Netflixing Healthcare
On-demand services have been here for awhile now. Companies such as Uber and Netflix have shown us the potential of on demand services in different domains. Most industries are adapting this customer focused business strategy to which healthcare has recently entered.
In a world, where everything from a pizza to a cab can be received at our doorstep, we still follow the traditional approach in healthcare. The health care industry has historically been designed around the physicians and providers, asking patients to come to their place of work. This model is being challenged by a few who use telecommunications and information technology to disrupt the traditional practices in healthcare and make healthcare a more consumer friendly system.
California based Kaiser Permanente has reversing the traditional model by bringing health care services to the patients and have been successful in it. Kaiser CEO Bernard J. Tyson recently announced - for the first time, last year, they had more than 110 million interactions between physicians and patients of which 52% were done virtually. This means that more than half of these interactions were done by the patients remotely, from the comfort of their home, without any need to spend their day commuting to the hospital and waiting for their appointment.
On-demand virtual visits are less expensive for consumers: up to 40 percent less expensive for primary care, 28 percent less expensive for urgent care, and 3 to 7 percent less expensive for emergency-room visits.
In my opinion, this is a monumental success for the healthcare industry, as it can be used as a proof of concept for other entrepreneurs to work in this realm and to further promote innovative, consumer centered ideas. In a time where there is a national shortage of primary care physicians there is tremendous potential for doctors to diagnose and treat patients for using these telecommunication technology.
Visible governmental support for the virtual healthcare model as shown by an increase in parity laws from 20 states in 2014 to the current 29 states, an increased access to technology and the attractive economics involved should be seen as a window of opportunity by the healthcare leaders to transform the system and raise its standards for both the providers and consumers. Over time, insights gleaned from this consumer-forward engagement into on-demand healthcare services will begin to impact other areas of the broader health system, resulting in improved care, better outcomes and greater satisfaction for all involved.
References:
[1]: http://fortune.com/2016/10/06/kaiser-permanente-virtual-doctor-visits/
[2]: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20141204/BLOG/312049976
[3]: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-time-get-gear-drive-on-demand-healthcare-rich-roth
