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Grady Memorial Hospital frequently referred to as Grady Hospital or simply Grady, is the largest hospital in the state of Georgia and is the public hospital for the city of Atlanta. Historical segregation of its hospital units meant that it was also called “The Gradys,” a name that still surfaces among elderly Atlanta residents, especially African Americans. Grady is a Level I trauma center. Trauma is any life-threatening occurrence, either accidental or intentional that causes injuries. The leading causes of trauma are motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assaults.
Located downtown near the campus of Georgia State University, Grady is considered to be one of the premier public hospitals in the Southern United States. Grady Hospital is named for Henry W. Grady, an Atlanta Constitution journalist and later owner who became a major force in Georgia politics, and advocated for a public city hospital. Grady is now the flagship of the Grady Health System (Grady, 2009). Marketing plays an important role at Grady Memorial Hospital. This paper will explain product, price, place and promotion of this hospital as well as examine the relationship between the organizations marketing and partnerships.
It will also touch on why understanding target market is vital to a successful marketing plan. Product, price, place and promotion play an important role in the success of Grady Memorial Hospital. Without product there is nothing to offer. Without the right price the product will not mean anything, and without the right place and promotion, consumers will not be aware of services provided or have access to services. Grady offers a wide range of services. As mentioned, Grady is the only level one trauma center within one hundred miles of metro Atlanta.
Full trauma surgical teams are available 24/7. Emergency services also include asthma, burn, sickle cell and stroke care as well as critical care and intensive care units, including neonatal intensive care unit. So no matter what the problem is or how small the patient is, trained doctors, and staff are always available. Because of around the clock service and medical expertise, Grady houses Georgia’s Poison Center and 24-hour Rape Crisis, Advice Nurse line and the Infectious Disease Program was named one of the top three HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country (Grady, 2009).
Grady’s other service centers include a Diabetes Center, Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence and Avon Foundation Breast Health Center. Grady is also a Regional Prenatal Center. Grady provides a dedicated 60 Plus service line for older adults, Teen Health Services, and 100 other subspecialty services. Grady is an internationally recognized teaching hospital staffed exclusively by doctors from Emory University and Morehouse schools of medicine. Twenty five percent of all doctors practicing medicine in Georgia received some or all their training at Grady.
Grady provides primary care services at Primary Care Centers and eight Neighborhood Health Centers around Fulton and DeKalb counties. Grady Health System today continues to maintain its strong commitment to the health care needs of Fulton and DeKalb counties underserved, although offering a full-range of specialized medical services for all segments of the community (Grady, 2009). Grady Health System accepts private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Peach Care and workers’ compensation. Grady also accept cash, check, traveler’s check, money order, Discover, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express for payment.
Payment plans can be arranged for patients who need additional time to make all necessary payments based on Grady’s financial assistance and payment guidelines. Because Grady serves many of the lower income people in the community, Grady has developed a variety of financial options aimed at addressing the needs of patients without insurance coverage. The financial assistance programs have eligibility requirements. Grady Health System may discount some or the entire bill or help make payment arrangements (Grady, 2009). Grady’s target market is the city of Atlanta and metropolitan area.
Atlanta is the capital and most populated city in the state of Georgia as well as the urban core of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Atlanta has 429,500 in the city alone (Census, 2006). The 28 county Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area houses 4,917,717 people (Census, 2006). Atlanta is a multi cultural area that includes many different ethnicities. Atlanta also has a large percentage of wealthy families and individuals. A large percentage of poverty ridden families and individuals reside in Atlanta as well (Census, 2006). Grady offers many resources in health care.
Because of the different resources the target market for Grady Hospital is extremely wide. As mentioned previously, Grady is the only level one trauma center in a hundred mile radius. Grady also serves as the neighboring hospital for surrounding metropolitan counties. Grady specializes in Cancer and AIDS patients, so people near, and far travel for these services. Understanding target market is vital to a successful marketing plan because the target is who the services will be rendered. The product and the price of the product being offered must target a particular group of customers.
Knowing the target market helps decide how and where to promote the business. Target market gives direction to the product or service and gives the business a particular focus (Dennison, 2009). Resources Dennison, M. (2009). Target Market- Three Big Reasons You Need To Know Yours. Retrieved on November 1, 2009 from http://www. websitemarketingplan. com/techniques/target. htm. Grady Health Center (2009). Retrieved on November 1, 2009 from http://www. gradyhealthsystem. org/. U. S. Census Bureau (2006). Retrieved on November 1, 2009 from http://quickfacts. census. gov/qfd/states/13/1304000. html.