Case Study: Bayhealth
From Cost Center to ROI Generator:
Coastal Growth via SPIRTO Models
By the Numbers
-12%
cost per acquisition across priority service lines
+18%
new-patient appointments from target coastal ZIPs
15–20%
of spend reallocated to
higher-yield channels
22%
digital self-scheduling volume
90-day ROI plan live with board-ready dashboards
Challenge
Post-COVID, Bayhealth’s migration to Delaware’s coastal communities—especially Sussex County, one of the state’s fastest-growing areas—raised expectations for high-profile care while intensifying competition. Bayhealth, the largest system serving central/southern Delaware with Kent (Dover) and Sussex (Milford) campuses, had a lean, at-capacity marketing team.
Most efforts weren’t data-driven and had no operational integration, so marketing was viewed as a cost center not tied to ROI. Leadership needed an operating model that linked brand, demand, and access to measurable enterprise outcomes.
Approach
Fractional CMO (alongside the incumbent CMO) + SPIRTO Growth Lab Practices
Architect (diagnose & design): Ran a Growth Readiness Audit, leadership alignment workshop, and built the Strategic Growth Blueprint. Prioritized coastal ZIPs, high-impact service lines (e.g., cardiology/orthopedics/oncology), martech clean-up, and governance. Co-led with the existing CMO to protect culture and accelerate buy-in.
Ignite (prove fast traction): Launched precision campaigns and integrated CRM with automated nurturing to fix access constraints (scheduling, call center SLAs, referral leakage). Deployed AI-assisted message testing, attribution reports, and a 90-day ROI plan with CFO-ready KPIs.
Accelerate (scale what works): Stood up the Optimization Lab, replicated winning patterns to adjacent lines and neighborhoods, and transferred capability to the in-house team via playbooks and dashboards.
Results
Coastal growth became predictable: +18% new-patient appointments from target ZIPs, –12% CPA on priority lines, +22% online scheduling, and 15–20% budget shifted to higher-yield channels.
With brand, demand, and access operating as one system, marketing moved from “expense” to performance engine, with board-visible ROI and tighter C-suite alignment.
“We stopped chasing activity and established an operating system. The Fractional CMO model—paired with our CMO—gave us speed without disruption, and the Growth Lab elements gave us sustainable proof the board could see.”
-Bayhealth Executive Leadership Composite
Learn more about how SPIRTO can help your organization.