Being part of one-stop shopping can give you a convenience edge
Being part of one-stop shopping can give you a convenience edge
How a radiology group gives storefront’ a whole new meaning
Vicki Brown knows a good idea when she hears it. As marketing manager for Radia Medical Imaging, an Everett, WA-based radiology practice with five offices in the Puget Sound area, she attended a conference in late 1996 where she was privy to a discussion between Nordstrom officials and representatives of an Illinois hospital. They were talking about a mammography clinic that had opened in a retail setting. "What a novel idea!" Brown recalls thinking.
That good idea led Brown down a path that culminated in Radia opening a sixth imaging office housed in the downtown Seattle department store Bon Marche in January. It is one of only a handful of radiology centers housed in retail establishments, but one that she believes will be profitable and a boon to patients who crave convenience.
When Brown first heard the discussion at the Minneapolis conference, she was so taken with it that upon returning to the Seattle area, she called the manager of Nordstrom in Seattle for an appointment and put together a proposal. Internal issues kept Nordstrom from pursuing the idea, although management was intrigued, she says. Not wanting anyone else to catch wind of the idea, Brown then approached Bon Marche, a local department store owned by Federated Stores.
"The Bon had a space that was used for storage close to the hair salon, next to Intimate Apparel. It would be ideal," says Brown. She presented her idea to Federated management, but again, external issues caused delay.
Others might have been discouraged. But at the same time, mammography centers opened in two other Federated stores — one in The Fountain Court in Cincinnati at a Lazarus Store and one at a Rich’s Store in Perimeter Center Mall in Atlanta — and an article in a local paper about mammography was published. In it, Nordstrom management said there would be no mammography center in their Seattle store.
The heavy competition between Federated stores and the article led the Bon to reconsider its delay. "They said they would like to move ahead at our earliest convenience," says Brown.
Interesting’ obstacles
The next step, explains Brown, was creating a contract that was essentially a department license agreement written for vendors. "Concern over patient confidentially and the operation of a clinic demanded that we work with both attorneys to change the agreement to fit the need," she says. "This became quite a laborious task. Federated attorneys were well-versed in retailese’ but needed an education in the subtleties of health care law. Radia, on the other hand, needed an education in retail so we could begin to speak the same language for the common good." The two could not appear as partners, Brown says, and disclaimers had to be written on any advertising Bon Marche and Radia pursued together. "Systems had to be developed so we could come to agreement on events and the special handling of signage. Communication has been quite an interesting process."
During the process, another element was added to the mammography center: Radia decided to add bone density testing services to the mix.
Once the contract was finished, Brown got started on marketing. "While the clinics and referring doctors in the area are key to the success of Radia Women’s Imaging in the Bon, I am also appealing to the Bon Marche customer," she says. "Customers can be prompted to schedule an appointment because they have seen advertising or listened to a news spot. We actually have had one patient drive down from Vancouver, BC [about 200 miles from Seattle], because she caught a local news story on the day we opened. She drove down because it would have taken her three months to get a bone density appointment there."
The Bon helped with marketing, placing brochure holders in all the women’s dressing rooms for Radia flyers. The brochures were also inserted into all Bon shopping bags, and the store installed elevator signs. There was an effort to get media attention, and the two daily papers, as well as local television stations, covered Radia’s entrance into the retail world.
So far, about 15 people per week take advantage of Radia’s new location. Within five years, Brown hopes that number will climb to 40 patients per day. A marketing campaign is planned for prior to Mother’s Day, and Brown is also focusing on employee education as a way to increase business. "Often, customers ask fitters from Intimate Apparel as they fit a bra about lumps that could be causing physical discomfort," says Brown. "They question what should they say or do for these customers. Radia held a speaking event in February to begin to educate Bon fitters. Providing the type of information to share with their customers in a script format will also be an important step at this event."
Convenience, with a touch of style
Another element that Brown thinks will help bring patients in — and ensure they come back — is how the patients are treated. Convenience is key. Not only can patients phone in to make appointments, but they can make one while they shop. Once at their appointment, they wait in a tastefully decorated suite. After registration and answering demographic and insurance billing questions, the patients can either stay in the waiting room or shop. If she chooses to shop, she is given a pager that will tell her when to return for her exam.
The technologist ushers the patient to dressing booths where she can change into "a salon-quality, color-coordinated" cloth smock — no paper gowns here. A VCR plays breast self-examination tapes while she waits.
Other amenities provided include a Bon Marche gift and free cosmetic and perfume samples. Again emphasizing speed and convenience, the breast films are delivered by courier to Providence Hospital the same day, where two radiologists review them. The reports are sent to the patient’s physician after they are screened. The patient is notified by mail or telephone of the results.
While Radia will bill all insurance carriers, Brown says the practice is looking at ways women who don’t have insurance coverage can charge the $103 cost of the exam to their Bon Marche charge account.
Brown says persistence has brought this dream to fruition. "We have a relatively new brand," she says of the 35-physician practice, the product of a 1997 merger between Puget Sound Radiology and Radiology Associates. "This little clinic has taken our brand much further than it would have otherwise been because of the wonderful press coverage we have had. Even if the clinic doesn’t go anywhere, it will have taken us to places we wouldn’t have otherwise gone without it. People know what Radia Medical Imaging is now because of the coverage."
Is this something other practices can mimic? Absolutely, says Brown. Among the types of practices that could consider retail partners are dermatologists, who might like to link up with salons or day spas. Orthopedic practices could partner with health clubs. And podiatrists might consider locating near a shoe store.
"People are so busy these days they need to begin bundling tasks. The thought is: If I can get everything at virtually one place I will have more free time.’ We felt women needed and wanted to combine their health care needs where they shop."
Source
• Vicki Brown, Marketing Manager, Radia Medical Imaging, Everett, WA. Telephone: (425) 297-6247.
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