Dan Prince

For 20+ years, we’ve conducted in-person focus groups, traveling to over 75 cities in the U.S. to spend 2 hour blocks of time probing for customer insights that matter to our clients.  When non-verbal cues are extremely important, this approach is still hard to beat.  But in the last two years, we’ve conducted more of our focus group discussions using the keys on our computer keyboards than we have through spoken dialogue around a table.  These online Bulletin Board Focus Groups offer a way for healthcare marketers to get more for less, and we’ve seen this with a number of our clients.

We call these “Bulletin Board Focus Groups” because like the notes on your office corkboard, questions are posted and await participants’ reactions.  This threaded, online discussion format allows participants to log in at a time that works for them, using a secure site, to 1) answer our questions, 2) engage with other participants, and 3) even ask questions of us - all through the use of a computer.

Similar to a LinkedIn group discussion, our conversation usually unfolds over a 2-3 day period.  However, we implement a more structured approach:

• We set definite research objectives for the discussions, and we hold ourselves accountable for these.
• We develop a written Moderator’s Guide, which outlines the key questions we intend to ask, for client approval.
• We recruit the type of participant that is needed, and qualify them carefully, just as we do in conventional focus groups.
• We actively lead the online discussions, using an experienced focus group moderator, who poses follow-up questions, as needed or desired.
• We provide an incentive for participation, often a gift card or a contribution to a charity.

In other words, this is a process in which we control many of the elements, in order to keep participants on track and obtain meaningful reactions and ideas.  And we do.  Clients are extremely pleased with the ability to get useful information and insights, whether the participants are consumers, business executives, or physicians.

But here’s the best part: we actually involve more people, often 15-20 per group, in each Bulletin Board Focus Group, versus 8-10 in an in-person group, AND we still complete the project at a cost that’s less then doing conventional focus groups.

Here’s how:
First of all, we eliminate the cost of travel, for both the moderator and for the client, associated with conducting out-of-town groups.  On a four-city swing, involving four people, costs can easily add up to $5,000 or more these days between flights, food, and lodging.  Secondly, we eliminate the need for videotaping or producing transcripts, yet we’re able to provide complete, verbatim transcripts as soon as a group concludes.  We also cut out the cost of a focus group facility rental, including refreshments for participants and other incidentals.

At CHR, we take some of that savings and use it to recruit additional participants, often increasing the number of focus group participants by 50% or even 100%!  And despite the increased volume, the total price tag for the project is still less than had we conducted in-person groups.

To see an actual cost and time comparison on a four-group project and to learn more about this innovative approach to doing qualitative research, check out our latest eBook on how Bulletin Board Focus Groups can save you time and money.

See for yourself how you can get more for less.

Dan Prince

The move to retail is on—in a new way.   BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has announced it is looking in the Nashville area for its first retail store location. BCBS of Tennessee joins other health insurers across the country that have opened retail stores in recent years, including Blue Shield of California, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in Pittsburgh, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, and Humana.

Shopping for Health Insurance

What’s driving this move toward retail? Healthcare reform for one thing. In 2014, when state insurance exchanges are scheduled to be up and running, millions of additional consumers are expected to shop for their own health insurance. “We need to reach our members in ways that are meaningful and convenient for them, and that is what we are doing by looking at a retail presence,” said Roy Vaughn for BlueCross.

Buy Your Health Insurance, Here

BCBS isn’t the first plan to open a retail location in Tennessee. Last fall, UnitedHealthcare opened a storefront at a Kingsport mall to help seniors and others navigate the annual Medicare sign-up process. United is also unveiling health benefits stores that offer customer service, health education and other support. Because health insurance can be confusing and more people are buying insurance on their own, these plans see retail as a way to build brand and develop direct relationships with consumers.

Service with a Smile

Each store is a little different. Some have self-serve kiosks for those who like to “DIY.” Others have private cubicles where potential customers can talk with salespeople. Amenities include everything from kids’ play areas to juice bars to space for classes and other wellness–related activities. Most of the stores have a registered nurse to help sort out information on pending treatment decisions. But all have one thing in common – face-to-face interaction with a real person.

The Ultimate Win-Win

With consumers taking a more active role in their healthcare – and footing a bigger percentage of the cost – retail locations make good sense. The direct connection lets insurers target their marketing to specific groups like women and seniors. And the dialogue goes both ways. A community of engaged, active plan members offers marketing and customer service staff alike an express window into the patient experience.

Dan Prince

In an era when many are pointing fingers at healthcare providers and calling for improvements in everything from clinical measures to friendlier parking attendants, it’s refreshing to see some good news.

This month, the Louisiana Hospital Association announced a three-year initiative to improve the health of the people in hospitals. If you’re thinking, “patients,” well, that’s not the focus here. It’s called Smart Choices, Better Health. The idea is that hospital employees need to do things that lead to better health and healthier lifestyles. And they need to be role models for people who come to the hospital and for the people in their communities.  As the CEO of the state-wide hospital association said in announcing the program, it’s a way for hospital managers and employees to not only “talk the talk” of making healthy choices, but also “walk the walk.”

Seems like this is an initiative whose time has come, given the high and growing level of obesity in our country. As our research has shown, Americans see obesity as the number one public health problem, but too many of them are in denial when it comes to changing their own behavior.

While this program in Louisiana is strictly voluntary, on the part of the hospitals and their employees, I certainly see it as a “step in the right direction!”