The Five I’s

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Bellevue College *

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MISC

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Marketing

Date

Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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4

Uploaded by DeanHeat2233

1 The Five I's Kaitlyn Kemp Bellevue University BHMC 353 Marketing Healthcare Services Adj. Professor Quick Feb 2 nd , 2024
2 The Five I's The provision of quality healthcare services has become a key concern for patients. Similarly, the delivery of superior quality services to their patients has become critical for healthcare providers. (Swathi et al., 2023) The Five I's are a framework that provides an understanding for healthcare marketers that helps distinguish services from tangible products to ensure quality patient care and organizational success. Each "I" stands for Intangibility, Inseparability, Inconsistence, Inventory (Perishability), and Interaction and presents challenges in healthcare service marketing. Family Medical Group (FMG) is a primary care office located in Dallas, Texas, with a large patient population. Drawing from examples within FMG, such as the diabetes health education program, strategies of how managers can influence each of the Five I's to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction will be explored. Intangibility The first of the Five I's is intangibility, which focuses on the non-physical nature of services. The intangible nature of services is a challenge in marketing. Unlike physical products, services lack tangible characteristics that customers can touch, feel, or experience before purchase. This makes it challenging for organizations to communicate the value of their services effectively. For example, FMG offers a diabetes health education program for all diabetes patients at the clinic. This program provides comprehensive information and support to patients seen by FMG who need counseling, education material, and learning about diabetes and how to manage blood sugar, make healthy dietary choices, and incorporate exercise into their routines. In the case of a diabetes education program, the service involves imparting knowledge, guidance, and support to individuals managing diabetes, which is intangible but valuable in helping them better understand and manage their condition. Customers often find it difficult to evaluate service quality before consumption, increasing the importance of building trust and credibility in the service provider. As a manager, marketing efforts must focus on creating a perception of value through branding, testimonials, and other intangible cues to create a sense of value for the patient. Inconsistency Inconsistency is another essential aspect within the Five I's of service marketing. Due to the human production element, services may fluctuate in quality, making standardization and consistency difficult. Unlike manufacturing, where products can be standardized, services often involve human elements, leading to variations in performance and quality. Consistency is vital, especially when dealing with a fully staffed workforce or multiple service locations. For example, FMG experiences an inconsistency in the timeliness of care. Patients often sit in the waiting room waiting for appointments and end up waiting past their actual appointment times, causing delays for the patient and the practice, disrupting the continuity of care, and impacting the patient's health outcomes. As a manager, standardization of clinical protocols is vital and can provide consistency in care delivery. A suggestion could be made to implement quality assurance measures such as patient surveys and performance data to monitor and evaluate the practice's quality of care. Patient satisfaction as a metric provides improvement opportunities in selected aspects of healthcare services through quality assurance and outcome assessment. (Dhakate & Joshi, 2023) Investing in training and development programs for staff is also a notable suggestion that can enhance healthcare providers' skills, experiences, and communication abilities. Inseparability
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