Standing out in the crowd: What medical practices can learn from today’s healthcare disruptors
These days, healthcare disruption is everywhere you look. Healthcare disruptors like Amazon, Apple, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and others are making their mark on healthcare, and it’s a big one.
Even despite Amazon’s recent announcement that it would dissolve its primary care offering (Amazon Care) by the end of this year, the retail giant continues to focus on expanding into the in-person primary care arena. For example, it recently announced plans to acquire primary care provider company, One Medical. Likewise, CVS, known for its in-store MinuteClinics, plans to enter the primary care market by the end of this year. In addition, Walmart has opened countless primary care clinics in the last two years. Walgreens hopes to expand its partnership with primary care clinic company VillageMD to open Village Medical at Walgreens clinics.
What can—and should—today’s medical practices do to keep up with new and emerging healthcare disruptors in an age of healthcare consumerism? Focus on these five steps:
Know what your competition is doing.
Create a stellar digital front door experience.
Prioritize ongoing patient engagement.
Provide a hybrid care model.
Focus on health equity.
Know what your competition is doing.
It’s easy to know what the retail giants and other high-profile healthcare disruptors are offering in an age of healthcare consumerism, but how well do you know what the medical practice up the street is doing to attract and retain patients? Keeping a pulse on competitor websites, quality ratings, online reviews, and more is equally as important. For example, has one of your competitors expanded evening hours? Offer weekend hours or drive-up/curbside consultations? What can you do to compete during a time when healthcare consumerism continues to take center stage?
Create a stellar digital front door experience.
To do this, you’ll need to think like a consumer, and replicate the digital experience they have in other industries. For example, how easy is it for patients to schedule and check in for appointments? Check their symptoms? Learn more about their medical condition? Quickly research potential providers? This is all part of the digital front door experience. On the back end, can patients easily pay their medical bills online? Securely message providers? Today’s healthcare disruptors prioritize the patient experience and are constantly looking for ways to improve it.
Prioritize ongoing patient engagement
Appointment reminders are critical, but so is continuous patient outreach to close care gaps, provide support, and educate patients about their unique health conditions. For example, the most successful medical practices are those that provide patients with access to reputable information they can use to understand their conditions, adopt healthy habits, and avoid the potential consequences of following questionable misinformation and advice. It’s all about patient empowerment.
Provide a hybrid care model
Although your medical practice’s volume of telehealth appointments may vary going forward, one thing remains clear: Telehealth will never go away completely. Certain specialties may continue to use it more frequently than others, but most specialties should consider a hybrid care model that includes virtual and in-person care. To do that, medical practices need a telehealth-friendly EHR that integrates industry-leading video platforms.
Focus on health equity
To truly disrupt healthcare as we know it, providers must absolutely address social determinants of health to promote health equity. What this looks like specifically might differ for each provider. Factors such as geographic location, cultural influence, language differences, patient socioeconomic status, and more will largely drive each medical practice’s unique strategy. This strategy, when layered with hybrid care options, patient engagement, and a consumer-centric approach is what will help medical practices move the needle on healthcare disruption and value-based care.
Conclusion
A growing trend toward healthcare consumerism means healthcare disruption happens every day. Healthcare startups and retail giants certainly aren’t the only entities permitted to make waves. Healthcare providers themselves are well-equipped to take lessons learned from these disruptors and apply them in a way that makes sense both financially and operationally. The time to act is now. Learn how edgeMED can help at https://www.edgemed.com and be sure to visit the Healthy Snacks Blog for more expert insights, best practices and industry trends.
