Healthcare markets around Korea are maturing, and hospitals are keeping in tow by developing specialised services – driven largely by limited growth potential for traditional medical care services.
Specialised services are being marketed to both the local population and healthcare tourists. But hospitals need to utilise new marketing strategies to reach potential patients. Even in Korea, with its restricted healthcare advertising, new techniques are being actively employed.

Major Korean hospitals started setting up marketing departments in the mid-1990s. Medium-sized hospitals started developing specialised services around the same time, and began looking at ways to market their new services.

A good example of this is the half-dozen Korean hospitals currently specialising in spinal care. Some, such as Wooridul Hospital, have developed world-leading pinhole and laser treatments.

But patient understanding of spinal injuries, prevention and treatment is limited and trust in the country’s medical industry is reportedly low. Educating the public, however, is difficult. Many forms of advertising are prohibited, although in recent years the government has slowly been easing the regulations. Poster advertisements, for example, are now permitted by small clinics for some treatments.

To circumvent the block on direct marketing, spinal hospitals are exploiting Korea’s internet-savvy public to inform and educate potential patients. With over 70% of households having broadband internet access, hospitals are able to penetrate potential patients nationwide through comprehensive, informative websites which include online operation booking.

According to Lee Chongmee, marketing manager at Seran Hospital, patients will travel from suburban cities to Seran Hospital in Seoul after finding information on the web. The goal is to connect with family desire to help aged, suffering parents. Nonetheless, patients are often sceptical of the independence of information on proprietary websites.

Therefore, hospitals continue to leverage traditional information sources, such as highly valued personal recommendations. Hospitals hope that by offering modern, clean, non-traditional format facilities and friendly service, current and former patients will act as ambassadors for the hospitals. Yoon Young-Sam, planning manager at Hyemin General Hospital contrasted their patient-friendly approach to the large general hospitals that have “complicated processes”, which can appear cold and unwelcoming.

Hospitals also use basic CRM techniques like  keeping current and former patients updated of the latest procedures, hospital news and general information on back care to keep the hospital at the forefront of the patient’s mind. Some hospitals send SMS messages to former patients. However, Lee Jin-Kyu, CEO of Ahnsei Hospital, cautions that “digital messages are gaining a bad reputation, so patient permission is sought before SMS messages are sent”.

However, the most important media channel remains television. Hospitals found that if they could get a story on the main evening news, it greatly increased public interest. Hyemin Hospital found that one year after a story was broadcast, patients were still coming to the hospital because of the story.

Wooridul Hospital has been particularly successful in attracting foreign patients and doctors (for training) and has used this to generate media stories. It is now considered one of the leading providers of spinal treatment. Lee Mi-Jeong, head of marketing, is convinced that news items with foreign patients demonstrate to the viewer that the hospital offers leading, world-class standards.

Stuart Bartlett, director of Synovate Healthcare Asia Pacific, points out that this is another example of the healthcare provider’s increasing direct contact with consumers. “Specialists and hospitals are communicating more and more directly with consumers – there is an increasing trend for hospitals to market directly to the patients and the situation in Korea is a prime example of this.”

Some hospitals, like Seoul-based Ahnsei Hospital, are hoping to develop a branded hospital concept by developing links with regional hospitals that can use the spinal hospital’s name and logo. The head surgeon travels to the regional hospital to conduct operations, avoiding the need for patients to travel.

In spite of the restrictions and adversities facing formal advertising, wise marketing managers are finding new ways to get the message out. And that’s a healthy sign.