Category: Brands

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.

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.

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.

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.