Marketing of Healthcare Services

In recent years, the healthcare sector has become very competitive and is changing rapidly. The rise of the patient as a consumer, the introduction of innovative technologies and a new breed of entrepreneurial managers are the main factors behind this industrial metamorphosis. Today's healthcare market has become consumer-driven. Patients are better informed and they know more about health and medical services. It is against this background that this book has been developed as the marketing of hospital services assumes significance in the field of hospital management. This book is organised in seven chapters. The first chapter gives an overview of services sector, healthcare services in India and healthcare marketing. The second chapter deals with the review of literature, outlining the need and importance of the study, scope and objectives of the study, methodology adopted and the presentation of the study. The third chapter presents the socio-economic factors relating to the customers of healthcare services. The fourth chapter deals with the choices and preferences of the customers of health services and the factors influencing them in the selection of hospitals. The fifth chapter highlights the importance of marketing of healthcare services and examines the marketing practices of the selected corporate hospitals. All the important hospital activities concerning the seven Ps of the services marketing mix are covered in this chapter. The sixth chapter attempts to measure the service quality in selected hospitals with a quantitative approach. The seventh chapter provides summary and findings of the study and necessary suggestions. The findings and suggestions of the study will be useful not only to the academicians, teachers, students, hospital management and its personnel, but also to the government and health policymakers in formulating the future policies and strategies of the healthcare sector.