Health IT: Six stories to tell the market

Note: this is the third in a series about opportunities in federal healthcare. Click here for more.

Federal activity has paved the way for myriad advances in health care: interoperability, health records exchange, health and medical research, greater individual access to medical records, and much more.

From the 21st Century Cures Act in 2016 to early executive actions by the Biden administration and pandemic preparedness measures passed as part of the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill, the government continues to fund investments that facilitate data-driven decision-making and health IT capabilities.

Information technology will continue to be a major enabler for health mission agencies that are working toward a more efficient, transparent, and modernized healthcare system.

Technology vendors, systems integrators, and solution providers can play a significant role in evolving how health care is delivered while capturing their share of a market that is expected to grow to $2.2 trillion by 2030. If you’re among them, you’ll want to make sure you’re positioning your company for success.

What’s your story?

Health care is a complex world with its own unique regulatory environment, technical challenges, security requirements, and governance implications. It’s also a sensitive, high-profile subject that finds its way into mainstream media coverage, lawsuits, debate stages, campaign ads and Congressional hearings.

Your customers want to work with contractors who know the space, understand the regulations and offer proven solutions with minimal risk.

Your value propositions and messaging should reflect these realities and reinforce them in advance of request-for-proposals releases, during the sales cycle, and as part of your proposal responses.

I recommend you consider the six themes listed below as part of your go-to-market strategy and consider incorporating one or more into your capability statements, content, sales materials, and marketing campaigns.

1. How your solutions impact agency outcomes.

Federal health mission agencies such as Health and Human Services Department, Veterans Affairs Department and Defense Health Agency are investing in health IT with at least four overarching objectives in mind. Consider how you can position your solutions to add value in one or more of these areas:

• Improving patient care and outcomes.
• Expanding health equity and access for those in underserved populations.
• Reducing the costs of delivering and managing health care.
• Securing patient data and minimizing instances of fraud that cost taxpayers billions.

Don’t focus on speeds, feeds, and technical features at the expense of telling a story about how you’ll help customers accomplish these goals. Do the market research to find agency-specific public documents, such as the HHS Strategic Plan FY 2022 - 2026, and align your marketing messages with the language and priorities being used by the agencies themselves.

2. Your data management and digital modernization expertise.

A recent Government Accountability Office report identified three major data management challenges the federal government must resolve to enable a successful response to the next public health emergency: common standards for collecting data; interoperability among public health IT systems; and establishment of a public health IT infrastructure.

Likewise, technology modernization remains a major driver of health IT activity and one that requires your attention as part of your marketing messages.

If your firm has success stories, past performance and unique qualifications in these areas, make sure your messaging incorporates them. Look for opportunities to discuss specializations you hold in areas like DevSecOps methodologies, low-code/no-code development platforms, or open-source techniques.

These and other enablers can speed time to market, improve transparency, and accelerate an agency’s path to interoperability and modernization while allowing you to differentiate.

3. Your familiarity with EHRs and emerging technologies.

My last article outlined nine technologies that are changing federal health IT with electronic health records (EHRs) at the top of the list. If you have a deep understanding of, and experience with, the implementation and integration of EHRs, you’ll start with a competitive advantage.

Beyond EHRs, be sure to showcase your capabilities with newer technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), telemedicine, blockchain, wearable devices, and analytics. Publishing content that highlights past performance in these areas can demonstrate your ability to develop innovative solutions that meet the specific needs of healthcare providers and government agencies.

Many agencies have publicly released strategies that outline their plans for emerging technologies (such as this HHS AI strategy). These can provide roadmaps for your account-based marketing plans, content development initiatives and keyword research.

4. How you comply with security and health care regulations.

The sensitive nature of health data requires contractors to implement strict cybersecurity controls to comply with data privacy and protection regulations.

Solution providers should demonstrate their knowledge of, and compliance with, the regulations that govern public sector health IT. Show that you understand these regulations and their implications for health IT systems, and articulate how you will ensure data is protected against cyber threats and fraudulent activity.

Examples include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), among many others. If you offer cloud-based solutions, FedRAMP authorization has become a cost of doing business with the government.

5. Your willingness to collaborate with partners.

It’s increasingly difficult for any one company to satisfy all requirements on complex technology implementations. “Collaboration across multiple sectors (internal and external to EHR systems) is essential for government healthcare initiatives to be effective. The role of technology vendors in this space cannot be understated,” said Lloyd McCoy, director, market intelligence at TD SYNNEX Public Sector.

Promote your collaborations and partnerships with other organizations as a path to developing comprehensive, fit-for-purpose solutions. McCoy specifically cited the importance of “interdisciplinary collaboration between health care providers, public health officials, social workers, and other stakeholders” across the health care ecosystem.

6. Your experience with government procurement.

Make sure your customers understand your familiarity and experience with federal procurement processes, contracts and acquisition regulations. The greater your ability to navigate these areas, the more likely your customers are to see you as a potentially productive partner that will be easy to work with.

Reminder: It’s all about the outcome.

As with any messaging campaign, it’s important to frame your positioning around the agencies and their constituents. Rely on your subject matter experts, client testimonials and case studies, and real-world success stories to demonstrate how your company can be part of the future of health care delivery. Articulate how you will help them succeed to set your business up for success in this high-growth market.

Allan Rubin is a senior marketing executive with nearly 20 years of experience in the public sector IT community. He has held marketing leadership positions at companies such as Conduent, Verizon, Arrow Electronics, and immixGroup. Connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/allanrubin/.