Unlocking the Value of Focus Groups for Healthcare Providers

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Unlocking the Value of Focus Groups for
Healthcare Providers
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Questions you might ask yourself

• Will the cost of the research equate to a
  positive ROI?
• Will the research provide the information needed?
• Will research results be believed and acted upon?

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Qualitative or Quantitative
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Do qualitative research to

• Get new ideas
• Test ads
• Uncover motivations and underlying reasons
• Understand consumer language

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Do quantitative research to

• Obtain statistically valid data
• Determine awareness levels
• Get behavioral facts regarding frequency/usage
• Make pricing decisions
• Determine market penetration
• Support multi-million dollar decisions

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Methodology types

• Qualitative
• Focus groups
• Traditional
• Online
• In-depth interviews
• Telephone
• In person
• Bulletin board

• Quantitative
• Surveys
• Telephone
• Mail-out
• Intercept
• Web-based

Concentration today will be qualitative research,
specifically focus groups
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Life without research
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Life with research
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Consumer focus groups can determine

• Who your target market is
• What your advertising communicates
• Impact, effectiveness of PR/community outreach
• The images and languages that grab attention
• Brand equity compared to the competition
• Understanding/perception
• of your product lines
• Selection process

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Among physicians, focus groups can reveal

• Referral patterns/habits
• Barriers to referring
• Perceived strengths and weaknesses by clinical
  area
• Competitive position

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Getting started
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Define the task

• What are the key things you must learn
• Who is the audience
• How will you use the research
• Reasons to do it now
• Include input from consultant groups

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Picking the right research company

• Demonstrated understanding of your needs
• Excellent project management
• Healthcare experience
• Creative/good insights
• Professionalism (QRCA, CASRO)

• Skilled moderator
• Good listener
• Can build rapport
• Dedicated to superior service
• References
• Price

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How focus groups work

• Discovery session
• Screener
• Discussion guide
• Facility
• Debrief
• Report

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ScreenerDocument used to invite respondents to
participate

• Female healthcare decision maker
• Avoid cheaters and repeaters
• Length of residency
• Where they live (PSA, SSA)
• Insurance coverage
• Inpatient/outpatient experience

• Age
• Ethnicity
• Employment
• Education
• Income
• Articulation question

• Physicians use facility provided list, mix of
  specialties

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7 strategies for successful consumer focus groups

• Recruit females
• Over recruit
• Hold at a convenient time
• Conduct groups blind
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Set ground rules up front with respondents
• Set ground rules for clients

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Reaching the unreachable

• YES!
• You can get physicians to participate in
• research and provide quality information!

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7 key strategies for successful physician
participation

• Get office manager buy-in
• Fax background information
• Appeal to their ego make it sound interesting!
• Tell them the research sponsor
• Make it convenient for them
• Consider depth interviews
• Pay a handsome incentive

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Discussion GuideQuestions to be asked

• Topics to be covered
• Sequence of discussion
• Timing
• Visuals
• Projective techniques
• People are most creative when they
• are relaxed and having fun!

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The facilityWhere focus groups are held

• Professional facility
• Centrally located
• Easy access
• Client viewing via one way mirror
• Audio/video taping for later review

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Debrief

• Immediately following ensures all viewers are on
  the same page
• Creates added value for the client

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Report

• Provides
• Analysis of key themes
• Action oriented
• Implications

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Our Florida Healthcare Experience

• Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
• Bethesda Memorial Hospital
• Boca Raton Community Hospital
• Brooks Health System
• Everglades Memorial Hospital
• Florida Hospital East Orlando
• Glades General Hospital
• Good Samaritan Hospital
• Holmes Regional Medical Center
• Hospice By The Sea
• Jupiter Medical Center
• Martin Memorial Health Care Systems
• Miami Jewish Home Hospital

• North Broward Hospital District
• Broward General Medical Center
• Coral Springs Medical Center
• Imperial Point Medical Center
• North Broward Medical Center
• Weston Regional Healthpark
• Orlando Regional Healthcare System
• St. Mary's Hospital
• UM/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
• University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital
• Visiting Nurse Association
• Vitas Healthcare Corporation

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Outcomes for a major healthcare network

• What information should be included in marketing
• How to create greater awareness
• Which media best gets the message out
• Competitive position
• The role expansion/modernization of facilities
  plays in marketing/how to get the most out of it
• Types of information to include in advertising
• Words to avoid in advertising

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Outcomes

• More of what we determined
• Key criteria in terms of marketing inpatient and
  outpatient facilities
• Reaction to testimonials
• Issues to be addressed with physicians that
  cannot be fixed by marketing
• What drives physician referrals
• The best way to communicate with physicians
• The role of affiliations/partnering
• Impact of networks
• The value of JCAHO scores

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Other Representative Outcomes

• Whats in a name? If a medical facility changes
  their name, will they lose their brand equity?
• This was a question from a childrens hospital.
  The research found that parents were most
  comfortable with a new name if it conveyed a link
  to the old name, an institution they trusted.
• Reasons why a medical facility had experienced a
  decline in diagnostic imaging services.
• We found that it was not competition or
  physician-related issues. Instead, we discovered
  an inefficient scheduling process and staff that
  was, at times, insensitive to the needs of the
  physicians staff.

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Other Representative Outcomes

• Is there a need for proposed product lines?
• Target markets were identified and research led
  the way toward determining the anticipated needs,
  frequency of usage, and the most effective way to
  market the services.
• How do you educate Medicare recipients and the
  physicians who serve them about managing
  Diabetes?
• A two phased, statewide focus group program was
  conducted among Medicare recipients and
  physicians who serve them to determine the tools
  that are needed for education. The second phase
  tested the prototypes that were developed and
  fine tuned elements to make the educational tools
  most effective.

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Other Representative Outcomes

• Will my various targeted audiences understand key
  messages?
• Testing of messages in focus groups clearly
  determined the most effective ways to reach
  Hispanics and non-Hispanics. The research helped
  avoid costly errors that could have occurred
  without having consumer input.
• How do I increase physician referrals?
• Depth interviews explored what drives referral
  processes and the best way to get physician
  attention.

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FAQ

• How many focus groups should I do?
• How many people are recruited for a focus group?
• Should the moderator be similar to the
  respondents?
• Should respondents be homogeneous?
• Are respondents (consumers/physicians) going to
  be candid?

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Contact Us

• SRA Research Group, Inc.
• 1001 North U.S. Highway One, Suite 310
• Jupiter, FL 33477
• 561.744.5662
• www.sra-researchgroup.com
• Barbara Allan, CEO
• ballan_at_sra-researchgroup.com
• Gail Fletcher, Senior Manager
• gfletcher_at_sra-researchgroup.com