Analyzing RelayHealth's E-Visit Program: A Healthcare Marketing Case

This case study examines RelayHealth's e-visit program, focusing on its stage in the product life cycle and comparing it to competitors like American Well and Sophrona. It identifies the e-visit program as being in the introduction stage, requiring significant advertising investment. The analysis suggests RelayHealth should prioritize innovative, physician-first tools to enhance consultation and simplify healthcare workflows, potentially leveraging market expansion, product expansion, or acquisition strategies to maintain a competitive edge. Strategies like market penetration, diversification, and consolidation are also discussed as alternatives for RelayHealth to consider for growth and profitability. Desklib offers a wealth of similar case studies and solved assignments for students.

Running head: HEALTHCARE MARKETING
Case Study Writing Assignment
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HEALTHCARE MARKETING
Stage of product life cycle
RelayHealth is a familiar leader in the development of healthcare IT. The organisation
has worked towards pioneering patient friendly paper bills, virtual online business offices and
electronic communications with the payers and the providers. Recently the company has
formulated platforms that would enable the patients and other service users to communicate
online with their doctors for consultation. In terms of product life cycle, the e-visit program is
present in the introduction stage. This is the first stage and shows that the product has just
been launched in the market and its sales are low (Gmelin & Seuring, 2014). Thus, the
organization would have to incur high expenditures on advertisement to make the e-visit
programs appealing to the service users.
Comparison
Upon comparing the website of RelayHealth with its competitors, it was found that
American Well organization intends to strengthen its capabilities in delivering health services
for acute care by building a single telemedicine/telehealth platform that allows that simplifies
access to healthcare. Sophrona also offers products that facilitate online communication
between patients and physicians. Thus, to stay ahead of the competitors, RelayHealth should
employ innovative technologies that would be adopted by doctors and patients, with the aim
of reducing healthcare costs, increasing efficiency and building a strong practice.
RelayHealth should focus on developing physician-first tools that would enhance
consultation by bridging the gap between healthcare and technology (Tantau, Vizitiu &
Valeanu, 2014). The e-visit solution should leverage health based technologies for
simplifying complicated health workflows and empowering physicians and extenders, which
in turn would assist them strengthen the physician-patient relationship (Kamsu-Foguem &
Foguem, 2014).

2HEALTHCARE MARKETING
Growth strategy alternatives
American Well has employed the growth market strategy where it is making an
attempt to obtain more sales from the already existing business of telehealth/telemedicine.
The organization is utilizing the product expansion strategy for growth market where it is
expanding its product line of telemedicine by adding several new features for increasing the
profits and sales. Relay health has employed the strategy of market penetration where it is
marketing the products based on healthcare IT within the similar market that it has been using
since decades. Some of the alternatives that might be available to RelayHealth are market
expansion, diversification, product expansion, and acquisition strategies (Grant, 2016). It can
implement these growth market strategies by either expanding the line of products that are
currently being used by the company, which in turn would increase the profits. The company
can also begin selling new telehealth products to new markets. It should also work towards
purchasing another company, with the aim of expanding its operations.
The consolidation strategy can also be adopted by RelayHealth that will facilitate
examination of the marketplace by merging and acquisition of smaller companies for gaining
economic benefits. It can adopt the strategy of pruning where it will have to reduce the range
of products that are present in the market. This might be put into action when the IT
healthcare products are failing to earn profit. RelayHealth can either divest its business by
looking for some potential buyer (Berkowitz, 2010). This should be the last resort when the
company is a mismatch for conducting the business.

3HEALTHCARE MARKETING
References
Berkowitz, E. (2010). Essentials of health care marketing. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 56-61.
Gmelin, H., & Seuring, S. (2014). Achieving sustainable new product development by
integrating product life-cycle management capabilities. International Journal of
Production Economics, 154, 166-177.
Grant, R. M. (2016). Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley &
Sons, 139-163.
Kamsu-Foguem, B., & Foguem, C. (2014). Telemedicine and mobile health with integrative
medicine in developing countries. Health Policy and Technology, 3(4), 264-271.
Tantau, A. D., Vizitiu, C., & Valeanu, V. (2014). The responsibility of telemedicine focused
organizations in regards to creating compliant end users products and
services. Amfiteatru Economic, 16(35), 108.