How HonorHealth Transformed Patient Acquisition and Retention

meeting modern patient expectations

Healthcare organizations face a significant challenge: closing the gap between patient expectations and healthcare reality. Consumers’ expectation of immediate gratification has changed their expectations for the healthcare experience. HonorHealth works with Cured to solve just that—providing excellent patient experiences by matching marketing efforts to appointment availability and ensuring patients are happy with the communication and care they receive. 

Healthcare marketing teams are often pulled in many directions by organization leaders. Executives prioritize growth and revenue, operations teams focus on resourcing and availability, and patients expect needs to be met immediately. Healthcare marketers must balance these demands to generate revenue for the organization and deliver a superior patient experience. 

how to deliver the best patient experience

data-driven decision making

HonorHealth used a supply-driven growth strategy to identify key service lines with appointment availability. By researching budget vs. actual appointment volumes and average days to new appointments, HonorHealth prioritized generating the right engagement with patients needing care in the identified service lines. 

collaboration: a strategy that works for all stakeholders

Ensuring successful outcomes required seamless alignment across multiple stakeholders. Through collaborative sessions and iterative planning, HonorHealth was able to align internal and external resources to produce successful outcomes for those involved: 

• For Patients, HonorHealth prioritized the delivery of expert, high-quality care with personalized experiences and improved appointment availability. 
• The Operations team focused on optimizing clinic workflows while maintaining high staff satisfaction levels. 
• Physicians gained assurance of consistent patient flow while maintaining schedule flexibility, creating an ideal balance between practice growth and schedule autonomy.

• Business Development identified opportunities for program expansion, while IT implemented solutions with minimal technological complexity. 
• Compliance ensured HIPAA adherence and patient privacy protection, creating a secure framework for growth.

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campaigns that solve real problems

Once plans were in place, HonorHealth set out to generate patient engagement through outreach focused on lead nurturing, service awareness, event engagement, patient access and retention, and appointment communications. 

Below are HonorHealth campaign spotlights to show examples of goals, approaches, and results. 

spotlight 1: orthopedics

service awareness and event engagement

goal: increase service line demand

approach: 

• host a live virtual care webinar coupled with an outbound email campaign
• leverage propensity scores to target the audience most likely to consume care 

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results: 

• 150 leads generated with 60 appointments scheduled 
• orthopedic propensity score drastically enhanced engagement with suitable patients looking for care

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spotlight 2: bariatric

service awareness & lead nurture

goal: increase bariatric appointments

approach:

• launch PPC ads, then nurture leads captured through private landing pages and form submissions
• support the intake process with automated campaigns to encourage patients to complete steps

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results:

• 80% email intake completion rate
• 59% appointment conversion rate
• positive outcomes leveraging automated email communications and call center outreach

spotlight 3: cardiology

event engagement & lead nurture

goal: pilot SMS capture through cardiology service line

approach:

• target patients in need of care with propensity scoring and outbound email campaigns 
• capture and implement automated SMS event reminders 24 hours and 1hr before the event
  

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result:‍

• 60% SMS opt-in rate
• SMS engagement strategy has proven to be a positive development

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spotlight 4: enterprise-wide 

patient access & retention

goal: support enterprise critical notifications: paperless billing, beneficiary notice, office moves, and location changes

approach:

• targeted 5-phase email campaign using email engagement for targeting criteria
• support ACO member required notification
• provider departures/office moves & location closures

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results:

• supported critical communications promptly
• consistent engagement across sends 
• minimized print costs

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spotlight 5: newsletter

patient access & retention

goal: improve engagement by providing service updates and helpful health-related content

approach:

• monthly newsletter to stay top of mind with patients
• strategic audience selection based on:
• new contacts added in CRM
• campaign web form sign-ups
• contacts with previous email engagement
• extensive A/B testing to improve engagement - layout proofs, mobile friendly, CTA

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results:

• 13% open rates increase
• delivered content streams to different audiences

what’s next for HonorHealth

HonorHealth continues to build on its success with marketing automation through strategic priorities aligned with the health system. Key focus areas include expanding campaigns: new patient welcome nurtures, data-driven screening reminders, ongoing propensity model use, and targeted provider outreach. HonorHealth is positioned to scale its marketing initiatives while optimizing team performance and delivering the healthcare experience patients demand.

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