20110823 Marketing Call

Attendees: Grant Wood, Rene Spronk, Errin Fitzsimmons, Martin E, Gora Datta, John Ritter, Andrea (HQ)

Minutes:

1. Round of introductions
2. Discuss and plan for co-marketing with IHE – (input from Chuck Jaffe and Keith Boone).
   • Topic for another day
3. Discuss strategic marketing plan updates
   • Strategic questions, responses by Chuck. Grant has spoken with Chuck, and reports that
     • Chuck feels that the board has enough funds to pay a professional marketing firm to take over the heavy lifting. Chuck has interviewed marketing firms, to find one that understands the healthcare domain. In the past he’s had to spend lots of time on education of a marketing firm, to bring them up to speed. Chuck has talked to a firm which has a good healthcare IT background. This firm has also worked with another (small) SDO already.
     • There will be funds available to engage this firm. How much funding is yet unknown - could be decision of current board, or next board (i.e. next year).
     1. What should the marketing council be focusing upon?
        • Chuck (as cited by Grant): In relationship to the Marketing Council: marketing firm would take the heavy lifting from the marketing council. the focal point of the marketing council would shift to the domain expertise of the participants, on maintaining a link with the 'front lines'. Marketing firm would address 'brand awareness'. Draft marketing plan to be used as a starter by the marketing firm.
        • Chuck was worried that the level of volunteerism on the Marketing Council would drop after the selection of a marketing firm.
     2. product briefs of products. TSC is working on this as well. hat's the strategy behind these product brief activities?
        • Chuck (as cited by Grant): trying to decide to invest $$ on printing a product and services guide.
        • John Ritter: guide would be out of data pretty quickly. A 1 pager with a link to some online resource would be batter, as that would be up to date. Martin: to print such a guide, without a marketing plan - which could shift the focus on how products/services are viewed away from 'HL7 fanatics' - spending any money would seem a mistake.
     3. How can marketing work with US / international requirements, how to coordinate marketing with affiliate activities?
        • Chuck (as cited by Grant): marketing firm would have to have the skillset to coordinate with the affiliates. On the current lack of international focus of the marketing efforts: yes, they'll need to address that.
        • John: agree with the notion that form has to have an international orientation. One of the roles of the Mentoring Committee is to pitch "the need for standards" - this should be something a marketing firm focuses on.
     • Gora: engaging a heavy lifter is a good idea. We've had a similar situation in the past, work done by the marketing firm was completely isolated form the marketing council. History is a concern. Objectives may not come to fuition. The marketing council has an interesting/mixed background. Gora suggests to document our concerns in a formal letter to Chuck.
     • Rene: similar concers - 'marketing' needs embedding in the minds of key HL7 volunteers, need to increase acceptance and use of any marketing work, especially if created outside of HL7. Martin: need affiliate inpit into the process, this group, although not rich in affiliate representatives, can provide such input.
     • Gora/Rene: create a list of issues that we want the marketing firm to take care of, or be aware of. Finalize in San Diego.
     • Rene: in the meantime, we should continue working on the strategic marketing plan. Focus may shift somewhat because of the statement by Chuck - however, the marketing firm may not be active until the middle of next year. Martin: continue with the current work, documentation of our approach, captures knowledge.
   • Marketing Plan: Challenges, consequence of Marketing Plan: Strategic Initiatives.
     • Not discussed on the call.
   • Stakeholder category descriptions / Martin
     • Hospitals, Networks and other Providers
       • Healthcare / Medical Provider – A person or facility that administers health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a profession. This group includes, but is not limited to hospitals, physician practices, physician group practices, pharmacies and pharmacists.
     • Hospitals and Healthcare Systems CEOs/CIOs
       • Senior executives, working in Healthcare Systems or Medical Providers, who are responsible for strategic, decision making related to operations and or health information systems
     • Pharmaceutical Companies
       • Entities concerned with the invention and/or management of medicinal drugs to produce positive health outcomes. This group includes pharmaceutical manufacturers and clinical (trial) researchers and sponsors.
     • Drug Benefit Providers/Pharmacy
       • Organizations concerned with the delivery, dispensing or management of medicinal drugs to patients
     • Public Health Organizations
       • Entities concerned with threats to the overall health of the population of a community based on population health analysis. It generally includes infectious disease surveillance and infectious disease control and promotion of healthy behaviours among members of the community.
     • Payers
       • Payer – an entity that pays for, funds or underwrites coverage for health care expenses. A payer may be an insurance company, a health maintenance organization (HMO), a preferred provider organization (PPO), a government agency, fiscal intermediaries, or a third party administrator (TPA).
     • National, Federal, and State Government agencies
       • Includes the profiler/enforcers. This category also includes government subsidized, but not directly government controlled, national/regional initiative organizations/foundations such as NICTIZ (Netherlands Institute for ICT in Healthcare), Carelink in Sweden, Canada Health Infoway and CfH in the UK.
       • Gora notes that the description should be extended to include NGO's. Rene: we already have NGO-like organiations as examples.. this category is not about who finances the organization (governmental or not), but about another aspect, mostly the "enforcer" aspect. Will need a rewrite.
     • Clinicians and Practitioners
       • Individuals who practice in a clinical capacity. Identified by the requirement to hold a license in order to practice their art. Includes doctors, nurses, chiropractors, pharmacists, physical therapists dieticians, etc
     • Professional Associations
       • Membership organizations, usually comprised of practitioners of a given industry or profession, formed for a particular mission or purpose. Examples include HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society), Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA).
     • Academicians
       • Individuals involved in the research or education related to health, healthcare, and its organization, management or delivery
     • Grant Makers
       • Entities that make funds available to support projects or research that advance knowledge and understanding in health or healthcare, or assist in new approaches to its organization, management or delivery
     • Vendors
       • Vendor – an entity that represents an organization that produces or sells products or systems that relate to, use, or incorporate HL7 protocol specification. Consultant – an entity that provides advice, support, and consultative services concerning HL7 protocol specifications.
     • SDO
       • Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) – organizations (like HL7) that work cooperatively to develop consensus standards (sometimes called specifications or protocols) for a particular domain. SDOs are generally not-for-profit volunteer organizations whose members develop the standards. Examples include: International Standard Organization (ISO), European Committee for Standardization (CEN), ASTM International, National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), IHTSDO, and Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM).
     • Patient/Citizen
       • Individuals who need or are subject to healthcare
4. Planning of the San Diego WGM
   • Review 201109 Marketing Meetings
     • Added some topics to Tuesday Q3. Not sure what to do during Thursday Q3.
5. Next call
   • Sept 6 - Marketing collaboration with IHE
   • Martin: this is of key importance and may be an example of where marketing at the loacl level differes from marketing from a global perspectice. Rene: previously the marketing plan only had IHE listed as a competitor, whereas it is a collaborator in most areas - people need, or mandate the use of, a combination of IHE and HL7. In quite a few countries the local IHE and HL7 organizations are effectively run as one single joint organization. Mostly thtough overlap in terms of board members, or more structurally in an approach as used by the Canadian 'standards collaborative'. If we can convince people to use IHE, they end up using HL7 as well.
6. Project: Totorial for "Maximizing the Value of your HL7 Involvement"
   • John will sent a project statement for review by Marketing.