I.T. Helps Cardiac Education Efforts

HDM Breaking News, April 29, 2008

The American Heart Association is using market segmentation software to help focus its educational efforts on those with the greatest risk of heart disease.

For example, the association uses the Community Tapestry application from Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc., Redlands, Calif., to research demographics and socioeconomic factors for various neighborhoods nationwide, says Ben Weittenhiller, marketing consultant with the Dallas-based association. Using neighborhood data from that application, combined with other data, such as government statistics on death rates from heart disease, the association pinpoints its educational efforts to reach communities with the largest number of residents at highest risk of the disease, Weittenhiller says.

“Our role is largely to market our educational tools,” he told an audience at the ESRI Business Summit April 29 in Chicago.

Similar market research is supporting the association’s efforts to target hospitals for its “Get with the Guidelines” campaign, which is promoting the use of the association’s treatment guidelines for cardiac and stroke patients. In the months ahead, the association will ramp up its efforts to have hospitals serving communities with many high-risk patients adopt its guidelines.

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