In today’s strained healthcare environment, it’s tempting for leaders to equate activity with advancement. Marketing campaigns multiply, new initiatives sprout weekly, and dashboards light up with metrics. Yet, doing more doesn’t necessarily mean going further—and often, it can distract from the real work of achieving stability and strategic growth.
Motion vs. Progress
When resources tighten, the instinct to “do something” is strong. But without focus, motion can become noise. Health system leaders must differentiate between actions that generate movement and those that generate momentum. True progress requires clarity of purpose, disciplined decision-making, and a willingness to prioritize impact over volume.
Marketing with Measured Intent
Marketing budgets are a prime example. Many systems respond to competition or revenue pressure by increasing activity—more campaigns, more channels, more spending. But effective marketing isn’t about saturation; it’s about precision. Every dollar should serve a dual purpose:
- Proving the system’s value in the community — by demonstrating measurable contributions to health access, outcomes, and trust.
- Positioning for a stronger financial future (via payor negotiations) — by building a reputation and data story that justifies rates and reinforces the system’s indispensable role.
Health system marketing and communications teams have traditionally focused on reputation, community engagement, and patient growth—while managed care teams concentrate on negotiating favorable rates and contracts. But in today’s environment of shrinking margins and increasing payor pressure, those two functions can’t afford to operate on parallel tracks.
Shared Goals, Different Languages
Both marketing and managed care are in the business of proving value—they just speak different dialects. Marketing tells the story of how a system improves community health; managed care quantifies that value at the negotiating table. When the two teams connect their data, narratives, and timing, the organization gains a more powerful, evidence-backed story of impact and efficiency.
Turning Storytelling into Strategy
A few ways to bring these worlds together:
- Align messaging with payor priorities. Marketing can help translate community health initiatives—such as preventive care programs or access expansion—into outcomes that matter to payors: reduced readmissions, lower utilization costs, and healthier populations.
- Use marketing insights as negotiation leverage. Campaigns often reveal market sentiment, referral patterns, and trust metrics that strengthen the system’s positioning in payor talks.
- Collaborate on value proof points. Communications can shape case studies and success stories backed by managed care data, turning spreadsheets into compelling narratives that resonate with both public audiences and payors.
- Establish joint planning cadences. Regular meetings between marketing and managed care leaders ensure alignment on upcoming negotiations, brand positioning, and community-facing proof of performance.
The Financial Story Everyone Needs to Tell
When marketing and managed care operate in concert, they create a loop of credibility: public perception reinforces payor confidence, and payor outcomes validate the system’s community value. That alignment helps shift the organization from reactive activity to intentional progress—not just moving but moving forward toward financial strength and stability.
