Nashville General Hospital (NGH) has retained outside agencies for the purpose of public relations, marketing.
In spite of a reduced marketing budget, our internal team and external partners have supported the hospital and leadership team in posting excellent operating results
Nashville, TN, July 26, 2023 - Nashville General Hospital (NGH) has retained outside agencies for the purpose of public relations, marketing, community engagement, and government relations since 2016 when we contracted with DVLSigenthaler/FinnPartners. As Nashville’s public hospital, we provide essential healthcare services to the citizens of Nashville and Davidson County for both insured and un/underinsured residents. Effective marketing builds community awareness to support increasing our insured patient population in a highly competitive healthcare market. Public awareness of NGH’s healthcare service also allows us to attract and retain skilled healthcare professionals, dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate care.
NGH went through an RFP process in 2018 and selected Community Health Marketing to represent our unique need for public relations, government relations, crisis communication and marketing. Their broad range of services and deep experience including relationships with the African American faith community made them a solid choice to support the NGH mission and model promoting healthcare equity.
Marketing budgets for community hospitals can vary significantly depending on various factors, including the size of the hospital, location, patient population, competition, marketing objectives, and overall financial health.
On average, hospital organizations, including public safety net hospitals like Nashville General have historically allocated up to 3% of their annual net patient revenue on marketing efforts. However, this figure can fluctuate based on the hospital's specific circumstances and goals. The average spend in 2022 was $15.7 million, or . 7% of net patient revenue.
Since NGH receives allocated dollars from the City and State, we benchmarked our marketing spend against Operating Expenses at 0.7%, which equates to $945K. The current and proposed contracts are 49% and 50% less, respectively. Over the last 5 years our external contract has averaged $686K per year. The current proposal represents a reduction of 32% ($218K).
In spite of a reduced marketing budget, our internal team and external partners have supported the hospital and leadership team in posting excellent operating results including a,
- 7.6% increase in unique patients
- 12.9% increase in patient encounters
- 8% increase in Nashville Healthcare Center visits
- 3.6% increase in emergency room visits
- 11.6% increase in newborns
With more than 100 people moving to the area each day, it is vital that Nashville/Davidson County residents have access to high quality, affordable healthcare regardless of their insurance status.
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