Research On Marketing In State-owned Hospitals In China

BackgroundBecause of the health reform and fierce competition, the idea of marketing management has been increasingly used in running Chinese state-owned hospital, which is the leading role in Chinese healthcare market. Through several marketing mode's analysis and one case study, this paper is trying to share some experience and proposal with hospital runners and policy makers.The particularity of hospital marketing management results in the particularity of medical service. For example, the ethics in hospital marketing appears more significant compared with that in other products marketing. The risk management in medical practice is more important than other service. Medical service is personalized and impossibly standardized. Information asymmetry is common at medical service market. It is significant both in theory and practice to the Chinese state-owned hospital to probe the scientific and effective ways basing upon domestic practical situation and connecting foreign experiences.Objectives:In this article,the author investigates the strength and weakness in dominant hospital marketing modes, evaluates the achievement and effectiveness in one hospital marketing case and analysizes problems during hospital marketing, to bringing up suggestions for the hospital runners and policy makers.Methods:Three study methods were used in the research process, which are:1. Literature review. Literature about demographic statistics, policies and laws were collected to learn the strength and weakness in dominant hospital marketing modes.2. Key informant interview. Hospital presidents, clinical department directors, hospital marketing managers were interviewed to explore hospital marketing circumstance, exsisting problems and their solutions.3. Case study. To use a retrospective study to review marketing application in a state-owned hospital's laparoscope operation in the past four years. Through the change of quality, quantity, efficiency and price, we evaluates its achievement and effectiveness and analysizes exsiting problems.Results:1. Chinese state-owned hospital's marketing modes analysis. The most common modes in Chinese state-owned hospital are product strategy, price strategy, place stratgy and promotion strategy. The hospital runner should evaluate internal and external market circumstance, fix on position in market, then choose right marketing mix. For example, product strategy is suitable for all kind of hospital, but work slowly. Place strategy is only appropriate for large-scale and famous hospital.2. Case study. Through five years'marketing implemetation, DF hospital's laparoscope operation developed rapidly. The service's quantity and efficiency were improved significantly than before. The service quality didn't show significant change. The service price increased slowlier than price of control group. Thus, the marketing conduction in DF hospital made sense although there is some problems. For instance, doctors and nurses need improve market and service consciousness; the marketing department is understaffed and financial shortage. Marketing practice is lack of process management and result evaluation. There are there reasons, which are domestic hospital marketing research inadequacy, professional hospital marketing staff shortage and state-owned hospital monopolization.Conclusion:Hospital runners should absorb foreign experiences, understand domestic practical situation, enhance theoretical study, engage professional managers to intensify chinese state-owned hospitals'marketing management.Meanwhile, policy makers would further allow and encourage social capital to invest medical industry, further enhance hospital marketing supervision and management, to help hospitals develop heathily.