Go-to-Market — No Department Left Behind

Although the next Annual Election Period (AEP) is a ways off, now is the time to start thinking about product development and overall strategy. In most organizations, the start of the “Go-to-Market” (GTM) strategy discussions begins with the C-Suite, Product Development, and Sales and Marketing.  This keen group of professionals works sequestered and siloed for a period of time and then, voilà, they emerge with the lifeline of the health plan’s benefits and strategy in their hands.

In order to launch a successful set of products (as well as strategies for selling these products), one of the most important and initial steps must be the creation of a fully integrated GTM governance structure to enable the organization to manage more effectively between strategy implementation, optimization, compliance requirements, and results tracking of an integrated marketing strategy.  This will require the involvement of multiple functional areas, even those that aren’t traditionally thought of (e.g., Medical Management, Pharmacy, Compliance, Member Services, Provider Relations, etc.), which means no department can be left behind.

“The failure to include Compliance as part of GTM initiatives is a prime reason for some of the regulatory pitfalls that arise and are discovered way too late,” says Regan Pennypacker, Vice President, Compliance Solutions. “Whether your organization deals in Medicare, Medicaid, or a combination of these lines of business, the overall guiding principles will be the same. A culture of compliance starts at the top and is effectively integrated when each area of the organization takes ownership of compliance requirements and expectations respective to each functional area.”

Execution and management of this initiative is no easy task.  A successful GTM strategy brings Compliance and operational stakeholders to the table.  Assigning the right accountable parties at the onset is critical to ensuring regulatory requirements are implemented and overall strategy is executed.  For suggestions and solutions on how to build your GTM strategy and team, contact me directly, cknight-lilly@ghgadvisors.com.

Resources

Gorman Health Group’s marketing experts have developed strategic plans for hundreds of Medicare Advantage Plans, Prescription Drug Plans, Special Needs Plans and Exchange participants. We will work with you to understand your market, mining demographic data for opportunity and finding the gaps in the competitive field into which your plan can fit. Visit our website to learn more >>

Registration for the Gorman Health Group 2015 Forum is now open! Attendees can expect timely, actionable advice on the trends shaping health care from notable speakers, including Barclay’s analyst, Joshua Raskin, and regulatory guidance directly from Jennifer Smith, a Director in the Medicare Parts C and D Enforcement Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Register your team for The Gorman Health Group 2015 Forum today!