Disconcerting Discharge
Senior citizens, who often account for a large percentage of medical services, 
are at an added disadvantage after being discharged from the hospital. Specifically, one in five of them will land right back in the hospital between 48 hours and one month following their initial release, resulting in $17 billion of Medicare costs spent on readmissions. Why? Due to a variety of issues including hearing impairments, confusion about the change in care, almost half of seniors reported taking five or more prescription medications, and more than half having two or more prescribing physicians, many elderly patients struggle with their outpatient instructions (e.g. “do I take the new meds in place of my existing meds?”) Overall there is a communication gap between seniors and their physicians around prescription medications. This is further complicated by Medicare prescription drug plans and physicians spending an average of 6-8 minutes per patient due to large patient loads.
Hold the Hand that Feeds You
With university financial aid offices at maximum capacity, now is the time to apply a “concierge” approach in building a relationship with prospective students and retaining existing ones. Similar to other institutions, even in the for-profit world, financial aid, admissions and alumni relations are often run independently, with each department working diligently against their own goals. Now that financial aid is more at the forefront of the admissions process, it is critical to ensure student touch points reinforce the university brand personality as well as drive action and deepen the relationship. This is even more challenging today as there is a growing disparity between applicants and actual enrollees. Educating students on the financial aid process is an example of how a higher education institution may have a competitive advantage. For example, taking such steps as being the first institution to alert both prospective as well as current students of upcoming application deadlines and reminding them of the required supporting documentation could determine who chooses your school over another.
CBD Green Connects with White (House, that is)
CBD proudly supports Alliance for the Great Lakes, the oldest independent citizen organization that works to conserve and restore the world’s largest freshwater resource through policy, education and local efforts aimed at preserving the Great Lakes region as a national treasure. CBD’s very own Co-CEO Lori Coman is an active board member and close advisor to the AGL President Cameron (Cam) Davis. Lori is delighted that Cam has recently been appointed to oversee President Obama’s initiative to clean up the Great Lakes. Soon, Cam will leave for Washington to serve as a special advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency to help manage the Great Lakes Restoration. Congratulations to Cam for achieving national recognition to boost Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery.
Dare to be Different
Tuition has become a leading factor for students reviewing higher education options. Students might also seek alternatives to the traditional university scenario; including more distance learning, tightened graduation timelines, more AP classes at the high school level, etc. So where does that leave higher education institutions? Students have options – and are clearly exercising them. The challenge for universities is to properly position themselves as a provider of choice.
Uncovering differentiation that leads to distinction isn’t as difficult as it may seem. After careful analysis of a local MBA school in a highly competitive marketplace, we uncovered distinct “sweet spots” that this school provided as well as needs unmet by competitors. We also learned that the ideal student was actually a collection of tightly-niched, mid-level executives seeking additional skill sets to propel them to management material. From there, we developed unique umbrella brand positioning with pinpoint outreach strategies in order to appeal to this subset of highly desirable students.
