SERVICES MARKETING AND GAPS MODEL IN APOLLO HOSPITALS

INTRODUCTION
Apollo Hospitals is the largest healthcare group in Asia. Owns & manages 41 hospitals in and around India and has a total capacity of around 8000 beds. Founded by Dr. Prathap C Reddy in 1979 and is the first group of hospitals that pioneered the concept of corporate healthcare delivery in India. It took the first step towards putting INDIA on the International HealthCare Map.

Dr. RKO

APOLLO HEALTH STREET

It works in four key service areas: Hospitals Physician Practices Payer IT

APOLLOS 5 STAR OR 5 FOCUS AREAS

MEDICAL PERSONNEL- Apollo hired top quality doctors, supported them with well trained support staff MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY- provide advance medical technology EMPLOYEES- provided regular training, high pay, good benefits and strong team oriented culture VALUE- provided value to patients through superior medical results, quick treatment and low total cost of care relative to customers HOSPITALITY- set high standard for all aspects of patient care, including non medical ones and stressed hospitality for patients

KEY ELEMENTS OF APOLLO HOSPITAL

BASIC ELEMENTS:

Target Market Segment

Middle to upper-income patients who could pay for the medical care
Employees of the companies that provided medical care benefit

Service Concept
Main emphasis is on Tertiary care Advanced therapy & surgery for
patients with advanced or complicated medical problem Primary care services to patients as part of its emphasis on preventive health

Cont.. Operating Strategy

Consultant doctors operated on fee-for-service basis. They paid
Apollo rent for the rooms in which they saw patients but kept the fees received from the patients. Doctors were free to serve in other Hospitals also

Hospitals main source of income was from medical services such as laboratory tests, use of equipment & facilities for procedures.

Cont..

Service Delivery system

Provided six categories of rooms ranging from General ward to Super Deluxe Develop long term, trusted relations with patients by encouraging awareness of preventive health care Good relationship with referring doctors (who provided primary care) and referred patients to Apollo for Tertiary care Effective application of the latest medical technology Full Utilization of the medical equipments

Cont.. INTEGRATIVE ELEMENTS:

Positioning
Top quality Doctors Focus on Advanced therapy & surgery

Value/Cost Leveraging

Apollo tried to reduce total cost of care below the nursing homes & other hospitals. Quick diagnosis & treatment were key to this value. Early diagnosis led to early treatment providing value to both patients and hospital.

Full Utilization of the equipments

Quality Assurance Apollo made special efforts to ensure patients complete satisfaction.

Cont..
Strategy/System Integration : Consistency b/w Strategy & Delivery system

Apollo faced issues in reconciling Medical and Business Goals: Doctors

preferred surplus equipments & facilities but administrators wanted full utilization of available equipments. Hospital resolved many of these issues by forming committees of doctors & administrators.

SUPPORTIVE SERVICES
STERILIZATION MATERIALS AND GARMENTS CATERING DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL LAUNDRY LABORATORIES

AUXILIARY SERVICES
REGISTRATION AND INDOORS CASE RECORDS. STORE MANAGEMENT. TRASPORTATION MANAGEMENT MORTUARY ARRANGEMENT ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE SERVICE. REHABILITATION CENTRE. PHYSIO THERAPY. SPEECH THERAPY DE-ADDICTION & MENTAL HEALTH

OTHER SERVICES OFFERED BY APOLLO Food & Dietary Services Housekeeping Security Transport Special Nurse Places of Worship Telecommunication Services Television

MARKETING MIX OF APOLLO 7 Ps

PRODUCT

Apollo hospital has more than 53 branches across the country. Prominently Apollo is known best for heart problems and Knee and Hip replacement surgeries besides other major ailments. The specialties include Heart, Orthopedics, Spine, Cancer Care, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, Nephrology & Urology Critical Care.

CONT.. PRICE

The hospital is priced premium and it can afford to do the same because of its positioning and its assurance as well as the reliability on the brand of Apollo hospitals. Along with it, it also helps that there are so many locations and specialties in Apollo hospitals. Thus a patient is reassured of his well being.

CONT.. PLACE Apollo Hospitals has around 8500 beds across 53 hospitals in India and overseas. It is located in 15 different places across India which include Ahmadabad, Aragonda, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kakinata, Kolkata, Madurai, Mauritius, Mysore Noida.

CONT.. PROMOTIONS Apollo promotes itself through the Community Initiatives viz SACH Save a Childs Heart CURE Extends preventive as well as rehabilitative cancer treatment to the economically backward. SAHI Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired DISHA Distance Health care Advancement Project

CONT.. PEOPLE

Currently engages more than 19,000 doctors, nurses, paramedics, clinical staff and management professionals to manage over 8500 beds across 53 hospitals in India and abroad. Along with this Apollo Hospitals has several courses along with research facilities to facilitate innovation.

CONT.. PROCESS The largest achievement of the Apollo Group has been to take quality health care to across the length and breadth of India. This operation in itself involves very established procedures and documentation. It has been a major player in scripting the medical landscape of the nation. This is primarily because the group has continuously been at the helm of several gamechanging innovations in Indian health care. Apollo hospitals is NABH, NABL accrediated and also has ISO 9002 award.

CONT.. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Apollo Hospital has been know for its quality health care services, at much affordable price. Provides the services for all the ailments & diseases, assuring the healthy recovery with quality care from the staff. Apollo Hospitals conducts a rigorous site survey process as well to take care of various parameters in all their hospitals.

SWOT ANALYSIS

GAP -1

Hotel Administration thinks that patients want better food but patients are more concerned with nurse responsiveness

GAP-2

In Apollo Hospital, Compounders are ordered to give a fast service but in how much time specification it is not mentioned.

GAP-3

It is seen in Apollo Hospitals that there are some unskilled Compounders and nurses which are giving services to the patient.

GAP-4

There is no GAP in between Service Delivery and External Communication

GAP-5

Sometimes in Apollo Hospital, some doctors keep visiting the patient to show care, but the patient may interpret this as an indication that something really is wrong.