The healthcare revolution is here

QUICK READ: One-stop healthcare is coming and it’s going to raise the bar for patient expectations. More and more patients realize that they are paying exorbitant rates for health insurance and as such, they want to be treated like valuable customers not just a number.

Imagine going to a healthcare center that has everything a patient needs from talking to a doctor to getting an MRI or filling an Rx. Wal*Mart is already testing this concept and my guess is that it’s going to catch on in a huge way.

Marketing is about filling the needs of customers n healthcare customers don’t like having to wait days or weeks for an MRI or to see a specialist. Here in Naples, a regional hospital is already testing this concept and so far it’s being met with rave reviews.

The benefit to the patient is obvious: no more having to go to several places to get a diagnosis or ensuring that medical records are being shared. The challenge is going to be ensuring that patients don’t have to wait too long and that they are receiving quality healthcare. Will, for example, non Wal*Mart customers trust their health center to provide quality healthcare?

CVS is also testing clinics within some stores and adding wellness as well. In my opinion, a major opportunity exists for a new one-stop healthcare center brand to establish itself. It won’t be easy though. The capital costs are going to be huge not to mention recruiting HCP’s to work at such centers.

As the current COVID-19 pandemic spreads many states are going to offer drive-thru testing. Could this work for the flu as well or other minor ailments? The new generation of healthcare consumers is not willing to wait for appointments then take time off of work to sit in a waiting room potentially full of other sick people. They want to see a doctor, get their Rx and go about their business.

It’s also interesting to note that health-related searches on Google have increased in triple digits since the pandemic. Again, I believe this will continue long after the pandemic has subsided.

Where is pharma?

Throwing more money at digital is not the answer. The answer lies in providing content people want and need and learning to listen instead of selling. One pharma CDO already bolted from his role and I expect more to follow suit because pharma has not yet adapted their organization for the new world of online healthcare.

By the way….the idea of moving to Facebook to place ads is perhaps the dumbest idea I have ever heard. Social relationships are based on trust and right now the public mistrusts pharma.

It’s fin watching this huge transformation caused by so much misinformation and scare headlines. However, if you think people are going to go back to the old way of making healthcare treatment decisions I have a bridge to sell you.

Originally published at https://worldofdtcmarketing.com on March 16, 2020.