Track 3-1b
Management

Building Multicultural Business Strategies: Important Or Urgent?

Health care organizations competing in a difficult marketplace must determine if building business strategies focused on multicultural segments are important or urgent. Population assessment, market penetration, and competitive analysis can define marketing risks and opportunities. However, the level of urgency and importance an organization places on multiculturalism determines the magnitude and pace of implementing new business strategies. This presentation describes the evolution of integrating new community, clinical service, communication and marketing initiatives into Kaiser Permanente's Golden Gate Service Area. This area includes the San Francisco Medical Center, serving one of the most culturally diverse communities in the world. A Chinese market focus in 1996 served as a catalyst for launching other multicultural initiatives in the San Francisco and other Kaiser Permanente medical centers.

Dennis Lum, MPH
Area Marketing Director
Kaiser Permanente's Golden Gate Service Area
4141 Geary Blvd., Suite 411
San Francisco, CA 94118
4152024770/ 4152022572
Dennis.Lum@ncal.kaiperm.org

Dennis Lum has been the Area Marketing Director for the Golden Gate Market Area for Kaiser Permanente since 1994. Kaiser Permanente hired him in 1992 to start the Group Information Services Department, which responds to complex data and information requests from large corporate clients, consultants and business coalitions. In 1995 and 1996 Dennis sponsored the San Francisco Chinese and Hispanic Initiatives. Co-sponsors included the Sr. Vice President and Area Manager of the Golden Gate Service Area, the Customer Service Leader, San Francisco’s Physician-In-Chief, the Medical Group Administrator, and the Director of Strategic Projects. These initiatives included significant service and access improvements, stronger community relationships, bilingual member communication, and targeted sales and marketing strategies. Prior to Kaiser Permanente, he worked for five years as McKesson Corporation’s Senior Benefits Analyst to managed their self-insured plan and to negotiate national managed care contracts for employee health benefits. Other administrative positions held include Manager of Health Care Management Systems, Blue Cross of California and Business Manager for the Contra Costa Health Plan, a publicly sponsored Federally Qualified HMO. His clinical experience includes Nuclear Medicine Technology and research in the radiopharmaceutical industry.
  He holds a Masters of Public Health Degree and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.  NEXT >

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