Lately it seems a whole new intensity has entered the healthcare debate.
No doubt the fumble of the Affordable Care Act website prompted many questions.
However, the key question remains:
Is government the answer, or will business innovation transform healthcare?
Dan Munro recently offered this perspective in Forbes.
Munro points out that the healthcare system itself and start up businesses are unlikely to “disrupt” healthcare in any meaningful way. Fundamentally, the healthcare system does not want to change because currently they have total control over supply and demand. Agreeing to change means voluntarily cutting their profit.
Rick Scott (Governor of Florida) said it best:
“How many businesses do you know that want to reduce their revenue by half? That’s why the healthcare system won’t change the healthcare system.”
Munro also believes that start ups lack the influence to transform the healthcare processes that drive the primary cost factors. As a result, Digital Health and mHealth firms spend “much of interest, focus and attention around disrupting healthcare today continues to be on the low-acuity, primary and preventative sides of the system. That’s logical because it’s often at the entrance of the healthcare system and if you can’t (or won’t) change the supply chain – maybe you can have an impact on the demand side.” While this focus will improve healthcare delivery efficiency and effectiveness, the question remains: Is it enough to transform healthcare?
Can the same disruption that allowed Netflix to put Blockbuster out of business, iTunes to replace CDs, Craigslist to blow a hole in newspaper classified ads, or online insurance and banking to replace local insurance agents and mortgage brokers happen in healthcare?
Check out the comments on Linkedin for insights.
Is government or a deep pocket corporation disconnected from any motives for profits what’s needed to fix healthcare?
Or can, and will, the healthcare industry heal itself?
What role, and hope, does the start up Digital Health or mHealth firm have in making a real difference in healthcare?
Or is the role of the start up to ride the coattails of the government and larger corporate players?
As a Digital Health firm THIS is a fundamental business question you must wrestle with.
How well you tell your story will determine the disruption impact you will ultimately deliver. So far, there is plenty of room and opportunity for improvement.
Is your Digital Health marketing unique and “disruptive”?
In my time spent talking to hundreds of digital health firms, the BIGGEST mistake I see is firms talking too much about the technology without a story that connects on a human level.
Learn how telling your Digital Health story is the way to “disrupt” and make a difference.
Grab the Guide:
photo credit: Gage Skidmore via photopin cc
