Product Development

Health services continue to affect the gross domestic product, and this dramatic transformation has great demands on each dollar spent to deliver patient-centered products. Health care marketing must be repeatedly applied and practiced strategically to include environmental dimensions, such as technology, socioeconomics, competition, and regulatory.

That being said, in today’s global economy, investors and potential entrepreneurs must tap into the so-called “unexplored” market. In this aspect, health care establishments must utilize marketing, advertising, as well as sales strategies when pursuing new customers (e.g., suppose a health care investor wanted to build a small hospital in a rural community); this would entail exploration and logistical experimentation to determine who will patronize the facility. In an impoverished neighborhood, the feasibility of having lucrative profits may see diminishing returns, and so the venture may be not worth the effort. Also, suppose that the potential investor wants to sell mosquito deterrents (e.g., bedside netting in malaria-infested regions of Asia or Africa); then it would be wise to investigate the number of beds that are actually in the village, and who would be willing to purchase them. These activities take into account the investor portfolio, as well as the feasibility of marketing and selling the product. Such exploration also examines competitors, cultural differences, and—most important—identification of the customer.

Identify a local health care establishment (e.g., hospital, rehabilitation center, emergency medical center) and determine its product development practices. Utilize concepts from previous weeks to substantiate information, as needed. You may develop the discussion based on the ideas presented here, but feel free to inject any salient marketing strategy that you believe might support your presentation.

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

1. Justify the purpose of the selected health care establishments’ product(s) / service (s) and their associated life cycle(s).
2. Suggest one (1) strategy to improve the marketing mix of the selected health care establishment. Support your strategy by highlighting one (1) benefit of (1) portfolio analysis and providing two (2) examples that display differential advantages.
3. Assess the importance of technology in providing patients with clear and accessible information about health care organizations and the product(s) / service(s) that they provide.
4. Outline a survey to capture patients’ expectations regarding the delivery and / or accessibility of product(s) / service(s) identified.
5. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources. 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Analyze how products evolve through the four stages of the product life cycle.
• Determine the appropriate product succession planning efforts of health care services.
• Examine the marketing research process and market segmentation strategies in the health care industry.
• Evaluate marketing research tools involved in the marketing process.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in health services strategic marketing.
• Write clearly and concisely about health services strategic marketing using proper writing mechanics.