Hospital positioning: the importance of positioning in healthcare

Are you also tired of the missions and visions of hospitals? Sparse and far too general texts about social importance that reveal not a shred of personality also rub us the wrong way. Hospitals do face a very real challenge: how do they remain socially relevant in a changing healthcare landscape? Positioning is the foundation of any possible answer you can give to this, as the answer differs per hospital. That is why in this piece we focus on 4 aspects of positioning that are particularly applicable to hospitals.

Hospital positioning fosters trust

A hospital is a ‘social enterprise’ and primarily serves the residents of a specific region. That service remains, even in a time when we increasingly talk about the commercialization of healthcare. Because a hospital deals with so many different interests, it is essential that they communicate clearly about what they do, why they do it, and how successful they are. The focus is therefore on accountability and trust. An important tool for this is the annual report, but for many social enterprises, this has become a ‘chore’ they prefer to get over with as easily as possible. A missed opportunity! A good annual report is consulted by all stakeholders and provides the board or managers with a much-needed platform to explain decisions or results. Positioning acts as a common thread for an annual report because it guides what the institution talks about, how it does so, and with what transparency.

Hospital positioning explains what quality means there

A hospital that is also a training institution undoubtedly has a different view on ‘healing’ than, for example, a city hospital. The question – what does quality mean to us – seems obvious, but in practice the answers vary greatly. Is it about the duration of a care process, the patient’s experience, or efficiency? One is not better than the other; we certainly have no opinion on that, but comparing one hospital to another then becomes like comparing apples and oranges. In positioning, a hospital reflects on what quality means to them and how they concretely give it shape. It ensures that both staff and patients know what to expect and what is expected of them. We consider excellent basic care to be part of the standard package.

Positioning embodies hospital identity

We use vague terms like culture and identity to talk about a concept very close to us: the feeling we are left with after a visit or contact. What makes you come home (dis)satisfied? Often it’s the small details, for example how the receptionist books the follow-up appointment, whether there was a pleasant atmosphere, or maybe some nice music playing? If we ask you afterwards to rate a visit, you probably won’t mention these, but we are sure they have an influence. Culture and identity determine whether you feel at home somewhere. That is why it is essential that hospitals are clear about their identity in their positioning and make it as concrete as possible. The receptionist then knows what behavior belongs to booking the appointment, and the rest of the staff knows that patients deserve a smile.

Positioning tells about hospitals’ distinctive capabilities

Cosmetic surgeon Robert Schumacher – yes, the one from TV – is actually not a surgeon at all, but we all know what he specializes in. For hospitals, this may also be a source of distinctive capability: what does your hospital excel in? Doctors and specialists are naturally all unique, and so are their skills. One hospital is therefore better at, for example, a bypass operation than another, but this applies in other areas as well. For example, there are hospitals that break the stigma attached to ‘hospital food’ or hospitals that place maximum value on truly personal contact. In positioning, a hospital reflects on the choices they make in this regard: how do you distinguish yourselves from the rest?

Conclusion

Positioning naturally embodies much more than the above aspects, but we think these 4 examples have given you something to think about. The trend has always been to become as good an all-rounder as possible, but that never results in a story worth ‘writing home about.’ By working on a central (and clear) positioning, a hospital is able to clearly communicate to everyone – all stakeholders – the choices it has made and why. Above all, it can tell what this yields for both patient and society, and that is undoubtedly where we all want to go.

The saying “if you don’t take a position, one will be assigned to you” applies here to the fullest. And in practice, the assigned positioning is often not the desired one. Good luck trying to get rid of that!