Digital Communications & Technology in Healthcare Blog DMD Intelligence

Email Strategies Using U.S. News Rankings, Good and Bad

For better or worse, hospital rankings influence how health systems are perceived by referring physicians. Earning a coveted spot on the U.S. News & World ReportBest Hospitals” list brings national attention and expands your referral base.

However, many excellent hospitals never receive that kind of recognition. These hospitals may be the best choice for some patients, but their strengths are overlooked in the rankings. In other cases, low rankings draw attention to areas that need improvement without providing any context about the many factors that can affect a hospital’s overall performance.

Because rankings reduce complex procedures and services to a number, they don’t explain the trade-offs that health systems must sometimes make in order to ensure the highest quality care for their patients.

Email Tells the Whole Story

Although rankings may affect a potential referrer’s first impressions, health systems can alter those impressions by sharing additional information about their staff, procedures, and facilities with targeted physicians. Communicating directly via email is the most effective way to get these messages across to the right audiences.

Whether your challenge is to explain the context that contributes to a lower ranking, mobilize staff to implement improvements, or ensure that valuable referrers are aware of a high ranking, targeted email offers an efficient solution.

Focused Messages for Targeted Audiences

Our new ebook includes case studies that illustrate each of these rankings-related email scenarios:

  • Redefining Low Rankings. Sometimes low rankings highlight a real need for improvement. Other times, they may simply reflect organizational differences or inaccuracies in the ranking methodology. Email lets you explain your position and give physicians the chance to reconsider.
  • Tackling Deficiencies. Low rankings can be considered a risk, but they also present an opportunity to make necessary improvements. Health systems can use email to galvanize medical teams around internal objectives and to share successes as they are achieved.
  • Sharing Good News Strategically. There are plenty of ways to share good news, but some are more effective for generating referrals. Segmenting your audience precisely and then focusing your messages according to the specific interests of each group typically has the greatest impact.
To learn more about you can use targeted email to publicize your hospital rankings, watch the on-demand webinar Advanced Digital Strategies for U.S. News & World Report Season

About DMD

DMD, an IQVIA business, offers the only authenticated database available that can reach, report, and respond to the dynamic digital behavior of fully opted-in physicians and NP/PA prescribers. Through this database, pharmaceutical marketers, hospitals and health systems, medical societies, publishers, medical marketing agencies, and others have digital access to more than 90% of physicians with email addresses and real-time web activity data that unlocks precision targeting and engagement capabilities across the most influential healthcare audiences.