Becker's Hospital Review

STRATEGY AND INNOVATION 36 Hospital Training Complex, open to Chiefs players and the public. ose are just a few of the healthcare partnerships in the NFL alone. ese relationships are also happening on a smaller scale, in which some community hospitals or large physician groups monetarily sponsor local teams in intramural leagues or serve as the healthcare provider of choice for a local college or university. According to Michelle Mader, director of strategy and princi- pal at FreemanWhite, a healthcare consulting firm, these relation- ships — especially those with high-profile teams — are multi-year contracts (think 10-20 years) with early termination clauses. e cost, she says, can range anywhere from $500 at the high school or athletic sponsorship to millions of dollars at the pro level over the duration of the contract, with regional cost differences. ere are several reasons hospitals see these partnerships as attractive — some have stood the test of time, and others are emerging. Below is a breakdown of three of the most-cited rea- sons healthcare organizations see sports partnerships as valuable. Marketing exposure First and foremost, partnerships with sports teams are a major marketing play. "Sports in general have a huge following, whether you follow sports as a fan at the games, you're a participant or you're supporting those participants," says Ms. Mader. Manny Rodriguez, chief marketing officer for Denver-based University of Colorado Health and a football fan himself, agrees. "ere's nothing like a passion for sports," he says. "Fans are rabid and follow their teams through thick and thin." Mr. Rodriguez acknowledges that the Broncos' widespread hold in the hearts and minds of Colorado residents made the team an appealing choice as a marketing partner. "It was a great opportunity to partner with an elite team in the country to help us get our name out there," he says, especially since the system is relatively new and seeks name recognition. Ms. Mader sees these partnerships as a marketing win for pro- viders. "It's a way for healthcare providers to kind of hit multiple market segments and appeal to them without having to do very much," she says. "You can sponsor monetarily… [and get] a lot of repeat exposure." Robert Garrett, president and- CEO of Hackensack University Health Network, has seen the success of such a marketing strategy first- hand. His system partnered with the Giants in 2009, and the relationship includes cobranded radio ads, print ads and billboards. e marketing play has "been a huge success," Mr. Garrett says. He estimates that the system is getting back two to three times what it is paying in marketing value. Gaining a bigger patient base e big hope is increased name recognition through repeat exposure will eventually lead to an in- crease in referrals. But the partnerships can build a bigger patient base if they go beyond the marketing component. For instance, Hackensack- UMC's relationship with the Giants first involved physicals for the coaching staff. at has since expanded to include team members, and players' family members routinely use Hackensack for medi- cal services, according to Mr. Garrett. But provider-team relationships aren't a one-way street. Not all require visits to the hospital. Some teams ask for the health sys- tem to send clinicians to the stadium to provide first aid to injured fans, for instance. "You immediately get them into the system, on your EHR, and access to their information," says Ms. Mader. Population health management Finally, these healthcare-sports team partnerships are a re- al-world example of population health strategy in action. A big part of the partnership between UCHealth and the Denver Broncos centers around preventive medicine and a mes- sage that early detection is better. "[We can] create an opportunity for access to early detection and prevention," Mr. Rodriguez says. e first Health and Wellness expo, which happened Labor Day weekend at Sports Authority field, included autograph op- portunities with Broncos players as well as healthy food samples and UCHealth-provided health screenings. "We're working with the Broncos and, instead of waiting for people to come to us, we are bringing healthcare into the commu- nity," Mr. Rodriguez says. Co-branded fitness and wellness centers, like that shared be- tween HackensackUMC and the Giants, is one more example of preventive health. at facility, which opened in February 2013, includes a gym, aquatic center, group fitness classes, spa, train- ing kitchen with cooking classes and a host of other resources. A center like this gives members of the community a place to learn "As health systems evolve from being hospital-centric to being more of a full-service health system ... the sports partnerships are becoming more and more synergistic." — Robert Garrett, President and CEO of Hackensack University Health Network

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