143: A Few Thoughts on Healthcare Positioning

A Few Thoughts on Healthcare Positioning Strategy

I’m talking to a lawyer the other day about business, scaling, growth, and specialization. As we’re talking, he says something in passing that totally exemplifies both the concept and the power of a strong healthcare positioning strategy. He says, “You know, it’s like if I was a furniture maker and someone asked if I could give them a price to build a deck. Sure, I have all the tools necessary to do that job, but if I say yes, they’re not going to be happy, and I’m not going to be happy. So I just say “no” to those types of inquiries, even if there’s good money involved.”

I know I’ve said this before on interviews: but the worst deals I’ve ever put together —the worst clients, worst results, most stressful projects— have all come from saying “yes” to jobs that I should have rejected. I quickly learned with my consulting work to only accept projects and clients that fit in my positioning. And, in broad areas, healthcare has adopted this idea of specialization. Orthopedic MDs don’t accept cardiology referrals etc.However, within each specialty area, there are countless specializations or sub-specialties. For example, take Physical Therapy as an example…Often times, I hear one of two problems from practice owners, each of which can be fixed with a good dose of positioning:

1. Too many referrals
2. Not enough referrals

Interestingly, no one ever says “I think we’re good. We have enough referrals.”  It’s either “we have way too many” or “we need any referrals we can get”. But how does positioning help solve either of these problems? It solves these problems like this:

Too many referrals? Look through the variability in those referrals. If you have a selected specialization (positioning strategy), and you have more referrals than you have capacity to handle, you simply take all of those excess referrals that don’t fit in your stated specialization and refer them out to other providers.The patients will be happy, because they’re not on a wait list. The referring provider will be happy because their patients will get seen sooner, AND they’ll think of you with more respect in your area of specialization…

Too few referrals? Reach out to ONLY the referral sources that match your stated positioning (specialization). Often, when the schedule gets light, clinic owners and managers reach out to anyone who could possibly refer them a warm body to treat…

This does harms the practice in 2 ways:

1. Patients don’t get the best results (which means less positive reviews and likely less referrals from that referring provider)
2. They just sound desperate (no one like groveling…)

In addition, you only have so many resources to commit towards marketing & business development. Having a clear and specific positioning keeps you from spreading those resources too thinly to make a real, meaningful difference in referral generation.

What we cover in this Episode:

• Positioning Strategy in Healthcare
• Putting positioning to work in Lead Generation 
• Building a team and culture at a healthcare business using positioning
• Reducing the stress involved in business development strategy
• Achieving Better Outcomes by dialing in your healthcare positioning strategy

We post videos of certain podcast episodes, including this episode, which can find on the YouTube Channel.

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Join Rafael E. Salazar II, MHS, OTR/L (Rafi), principal of Rehab U Practice Solutions and host of The Better Outcomes Show as he explores the possibilities of a new healthcare. Guests range from clinicians trying new techniques and treatments to executives and entrepreneurs exploring new technology, innovative service delivery methods, business models, and organizational structures. Grab a copy of the book: Better Outcomes: A Guide to Humanizing Healthcare. Or, hire Rafi to speak at your organization or event.

Are You Ready to Take Your Healthcare Business to the Next Level?

If you run an innovative healthcare company and are looking to develop a strategy that drives business in the form of qualified leads and sales, reach out. I’d love to talk with you about how I can help help you craft a business development strategy that leverages positioning, market research, stakeholder alignment to drive business development strategy for specific healthcare stakeholders.

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Are you building something innovative in healthcare—like a digital health product, service, or platform that’s aiming to truly improve the patient experience?

I help healthcare startups, SaaS platforms, and forward-thinking provider organizations develop clear positioning strategies, identify high-value offers, and build go-to-market plans that actually resonate with both users and buyers.

Whether you're launching a new product, scaling an existing service, or navigating digital transformation, I bring 12+ years of experience across clinical operations, healthcare innovation, and strategic development.

How I help:

• Clarify your product/service positioning so customers “get it”
• Align your offer with real market needs
• Build a Digital Health Roadmap to scale your healthcare organization effectively
• Support business development with industry-informed strategy

I’ve consulted on projects from multi-million-dollar state initiatives to early-stage product launches. My work’s been featured in Forbes, and I also speak at healthcare events and conferences on topics like innovation, digital health, and humanizing care. I also speak and train at healthcare conferences, events, and organizations on topics related to technology-enabled care, healthcare innovation, healthcare positioning, and humanizing the healthcare experience.

👉 Let’s connect and see if we’re a good fit.