Healthcare Marketing

This report focuses on structuring a marketing plan for Aetna, a healthcare service provider in the United States. The plan includes management summary, economic projections, qualitative and quantitative market analysis, competition, problems and opportunities, objectives and goals, and action programs.

Running head: HEALTHCARE MARKETING
HEALTHCARE MARKETING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
In this report, the main focus will be to structure a marketing plan of a healthcare service
provider from the United States of America. The name of the organization is Aetna, which is
provides diversified healthcare benefits, which includes a wide variety of traditional and
consumer-directed products related to healthcare insurance and related services like
pharmacy, medical, behavioral health, dental, disability plans and group life. The plan will
include mmanagement summary, economic or financial projections, the qualitative and
quantitative market, market trend analysis, competition available in the marketplace,
problems and opportunities, objectives and goals and the action programs required for the
organization.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Management Summary..............................................................................................................3
Figure 1: Economic Projection of Aetna....................................................................................4
Source: Created by the Author...................................................................................................4
The Market – Qualitative...........................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9
Appendix..................................................................................................................................11
Figure 1: Economic Projection of Aetna..................................................................................11

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Introduction
In this report, the main focus will be to structure a marketing plan of a healthcare
service provider from the United States of America. The name of the organization is Aetna,
which is provides diversified healthcare benefits, which includes a wide variety of traditional
and consumer-directed products related to healthcare insurance and related services like
pharmacy, medical, behavioral health, dental, disability plans and group life. The plan will
include mmanagement summary, economic or financial projections, the qualitative and
quantitative market, market trend analysis, competition available in the marketplace,
problems and opportunities, objectives and goals and the action programs required for the
organization. Aetna was founded in the year of 1853, in Hartford, CT. The organization is
involved in supplying innovative benefits, services and products to different employers,
individuals, producers, health care professionals and other people present in the society. The
main focus of the company is to provide a wide range of healthcare services by a diverse
workforce within the organization, where 75% of the employees are women, and 64% of
them are sitting in the management positions. Aetna focuses on the quality and now they ae
planning to introduce and implement some new services in the market place. The marketing
plan is discussed with proper divisions, which would help the organization to focus on each
of the divisions (World Health Organization, 2013).
Management Summary
The management of the healthcare organization consists of Karen S. Lynch, who is
the President of Aetna Business Unit, and is responsible and focused for providing high-value
healthcare to near about 45 million people to whom Aetna Business Unit supplies their
medical assistance. Shew was one of the Most Powerful Women in Business in context of
leadership and contributions in order to improve the health care system. Richard di Benedetto

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is the Executive Vice President of the organization.
Economic Projections
The financial or the economic projections of the organization will be the proper
allocation of the funds or revenue earned through availing the different types of services of
the company of Aetna. A certain percentage of profits will be distributed to the shareholders
of the company. The company should aim on a 5-year growth plan, through which Aetna cam
diversify their business operations. The organization can also target some untapped areas so
that more people would be able to enjoy their services, and Aetna need to allocate some
budget for that as well. The following graph will help to project the economic conditions of
Aetna:
Figure 1: Economic Projection of Aetna
Source: Created by the Author
The Market – Qualitative

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This would include the study and evaluation of the consumer behaviours of the
healthcare markets. The kind of services the people are getting and the type of healthcare
services they are demanding wold be the main focal point of the organization, so that they
can strategize their plans according to the needs and wants of the people of the healthcare
market. The new target groups can be the people wo are suffering from chronic diseases or
some other particular diseases like cancer. This new people would be benefitted from the
services availed by Aetna, who are well known for specialised services provided to thousands
of people. They can also provide healthcare services who are suffering from epidemic
diseases (Morgan, Ensor & Waters, 2016).
The Market – Quantitative
This would involve the measurement of the population of the healthcare market, in
order to understand the approach and behaviour of the shareholders of the organization. This
would help Aetna in providing the basic attachment between the mathematical or statistical
observation and empirical observation. The data related to the basic needs and wants of the
people can be evaluated through both online and offline survey. This would help to know
where the lacks are there in the services provided by the company so that they can formulate
the strategies to attract new people as well as retain the old people, who can enjoy the new or
fresh services in a different way, which would help in the sustainability of those people as
well as the organization of Aetna. The appending in healthcare market will rise up to 5.4% in
the next 3 years, which will help the organization to focus in its objectives.
Trend Analysis
Here, the behavioural trends of the consumers need to be analysed by Aetna here.
This would include the flow or the direction of the type of healthcare services required by the
people in the region of the United States of America. The key sectors in the healthcare market

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of America are healthcare services and facilities, medical devices, equipment and hospital
supplies manufacturers, managed services and care and medical insurances. Aetna need to
focus on the particular area, so that capital can be allotted in proper departments so that Aetna
would be able to implement new services into the market place and can provide the new
healthcare service to the normal and needy people. It is very much essential to follow and
evaluate the market trend so that the marketing plan can be properly structured and
implemented so that it would help them to have a competitive edge over others (Hajli, 2014).
Competition
Healthcare is one of those sector where there is an immense competition between the
companies around the world. So, Aetna need to structure their services in such a manner
which would help them to attract new people as well as retain the old customers. Services
need to properly executed so that the people get satisfied with the various services provided
by them. This would help to retain and sustain in the competitive market places in the
healthcare sector. Attractive as well as innovative services need to be implemented in the
market through which different people would be able to avail the healthcare services
provided by the organization of Aetna. The competitors of Aetna are Cigna, UnitedHealth,
Humana and others. UnitedHealth, the second biggest rival, are committed to provide
improved healthcare facilities to the people globally. On the other hand, Humana is one of the
biggest rivals of Aetna, and fights neck-to-neck with them in the marketplace of America.
Problems and Opportunities
The problems while designing the marketing plan of the company would be to
provide innovative and diversified services, as they have to face stiff competition from the
other companies present in the market. But they need to focus on the opportunities available
in the tapped or untapped market, which will be evaluated by the help of SWOT analysis, as

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well as by the help of their brand name and providing of high quality services. The 7P’s of
the marketing mix need to be used to properly pursue the objectives of the organization.
Increase of population would help the organization to gain new opportunities and hold onto
them. Stakeholder map would be used to find out shareholders who would provide budget
required to expand the business operations of Aetna. Consumer decision making process
would be used to read the desires and wants of the customers along with their satisfaction
level. Digitalised healthcare services need to implemented in more numbers as number of
tech-savvy people are increasing on daily basis. Canadian patients can be tapped in order to
increase their business operations or number of beds can be increased in the hospital. Health
camps can be arranged on regular basis which would attract more number of people to avail
their services (Allegranzi et al, 2014).
Objectives and Goals
The main aim or objectives of the organization of Aetna should be to provide top
quality healthcare services to the people of America and Canada. This would help to earn
profit for the organization as well as sustain in the competitive business sector of healthcare.
Aetna need to follow the marketing objectives which will help the organization to aim on the
particular areas in where they have the maximum opportunity to expand as well as earning a
healthy amount of revenue.
Action Programs
The action programs of the organization need to be properly structured and follow the
objectives given in the table below (Batterham et al, 2016).
Activities Resources Timeline
Top quality healthcare
service
Old as well as new
shareholders, revenue
Plan should be made for the

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earnings next 5 years
Healthcare Camps Old as well as new
shareholders, revenue
earnings
Should be held once in a
month
Digitalized Healthcare
Services
Old as well as new
shareholders, revenue
earnings
Should be performed and
checked on daily basis
Conclusion
From the above report, it can be concluded that Aetna possess good opportunity to
enter into a new market place or diversifying their business operations, so that more people
would be able to enjoy the benefits from the different healthcare services provided by them.
This would help to strengthen the position of the organization in the market place of the
United States of America as well as Canada.

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References
Allegranzi, B., Conway, L., Larson, E., & Pittet, D. (2014). Status of the implementation of
the World Health Organization multimodal hand hygiene strategy in United States of
America health care facilities. American journal of infection control, 42(3), 224-230.
Bartel, A. P., Beaulieu, N. D., Phibbs, C. S., & Stone, P. W. (2014). Human capital and
productivity in a team environment: evidence from the healthcare sector. American
Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6(2), 231-59.
Batterham, R. W., Hawkins, M., Collins, P. A., Buchbinder, R., & Osborne, R. H. (2016).
Health literacy: applying current concepts to improve health services and reduce
health inequalities. Public health, 132, 3-12.
Chandra, A., Finkelstein, A., Sacarny, A., & Syverson, C. (2016). Health care
exceptionalism? Performance and allocation in the US health care sector. American
Economic Review, 106(8), 2110-44.
Hajli, M. N. (2014). Developing online health communities through digital
media. International Journal of Information Management, 34(2), 311-314.
Manasyan, A., Saleem, S., Koso-Thomas, M., Althabe, F., Pasha, O., Chomba, E., ... &
Kodkany, B. (2013). Assessment of obstetric and neonatal health services in
developing country health facilities. American journal of perinatology, 30(09), 787-
794.
Morgan, R., Ensor, T., & Waters, H. (2016). Performance of private sector health care:
implications for universal health coverage. The Lancet, 388(10044), 606-612.
Senić, V., & Marinković, V. (2013). Patient care, satisfaction and service quality in health
care. International journal of consumer studies, 37(3), 312-319.

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World Health Organization. (2013). Global action plan for the prevention and control of
noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020.

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Appendix
Figure 1: Economic Projection of Aetna