United States the only country that has hospitals competitively advertising?
 

i'm not talking about TV or radio spots that are more public relations type ads for hospitals or fund raisers or private hospitals that provide elective and cosmetic surgery - i'm talking about ads meant to lure you to one general hospital over another one.

just heard one that was pretty much 'When you're having your next heart attack choose Northside General'

we have that here in Holland - mainly for cosmetic surgery, Germany has it too and also for regular hospitals the more expensive ones with more private care

http://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&cl...Zoeken &meta=

boobjob, prices are in google ads n all

When I was pregnant I actually chose my DR based on the Hospital she worked out of. I knew what I wanted from a facility and didn't want to end up giving birth in a country hospital with 3 other women in the room in labor.

So yeah, I seem them alot for Maternity/Prenatal care

Its all about the Dollar.

In Canada we take whichever one is closest. And if they don't know what they're doing they send us to the closest one that does.

:upsidedow

i really doubt their target audience is the patient, i would assume its others in the medical field same as prescription drugs

wrong it was definitely an ad aimed at the general public and it focused on heart attacks

what pisses me off, is in the usa you roll through a small rural town and they dont have any small ma and pa clinics.. you go through the smallest place and smack in the middle of it all is a huge fucking corporate clinic

The hospital across the street from me has tv ads for their new childrens ward, I never really thought about it til now but it is pretty messed up. :Oh crap

My sister works in Marketing for our biggest local hospital. They produce all sorts of ad material, some being exactly what you described.

Hospital advertising even extends to official looking directional road signage...

Ie. in Pennsylvania, the blue "H" hospital directional signs are actually promotional tools of the hospitals - following those "H" signs, at least in Pennsylvania, may lead one not the nearest hospital, but possibly to a hospital further away!

In my view, hospitals should all be non-profit and forbidden from advertising.

Ron