How a strong culture impacts business during COVID-19

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Guest: Craig Meier, CEO, Medical Solutions

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

It is never a matter of if, but when, a corporation faces adversity. And in the era of COVID, whatever fissures were lying right below the surface were likely exposed in the past several months. 

While most businesses work to be prepared financially for a crisis, far fewer of them are prepared culturally for a crisis like the COVID pandemic. How can a strong corporate culture blunt the impact of a significant economic event like Covid?

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll talk with Craig Meier, CEO of Medical Solutions, about the extraordinary culture of their organization, how they achieved it, and how it has sustained them in the wake of COVID-19.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

How COVID-19 has spurred home health and telemedicine

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Guest: Dr. Josh Sclar, Chief Medical Officer, BioIQ

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

COVID-19 has altered the healthcare landscape dramatically. From the chaos of Covid hotspots where medical teams and facilities have been stretched to the limit, to the general apprehension people feel about visiting ANY medical facility. 

But there is almost always opportunity in chaos. When people are sheltering in place, opportunities for different healthcare delivery models present themselves. Such is the case in the category of home testing. 

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll examine the impact COVID-19 has had on home health and telemedicine and we request, require and receive treatment.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

Community initiatives in public health in the era of COVID-19

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Guest: Virginia Barnes, Director of Blue Health Initiatives,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

COVID-19 has demonstrated how ill-prepared we were as a nation for a public health crisis. The lack of an immediate response plan to rapidly ramp up testing, our lack of contact tracing, and the grossly understaffed public health sector all exacerbated the COVID-19 pandemic, making it a larger healthcare and economic issue than it might have been.

Much of healthcare is reactive, focusing on the acute needs of those who are unwell. There’s swelling support for a shift toward value-based healthcare and programs and benefits that focus on preventive care and long-term outcomes.  But those investments are at odds with the way the system works. This is why community health initiatives that take on social determinants of health are so important for preventive care and access to healthcare resources.

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll examine what should have been done, and what needs to be done nationally, regionally and locally to get ahead of COVID-19 and to be better prepared for the next global pandemic.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

Unbundling health insurance in the era of COVID-19

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Guest: John Kelly, CEO, NexBen

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

When you combine a global pandemic with an unexpected economic cliff event, most businesses will be caught off guard. And in an era when employers and their employees are struggling with rising health insurance costs, adding more strain to the business ecosystem exacerbates the situation even more. The latest US Census Bureau report shows that while 92% of Americans had health insurance coverage, only 20% are satisfied with the cost.

Not only are consumers looking for lower health insurance costs, they’re expecting a better experience. They’re being shaped by their experiences with companies like Amazon. In fact, 50% of consumers would like their healthcare experience to feel like their Amazon experience.

Is this possible in a traditional health insurance ecosystem? Can we meet the consumer demands of lowering costs (or at least demonstrating more value) while at the same time improving their healthcare experience?

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we work to unravel this dichotomy and examine alternatives for both employers and employees in the era of COVID.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

The role of brand purpose in healthcare in the era of COVID-19

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Guest: Mark Viden, SVP, Brand, CommonSpirit Health

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

Strong brands are powered by the purpose of their organization. Purpose not only drives the type of employees an organization attracts and retains, it also drives the customers the organization attracts and retains.

This has never been more important than today in the healthcare category. With the ongoing strain from the Covid pandemic, the cultures of many healthcare organizations have been tested. Those that have been intentional about aligning their business around purpose have a greater likelihood of moving through this challenging time successfully.

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll discuss the role of brand purpose in healthcare in the era of COVID-19.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

Business and community implications of COVID-19

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Guest: Matt All, CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

Every business in the US has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. None more so than those companies in the healthcare industry. In COVID hotspots, hospital systems have been stretched to capacity. And even in non-hotspots, hospitals postponed elective surgeries to limit the exposure of patients to the Coronavirus. 

Health insurance carriers have had a front row seat to the pandemic, working to help their members and groups while working to understand the short-term and long-term implications of the pandemic on their business and the communities they serve.

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll discuss the complex realities of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the healthcare ecosystem in Kansas.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

COVID-19 and its impact on Women

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Guest: Wendy Doyle, President & CEO, The Women’s Foundation

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

The COVID pandemic has exacerbated a number of issues that were lying right below the surface in the areas of public health, social justice and inequality. Candidly, you can go down the list of the social determinants of health and identify multiple issues that have become worse since the virus grasped the nation — socio-economic and cultural conditions; age, gender, and biological factors; income and social status — the list goes on.

COVID-19 has elevated the need to address a host of policy issues that impact public health and our economy.  Those issues have long-term impact on healthcare brands as they address the total cost of care. 

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll speak with Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of The Women’s Foundation on the impacts of COVID-19 specifically with women. 

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

The rapid rise of telemedicine during COVID-19

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Guest: Dr. Rob Steele, Chief Strategy Officer, Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented strain on our healthcare system. The virus has created hotspots where more people were impacted, creating a capacity strain on medical teams and facilities in those areas. But there was an additional financial strain on hospital system operations that came from having to pause clinical visits and elective surgeries. 

This pause continues to create a significant financial burden to hospital systems. However, if there has been a bit of a silver lining to a situation, the use of telemedicine has increased dramatically. With clinics being closed to patients, or patients wishing to avoid a higher-risk environment, healthcare organizations began using a technology that has been available for years, but had been slow to get traction. COVID-19 has brought telemedicine to the forefront. Behavioral change happens slowly, until it happens suddenly.

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’re exploring the rapid adoption of telemedicine and what it means to healthcare providers going forward.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

Medicaid expansion in the era of COVID-19

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Guest: Qiana Thomason, CEO, Health Forward Foundation

Host: Sam Meers, EVP, Practice Lead, Barkley

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how ill-prepared we were as a nation for this crisis. The lack of an immediate response plan to rapidly ramp up testing, the inability to track contact points, and the grossly understaffed public health sector all contributed to making COVID-19 a larger healthcare and economic issue than it might have been.

In this episode of Modern Marketeers, we’ll examine how a greater focus on public health, specifically the expansion of Medicaid, could improve healthcare for the most vulnerable populations. How we think about healthcare policy and public health is of critical importance to provider and payer healthcare brands. And depending on how we move forward in the era of COVID-19, perhaps we’ll be better prepared for the next pandemic.

Have a comment or topic suggestion for a future episode of Modern Marketeers? Please email our producer, Michael Levine, at mlevine@barkleyus.com.

The Changing Role of Brand Leadership

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Guests: Stephanie Parker and Chris Cima

Host: Sam Meers

The focal point between client and agency is Brand Leadership. However, here at Barkley the role goes well beyond what is expected of traditional account management.

Stephanie Parker, Senior Vice President of Brand Leadership at Barkley, along with Chris Cima, Creative Director at Barkley, join us to discuss:

  • How Brand Leadership is defined and its role at Barkley
  • What should agencies and clients be looking for in terms of Brand Leadership
  • The importance of onboarding new clients and how to maintain expectations
  • How Barkley has leveraged Brand Leadership as well as being a Modern Consumer expert compared to other agencies
  • What challenges are on the horizon and what can be done