How We’re Increasing Referrals for WellSpan Health
The Opportunity:
In 2024, WellSpan Health set out to change its perception among referring providers. These providers know WellSpan as a regional health system that provides convenient, compassionate care. But WellSpan is much more: Its physicians are global leaders, it offers leading-edge treatments, it conducts research to improve the standard of care in many areas, its key outcomes are often on par with – or better than – academic medical centers.
WellSpan wanted providers to know all this and to refer more patients. But it didn’t have the B2B strategy, messaging or infrastructure to get the word out.
The Solutions:
Message Lab Media helped develop and execute a content marketing strategy aimed exclusively at physicians. This included:
Tailoring WellSpan’s brand to physicians: WellSpan’s previous B2B content felt geared toward patients. To better engage physicians, Message Lab Media partnered with WellSpan’s marketing and clinical leadership to develop brand messages specifically for providers. These messages coincide with WellSpan’s consumer brand and reflect what physicians care about when deciding where to refer.
Building tech infrastructure: WellSpan needed to build new website landing pages tailored to providers, without overloading its internal team. We partnered with WellSpan collaborators to develop a WellSpan-branded content platform that serves as their B2B digital hub. This hosts WellSpan’s latest articles, news updates, video content and webinars. In tandem with this site, the project established omnichannel marketing infrastructure for digital campaigns.
Establishing a new content marketing approach: WellSpan’s previous B2B content was largely “promotion-first.” Message Lab Media applied a different, “educate-first” approach that adds value for physicians by teaching them about things like new technologies, treatment pathways and clinical trials. Along the way, physicians learn what sets WellSpan apart and why they should refer. This positions WellSpan as a trusted partner and, in turn, inspires more physicians to open, click, read, watch or listen.
Creating a print “newspaper” and omnichannel campaigns: The centerpiece of WellSpan’s new B2B outreach is MacroScope, a print newspaper with articles that help providers improve their practices. Message Lab Media develops the content ideas, editorial calendars and project plans to make MacroScope publishes on time. From there, the Message Lab Media team interviews WellSpan physicians, creates articles and other assets, and designs and lays out the publication.
MacroScope feeds multimedia content including live webinars and videos. As this content is deployed across omnichannel marketing campaigns – including email blasts and social media – we track physician behaviors. This includes using NPI numbers to identify which physicians are engaging with the content, so liaison teams can follow up to help generate new referrals.
“MacroScope reflects the best of what’s happening across our health system. By presenting our latest advances in a clear, conversational way, it helps clinicians stay informed and elevate the care they deliver. I’m continually impressed by the thoughtful approach to each issue and the quality of each article.”
– David Vega, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
The Results:
In late 2024, WellSpan started publishing the newspaper and executing digital campaigns. Hundreds of physicians have signed up to receive the newspaper and the campaign has deployed more than 200,000 emails across four key service lines (cardiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pain management, and oncology), along with targeted outreach to primary care audiences. These efforts have been amplified through network-wide promotions, including placements within weekly specialty newsletters, on-site banner rotations, and targeted social campaigns across Facebook and LinkedIn. Collectively, these campaigns have driven 80% of overall traffic to the MacroScope site.
Most important, our campaign’s first phase generated more than 130 new referrals, which more than covers the campaign cost and thus generates new revenue for WellSpan. This revenue will only increase moving forward, as changing one physician’s referral pattern will have a long-term multiplier effect as more new patients enter the WellSpan system.
“MacroScope has been an outstanding resource for our primary care teams. The content is timely, practical, and deeply relevant to the challenges clinicians face every day. It’s been very well received across our network because it not only informs but also empowers providers to deliver better care. By highlighting best practices and innovative approaches, MacroScope strengthens our ability to improve outcomes and enhance patient experience.”
– David J Gasperack, DO, Senior Vice President of Primary Care and Population Health
Why Referral Marketing?
More systems are embracing referral marketing to complement consumer marketing. This shift is based on the fact that inspiring one physician to refer patients can have a much larger – and longer-lasting – financial benefit than persuading one consumer to choose you for care. If done right, referral marketing can have a much larger return on investment than consumer marketing.
Why Message Lab Media?
Message Lab Media is a content marketing agency that specializes in helping health systems forge stronger connections with patients, providers and donors. We’re the only healthcare content marketing agency with a dedicated B2B team. For more than a decade, this team has worked with clients nationwide to develop and execute content marketing strategies that increase referrals and reputation scores.