us have adjusted
our business models or made changes to our
marketing strategies to try to meet the needs
of these new healthcare decision makers. But
how do we know if our direction aligns with
the opinions and needs of this more engaged
and influential consumer?
Our Solution: A Consumer Panel
At Gundersen Health System, a healthcare
network with hospitals and clinics located
throughout parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, and
Minnesota, we understand the value of lis-
tening to the voice of the customer. We have
insights, answers, and an increased consumer
perspective as a result of creating an online
consumer panel: GundersenENGAGE.
Eighteen months ago, we partnered with
a market research agency to gather a vari-
ety of consumers—including both patients
and non-patients within our primary and
extended service areas—to an online forum.
By having this dedicated group ready and
willing to provide feedback on a number of
business development and marketing ideas,
they serve as an extension of our team, assist
in making decisions, and act as an “on call”
consumer insight group for immediate and
strategic planning needs.
Not only do we solicit feedback from our
panelists up to three times each month, but
we also strive to provide monthly feedback
through a blog to let panelists know how
insights are being used. By doing this, we
ensure that our members stay engaged and
feel ownership in the decisions they impact.
How Does It Work?
Now in its second year, our online consumer
panel provides valuable insights into deci-
sion making for numerous departments
across the organization. Through a combi-
nation of polls, open-ended discussions, and
short surveys, we have the ability to provide
an educated, consumer-focused point of
view, and inform leadership and strategic
business decisions on topics ranging from
Listening to the Voice of the Customer
M A R K E T I N G
Reproduced with permission from the September/October 2016 issue of Spectrum
© 2016 by the Society for Healthcare Strategy Market Development

2. September/October 2016 | Spectrum 7
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
how consumers manage their care
needs to their reactions toward new
programs and services.
What We’ve Learned
The knowledge gained from listen-
ing to our customers has been in-
sightful and actionable. Two examples
are online self-care tools and e-visits. The
question we had was: Are consumers in
our market ready to embrace more technol-
ogy-based care options, self-care
tools, and/or e-visits to man-
age their healthcare needs? In
order to minimize decision
making risk, we went to the
GundersenENGAGE panel.
Within days, hours even, of
inquiring about our panelists’ will-
ingness to use these tools and how to
position the idea in the marketplace,
we had data rolling in. Within two
weeks, we’d received responses from
more than 350 area consumers.
Interestingly, the vast majority (90 per-
cent) of consumers in our service area said
they would be at least somewhat likely
to use a self-care tool (Figure 1). As one
likely user said: “There are questions and
symptoms that I would like to know about
before I schedule an appointment to see
a doctor. I trust Gundersen Health Sys-
tem a lot more than I would trust other
websites, like WebMD.”
When considering e-visits, consumers
were evenly split on their willingness to
try this type of service (Figure 2). Some
panel member hesitation to use e-visits from
Gundersen stemmed from already having
another resource for this type of service,
not having the right technology at home,
or feeling a lack of trust in the diagnosis
from a remote appointment.
Looking at these topics, we believe there
is a serviceable group in our market for
technology-assisted care, and we also have
insight into some of the potential barri-
ers as we move forward. As a result, this
year we’ve rolled out a pilot for e-visits to
our employees who are on the Gundersen
employee health plan to gain some further
insight before bringing it to market. We
developed three online self-care planners
designed to help consumers manage uri-
nary incontinence, hip and knee pain, and
back and neck pain. Self-care planners are
available to both patients and non-patients,
regardless of geographic location. In the first
six months of 2016, 251 individuals have
utilized the self-care tools with the major-
ity being non-high risk and able to self-
manage their symptoms.
The consumer panel feedback helped in
these two situations, and several other ini-
tiatives, to validate direction or formulate
an approach that better meets the needs of
healthcare consumers and minimizes the risk
of decision making. In some cases, the panel
has caused us to change direction entirely.
Benefits to the Organization
Today, not only do consumers want to be
more informed and actively involved in de-
cisions regarding their healthcare, they also
want to help shape the options available to
them. A forum like GundersenENGAGE
gives members the opportunity to do both,
while providing us the resources we need to
deliver the best care possible. As an addition-
al benefit, we also find that we are building
trust and loyalty among the panelists.
With more than 1,200 members, our
online panel allows us the flexibility to gain
feedback quickly and provide the organi-
zation with solid data to assist in planning
and decision making. Understanding how
consumers’ attitudes and needs are changing
gives us confidence in the evolution of our
messaging and produces the best outcome.
Proactive,consumerinsight-drivenorgani-
zationstendtopositionthemselvesbetterand
have a strong competitive advantage. They
are typically able to be more agile, making
informed decisions through their knowledge
ofwhatisimportanttotheircustomersatany
given time and on any given topic.
Pamela Maas
Chief Business Development
and Marketing Officer
Gundersen Health System
La Crosse, WI
(608) 775-1083
pmmaas@gundersenhealth.org
Very likely–47%
Somewhat likely–43%
Not very likely–8%
Not at all likely–2%
Very likely–22%
Somewhat likely–33%
Not very likely–22%
Not at all likely–23%
If Gundersen created an online self-care tool to help manage a
specific health concern, how likely would you be to use the tool?
If Gundersen began offering
e-visits at $45 per visit for a limited
selection of services (copays and
deductibles apply), how likely
would you be to try an e-visit?
90%
– Not at all likely
– Not very likely
Somewhat likely
Very likely
55%
45%
Reproduced with permission from the September/October 2016 issue of Spectrum
© 2016 by the Society for Healthcare Strategy Market Development