Communication Management in Hospitals

A Critical Analysis of Possible Methods and Their Actual Implementation

Thèse de Bachelor , 2009 , 60 Pages , Note: 1,9

Santé - Divers

In recent years, the German health care sector underwent considerable structural changes. Nevertheless, medical facilities increasingly recognise that their resources are limited and that they are subject to mechanisms of other markets, meaning that they need to ensure the own position in the health care market more than ever (Schreyögg, 2000, p. 185). Increased competition between hospitals, scarce resources, and amendments of legislation are forcing every provider of medical services to consider a sustained and efficient structure of the provision of their services over and above a strong customer orientation. With several reforms coming from the government, which were supposed to retain an eminent level of public health care and at the same time putting a halt on the consistently rising health care costs, the hospital was now heavily reliant on the number of patients treated. Thus, hospitals were faced with the challenge of retaining or gaining more patients, while concurrently having an unchanged or lower budget, which meant that the role of the hospital changed from being a mere renderer of medical services to having the function of an economic actor. Concretely, this implied for hospitals adopting a strategic concept that is aligned to the market and to the heterogeneous target groups of this market. Moreover, patients are nowadays not only driven in their demand by the quality of the medical treatment, but by a function of several different factors, which include among others the communication of a positive image through advertising and public relations. Nevertheless, business-like reasoning of the economist on the one hand and traditional Aesculapius professional perception of the physician on the other hand seem to be incompatible with each other, especially when having to make cost-benefit considerations for a treatment or in terms of hospital advertising. Frequently, ethical concerns stand in the way. However, it is inevitable that with the transition from a state-controlled to an autonomous health-care sector in a free-market economy, these concerns are put aside in the long-term, the more so as rising privatisations require economic thinking in hospital management. In every corporate process, communication management is a decisive factor and it should be embraced whenever implementing new strategies or informing the internal or external public (Ströh & Jaatinen, 2001, pp. 143-168).

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• List of Abbreviations
• List of Figures and Tables
• Hospitals in the German Health Care Market
• Structure of the Hospital Environment in Germany
• Trends and Developments in the Hospital Environment
• Communication Management and the Hospital Sector
• Introduction
• Problem Formulation and Objectives
• Course of the Investigation
• Principles of Communication Management
• The Concept of Communication
• Communication Management and Integrated Communications
• Aims of Communication Management
• Methods of Communication Management
• Aspects and Limitations of Communication Management in German Hospitals
• The Communication Management Process in Hospitals
• Problem Analysis and Target Definition
• Target Groups
• Criteria for Target Group Definition
• Analysis of Hospital Target Groups
• Strategy Formulation and Communication Instruments
• Budgeting and Monitoring
• Forms of Communication Management and Their Application in Hospitals
• Corporate Identity
• Relevance of Corporate Identity for Hospitals
• The Corporate Identity Mix for Hospitals
• Corporate Identity Strategy in Hospitals
• Internal Communication Management
• Employee Communication
• Personnel Management and Development
• External Communication Management
• Aims of External Hospital Communication
• Hospital Advertising
• Direct Communication
• Multimedia Communication
• Communication with Referring Physicians
• Communication with Health Insurance companies
• Public Relations
• Conclusion and Outlook
• Reference List
• List of Appendixes
• Appendix

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This thesis aims to critically analyze the methods of communication management in hospitals and their actual implementation in the German healthcare market. It examines the challenges and opportunities of communication management in this specific context, considering the unique characteristics of the hospital environment and the diverse stakeholders involved.

• The role of communication management in achieving organizational goals in hospitals
• The impact of communication strategies on patient satisfaction, employee engagement, and public perception
• The challenges and opportunities of implementing communication management methods in the German healthcare system
• The importance of integrating communication management with other organizational functions, such as marketing, public relations, and human resources
• The ethical considerations and legal framework surrounding communication management in hospitals

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The first chapter introduces the topic of communication management in hospitals, outlining the problem formulation and objectives of the thesis. It provides a brief overview of the German healthcare market and the specific challenges faced by hospitals in this context.

Chapter two delves into the theoretical foundations of communication management, exploring key concepts such as communication theory, integrated communications, and the aims of communication management. It also discusses various methods and tools used in communication management.

Chapter three examines the specific aspects and limitations of communication management in German hospitals. It analyzes the unique characteristics of the hospital environment, including the complex stakeholder relationships, regulatory constraints, and ethical considerations.

Chapter four provides a detailed analysis of the communication management process in hospitals, covering key stages such as problem analysis, target group definition, strategy formulation, and budgeting. It also explores various forms of communication management, including corporate identity, internal communication, and external communication.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include communication management, hospitals, healthcare, German healthcare market, stakeholder relationships, patient satisfaction, employee engagement, public perception, communication strategies, communication methods, corporate identity, internal communication, external communication, marketing, public relations, human resources, ethical considerations, legal framework, and challenges and opportunities.

• Université: European Business School - International University Schloß Reichartshausen Oestrich-Winkel (Department for Market-Oriented Management)
• Cours: Health Care Management
• Note: 1,9
• Auteur: Robert Stolt (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2009
• Pages: 60
• N° de catalogue: V129445
• ISBN (ebook): 9783640355471
• ISBN (Livre): 9783640355310
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Communication Management, Hospital Management, Kommunikationsmanagement, Health Care Management, Hospital, Marketing, Hospital Marketing, Krankenhausmarketing, Communication in Hospitals, Kommunikationstheorie, Communication Theory, Internal Communication, External Communication, Hospital Advertising, Hospital Target Groups, Hospital Corporate Identity, Employee Communication, Hospital PR