Here’s how hospitals use the SHSMD 2021 Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days to drive awareness and revenue.
Every year, the marketing arm of the American Hospital Association (AHA) – referred to as the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) – publishes a calendar of health observances and recognition days for hospital marketers to use when developing health awareness campaigns. Every year, Baldwin Publishing writes hundreds of health awareness articles for hospitals in support of those same health awareness campaigns. That’s why it seemed like a natural fit for us to sponsor SHSMD’s 2021 Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days.
The calendar is a practical resource that highlights more than 200 national health awareness observances throughout the year. As a sponsor of the calendar, Baldwin wanted to better understand how hospitals use the calendar, which observances and recognition days were most useful in supporting their health awareness campaigns, and if hospitals recognized a financial benefit when promoting specific observances. So we created a survey asking marketers how they use the calendar and sent it to over 300 hospitals and providers.
We were surprised to learn while the SHSMD Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days is a free planning tool, it helps drive patient revenue throughout the year.
Here are three key takeaways from survey respondents that indicate how hospitals will use the 2021 calendar in support of their health awareness campaigns:
- 77% of respondents said the health observance calendar “allows us to use national publicity to generate interest in local screenings and prevention programs.” The Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days is a key resource for planning and promoting dozens of community health and wellness events throughout the year. These events are the core of community health education, drive awareness about hospital services/screenings, and motivate consumers to proactively contact doctors for appointments.
- 95% of respondents stated that the health observances calendar “helps us post creative and timely content … social engagement is a good indicator of community interest.” The Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days is a valuable guide for content development for social media, blogs, and newsletters in hospital marketing departments.
- Health awareness campaigns increase patient appointments and hospital revenue. Hospitals were asked to list the highest revenue-producing health observance campaigns for their organization. Here’s what they selected:
- 86% – American Heart Month
- 65% – National Diabetes Month
- 50% – Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- 36% – Stroke Month
Next month, we’ll publish the complete results from our survey of more than 300 hospitals and providers showing how they plan to use SHSMD’s Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days.
Download your free 2021 Calendar of Health Observances & Recognition Days.
Baldwin Publishing produces a robust collection of white-labeled content your organization can use in support of health observance campaigns throughout the year. Learn more here
