Occupational Health Business Plan

By tailoring services and developing customized programs for companies and individual employees, Workwell will develop a reputation for quality and customer service.

Workwell services will be directly marketed to employers via telephone calls and on-site consultations. The strategy is to target all industries within the services area, with a primary focus upon the government and service industries, which are the major components in the market. Once Workwell becomes a recognized program, we will rely more on reputation and word of mouth and less on direct marketing.

5.1 Marketing Strategy

Workwell will begin by targeting the large-to-medium size–500+– businesses within a 15 mile radius of COMC. We have 11 businesses, encompassing 83 percent of the total work force in Killeen, within 15 miles of COMC. This will allow us to receive the greatest return on our marketing efforts/dollars. This does not mean that we will not aggressively target the small and more distant employers. There is significant amount of services to be provided to this segment and we will cater to their needs.

The first task is to convince senior executives of the benefits and needs of occupational health services. This will be accomplished by aggressively pursuing interaction and relationships with business professionals who would profit from using this service. Once a strong image is established in the Killeen market, Workwell will use similar strategies to market its services to corporations in Copperas Cove.

5.1.1 Pricing Strategy

Following is a price list for the most commonly performed procedures at Workwell:

Wellness Programs

Pricing varies according to topics and class size. Some programs may be offered free of charge.

Injury Treatment

Pricing varies according to injury severity and required medical services.

5.1.2 Promotion Strategy

Following initial promotional activity through advertisements in newspapers, magazines, television and radio, Workwell will significantly reduce its promotional efforts in the hope that word-of-mouth will attract potential customers. Promotional activity will still be utilized through these media outlets, but only minimally.

We recognize that a comprehensive marketing strategy is a critical component in the success of this program. To achieve this, a full-time marketing coordinator will be charged with the responsibility of selling the program to all employers in the area.

Advertising and Promotional Options

Newspaper Display Advertising
Suggested Budget: $1,000

This will cover production and insertion costs for a 1/2 page, black and white ad to run three consecutive times in the Killeen Herald.

Quarterly Newsletter
Suggested Budget: $1,500

This will cover costs for writing, producing, and printing a two color, 2 to 4 page newsletter four times a year.

Quarterly Wellness Education Seminars
Suggested Budget: $1,000

On a quarterly basis area Employee Benefit Coordinators will be invited to attend the health promotion and wellness seminars to learn more about back care programs, dealing with stress, smoking cessation, etc. These will be held at the Centroplex Hospital. Lunch will be provided.

Direct Mail Campaign
Suggested Budget: $5,000

This will be directed towards recruiting new referral sources – program based on contacting 10 people per month for 12 months at a cost of $25 to $50 per mail piece.

Public Relations
Suggested Budget: $???

A public relations campaign could encompass community newspaper articles, articles in internal hospital publications, and articles in area and state-wide professional journals. The campaign could also include the production of a year-end “annual report” document or letter that could be sent to all referral sources, employers, etc.

Quality Aspect
No direct costs.

A patient satisfaction survey should be utilized to address questions relating to the ability of the program to meet the needs of the patient, referral person, and others, as well as gauge the patient and referral person’s level of expectation, areas for improvement, new program development, etc.

5.1.3 Marketing Programs

Workwell’s most important marketing strategy is establishing a “one-on-one” relationship with the person in charge of employee health and benefits of each employer in our service area. This is intended to serve as a venue by which to communicate to the employers about our current and new services available to them through the Workwell program. Achievement will be measured by the number of employer contracts that are active on a monthly basis. Currently there are 60 current accounts.The goal is to double this number of accounts in a one-year time frame.

Another key marketing program is to revamp the quarterly health & wellness seminars. We will invite the Employee Health and Benefits Coordinators to attend these seminars. This will enable us to offer workshops on such topics as stress management, smoking cessation, back-care program, etc. while at the same time receive feedback from our clients on what they like and dislike about the Workwell program.

Additional marketing tactics are listed below:

• Advertising through the local chamber of commerce.
• Mass mailings to area companies’ human resources executives and safety engineers.
• On-site educational presentations by the marketing coordinator and accompanied by a physician.

The key is to constantly communicate with our patients/clients to inform them who we are and what we offer.

5.2 Fundraising Strategy

The following table and chart give a run-down on forecasted sales. Total revenue is projected to grow 30 percent by 2001.

Note: It is estimated that irregularities in coding and billing cost COMC approximately $150,000 in 1998.

5.3 Milestones

The following table shows the important milestones for Workwell.