Starting a grass fire.

I am an entrepreneur and novice in the world of business. One of the ways I have tried to acclimate to this strange world has been to read several business periodicals such as Inc. Magazine

I am also a fairly inexperienced manager of a growing physical therapy company so it should come as no surprise that a recent article in Inc. Magazine profiling Firefox’s Mitchell Baker as perhaps the "best manager in America" caught my attention. 

Baker, who’s title is “Chief Lizard Wrangler”, leads a not for profit company who’s product is free, the work force is largely volunteer, and it’s meetings are open to anyone on the globe. (To participate in Firefox’s strategic planning or operations meetings check out the schedule and conf. call numbers.)

Most of her contributors don’t have a salary or title, but do it for the respect, accomplishment and for the change. Firefox  is a web browser that has established itself as a serious competitor to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) and has been downloaded more than 200 million times making it one of the hottest high-tech products in history grossing 70 Million last year. The industry standard IE was headed for an unopposed monopoly. If everyone used Explorer, Microsoft could dictate technical standards for websites and could then in theory have proprietary approach to Web browsing.  As per Inc. Magazine due to IE flaws the public, and corporate networks, became plagued with viruses, endless pop-up windows, and spyware.

Sounds vaguely familiar to what we're facing with our 3rd party payors doesn't it? How did Firefox make their impact?  By making browsing safer and more effective for their consumers. The marketing goal: 1 Million downloads within 10 days of the program’s release. The company created a website to “spread Firefox”. Users added links to their webpages and blogs…Firefox had 1 Million downloads by the 4th day and the 10 Million within 30 days. Then a volunteer made a suggestion of getting 10,000 users to throw in $30 to take out an add in the New York Times…within 2 weeks the needed quota was met and the New York Times carried a 2 page ad.

So what does Firefox and myphysicaltherapyspace have in common? Making our unique industries safer for our public. Whether it is web browsing or browsing for medical care, this unique approach is our future. Perhaps our infamous “hair-product-using” AAOMPT president and his joint marketing team should consider what “You’ve got drugs, you’ve got surgery, or you’ve got US” might look like plastered across a full page ad in the New York Times… 

In a previous post Jeff Hathaway talked about partnering to achieve the change we all are asking for. I agree with you, Jeff, but perhaps it's not Big Insurance that we should partner with, but rather the public. Firefox has recognized ways that communities can drive organizations by getting consumers not to merely accept marketing pitches and buy products, but to also help design, shape, and disseminate products. It has forced Microsoft to change IE (now available with many Firefox-like features).  This community is in a place to launch a significant movement for changing our healthcare. By putting links to myphysicaltherapyspace on other blogs, webpages, community forums, even other professional’s web pages…perhaps even linking to a consumer focused page to express EBP as we know it that can then be broadcast.  And by partnering with other PTs, other medical providers, and the medical care CONSUMERS I believe we can see it happen.

Our readership list is now about 1,500 members. The APTA more than that.  I'd donate some of my personal dollars to take out an add in the New York Times...but we still need a few thousand people with similar feelings. 

I'm going to start by putting a link to myphysicaltherapyspace on my clinics website and I have a few friends who may be willing to do it as well.

Ready to spread a Fire(fox).
ab

Comments

[Rob Wainner]

Andrew,

Good thoughts and a great example of innovation.

Don't forget to include employers in the partnership mix as they will be the ones paying most of the bills and a t the same time saving the most money when they leave the UHC/ACN's out of the picture

Rob

[Jeff Hathaway]

Andrew, I love the thinking here! I think we have to leverage every possible angle to create the "tipping point" for our profession. If we... when we hit that critical mass, we would see incredible growth as PT is positioned as the profession that can be an answer to overall lower costs not an additional cost! When we get the truth out there via the right message, to the right audience they will respond. I beleive there are businesses and people out there that will "get it" and be our promoters.

Let the paradigm shifts continue - we must trust that the process of shifting paradigms will lead to the answers we can't see clearly right now.

What company makes that hair product anyway because if that catches fire(fox) I want stock! You never know - who would have thought Rap and Hip Hop would have caught fire:)!! - Jeff

[Michael DuPriest]

Andrew

Inspirational comments and visionary. I have yet to establish a website for my clinic. Any suggestions out there? Do it yourself or hire it out?

Mike d

[Andrew Bennett]

Mike,
My personal experience and rec: stick to your knitting.
There are too many great webdesigners out there to let my limited tech ability be the "first impression" of a consumer.
ab

[Dan Pinto]

Andrew, your post was exactly what I had been thinking but could not put to words. We need to reach the consumer. I hadn't thought of it as a "safety" issue, but in many ways it is. My wife is a pharmacist and she said pharmacy took off when direct consumer advertising started. I firmly believe we need to do the same. Whether or not a full page ad in the NYT is where it's at is debatable (isn't distribution declining due to one-sided writing - I think Flynn can speak to that). With that said it is still a significant paper and I would be willing to put money where my mouth is in direct consumer advertising (even paying out to the NYT).

Dan

[Eric]

Direct Marketing is a great idea. The barrier is that the marketing needs to be of such rich content that it not only identifies our profession as a solution, but also educates the potential patients in their rights to choose how their healthcare is administered. In other words, we could collectively spend thousands of dollars on an ad, only to have it trumped by patients first seeking an appointment with their doctor. I have had terrible success here in SC with direct marketing tactics. Without generalizing too much, I think it is due, in large part, to the strict control of the system enjoyed by physicians in my area. People just don't even consider asking anyone else how to heal them but a doctor.

A consumer directed marketing plan is a high priority, but it needs to be very carefully crafted.

[Sean]

Direct marketing can be done in many ways. 1st you can direct market to the consumer as mentioned above. But don't forget about marketing to the most powerful decision-makers in our system - the administrators of corporately-sponsored plans. We need someone to go to the Blue Chip companies of the world, on our behalf and get their support in changing the reimbursement methodology of some big Ins. Co's.
If you have these HR 20lb guerrillas as patients, they can be your best allies at getting on plans at good rates.
I know this because one of these such people got me onto "closed plans" when we 1st opened.

[Selena Horner]

Eric has a definite point. The role that we play in the health care system is on a pretty large continuum.

If a message is focused to a particular target population that we can have an impact, will there be transfer of that message into other populations in which we also have an impact?

From an outpatient perspective, it seems as though back pain is one of the more commonly treated conditions that has been shown to have large variability in practice patterns, not just within our own profession, but also with primary care physicians and surgeons.

A strategic plan that included well-defined goals that could be measured would need to be implemented. If focused on back pain: a plan that specifically targets the geographical regions where high rates of surgery occurs... a plan which emphasizes the power to choose (as Sean indicated)... a plan that somehow emphasizes and educates that pain does not always equal harm... a plan that does educate when harm is occurring... a plan that reduces the likelihood of a wait and see philosophy and instead empowers the patient to make an active decision... a plan that does provide information on the various options, but somehow enlightens the public to know to choose physical therapy without coming out and being blunt... and somehow weave in both the financial costs of care and the time costs in receiving care that are dependent upon pathways chosen.

Granted though... are we ready? Are we ready as a profession to deliver the goods as we say we can? Are we ready to meet the expectations?