Free Healthcare Business Resources to Use in Troubling Times

Over the past month, I’ve been using the search term “free things during COVID-19” to find the most relevant offerings for my clients, and I compiled a list of valuable healthcare business resources that can make a portion of the day-to-day operations easier for any group.

There are a few that are healthcare-specific, but other businesses can benefit from these services as well. Consider it our way of saying “thank you” for continuing to work and treating those impacted by the pandemic.

Healthcare Business Resources for Marketing

1. Hootsuite
   • What: Hootsuite is a social media management platform, which is crucial to increasing a brand’s online presence and trust to consumers. The company is offering free access to its professional plan, which includes the ability to add 10 social media profiles and the ability to spend up to $500 to boost brand content.
   • Ends: June 30th
   • Fine Print: Only available to nonprofits and small businesses. A credit card is required for no contact sign up.
2. ReviewTrackers
   • What: The reputation management company is offering a 60-day trial, which lets healthcare groups and organizations gather valuable patient insights based on reviews from multiple online review sites.
   • Ends: 60 days after signing up
   • Fine Print: Sign up for a free account with no credit card required.
3. Eruptr
   • What: The marketing service company is working with its latest acquisition, HealthAware, to create free COVID-19 assessments for healthcare organizations with the aim of allowing “providers to focus on evaluating eligibility for screening tests, or risk stratification while limiting in-person office visits and manage social distancing.”
   • Ends: Unclear
   • Fine Print: Fill out the contact form or call for the next steps.

Healthcare Business Resources for Operations

1. Panda Doc
   • What: The company announced a new free plan that allows for unlimited e-signing and payment processing after the digital document is signed. This can be viable for healthcare groups who need patients to digitally sign documents during a time of social distancing.
   • Ends: Unclear, but it looks like it may be available indefinitely.
   • Fine Print: Sign up for a free account with no credit card required.
2. Salesforce
   • What: The cloud-based company is offering free access to a new Salesforce Care Response solution for healthcare and response teams. It includes a configured cloud-based contact center solution and a self-service resource center.
   • Ends: 6 months after signing up
   • Fine Print: You must fill out a form and have a rep reach out to get set up. A contract may be required.
3. Dropbox
   • What: Specific groups can get three months of Dropbox Business + Hellosign Premium for free to help alleviate online storage and digital document signing needs, which can help reduce person-to-person contact while maintaining strict recordkeeping practices for each patient.
   • Ends: 3 months after signing up
   • Fine Print: Educators, nonprofits, and NGOs only. You must fill out a form to be contacted and approved.
4. Adobe
   • What: A myriad of Adobe services are being offered for free such as Acrobat, Adobe Experience Cloud, and Adobe Spark, all of which can help facilitate easy document sharing across different healthcare teams, ensure effective communication with patients and their families, and monitor a healthcare organization’s online presence.
   • Ends: Ranging from 2-6 months.
   • Fine Print: Terms differ for each product, but account creation is simple and for most services no contact with sales is necessary.

Healthcare Business Resources for Communications

1. Calendly
   • What: Users will get free premium integrations with Zoom and GoToMeeting, which can make it easier to set up virtual calls between teams, patients, and loved ones.
   • Ends: June 30
   • Fine Print: Just sign up for a free Calendly account (no credit card is required).
2. Medicom Health
   • What: The company is offering complimentary anxiety and depression assessment for healthcare organizations. Not only does this benefit patients during care; it can also be a way to help healthcare workers who are feeling overwhelmed during these difficult times.
   • Ends: June 2020
   • Fine Print: The “Sign Up Now” button is unlinked. You most likely will need to reach out to their support team to get set up.
3. UpToDate
   • What: The website features open access to clinical content on COVID-19, which can go a long way in providing a comprehensive education of the virus to staff members, patients, and the general public.
   • Ends: N/A
   • Fine Print: None

Healthcare Business Resources for Education

1. LinkedIn Learning 
   • What: The professional social media site is opening over 50 courses across a variety of topics such as finding ways to manage stress during work and building resilience, which are useful to the many frontline healthcare workers dealing with the virus.
   • Ends: No info
   • Fine Print: None! If you have a LinkedIn profile you’re ready to go and learn.
2. Moz
   • What: Moz is opening access to its Moz Academy for free until the end of May. Those working in healthcare operations can use these resources to optimize their organization’s online presence to make it more prominent and easy to find for current and future patients with SEO courses and page optimization lessons.
   • Ends: May 31
   • Fine Print: Account creation is free! The deal excludes the SEO Essentials Certification.
3. Coursera
   • What: In addition to free health courses, the website is offering plenty of free online learning classes for managing mental health and well-being, which is vital for many healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis.
   • Ends: Unclear
   • Fine Print: Account creation is required. Make sure to use the “promotion” links to get signed up for free classes.

Healthcare Business Resources for Human Resources

1. 15 Five
   • What: The team management platform will offer full access to their platform, which healthcare groups can use to assess areas of improvement within their teams to be efficient as possible while keeping spirits high during stressful situations.
   • Ends: June 15
   • Fine Print: Limited to teams of 50 or less. A conversation with their sales team is required to set up a trial.
2. Workhuman
   • What: Providers who sign up will get free access to the Workhuman cloud platform, with features such as the ability to share galleries of positive moments between team members, peer-to-peer recognition messages, and valuable analytics to gauge the overall morale of a healthcare team.
   • Ends: March 2021
   • Fine Print: You will need to create an account.

Healthcare Business Resources for Well-Being

1. Headspace
   • What: A suite of free guided meditations and exercises are available to employers and employees in the “Weathering the storm” section of the Headspace app, which can be a welcome relief to healthcare professionals looking for something relaxing amidst the stressful work environment.
   • Ends: Indefinitely
   • Fine Print: A credit card isn’t required for the free sign-up process.

Creating a Foundation of Trust

More than ever, we need all the help we can get, and these businesses are doing what they can to help. It’s also a win-win scenario for the healthcare industry and the brands providing these services.

On the healthcare side, these free services can be a saving grace in different ways for any healthcare group. For the businesses providing these services, it’s a chance to start brand engagement, increase exposure, and establish the vital trust needed to attract and retain customers in the long run.

Hopefully the services on this list provide some value to you during these turbulent times and set the foundation for a fruitful partnership with brands that extends beyond the trial period.