Customer centricity has been a mantra of managed care organizations for well over a decade. If you listen closely, you can hear plaintive cries of our care providers, lamenting the labyrinthine, almost Kafka-esque system of prior authorization, reimbursement, meaningful use, and near-real-time obsolescence of medical technology. The crushing weight of reform, the perverted incentives created by volume-based reimbursement, and the soaring costs of doing business have created a situation, much like in public education, where our system is fueled primarily by the power of a dedicated and passionate community whose members are motivated by their desire to care for other human beings.
“How can we possibly think about self-service websites when we are holding back an imploding healthcare delivery system”. Maybe we need to ask a more basic question…..is the U.S. healthcare system viable in the long-term? That question might simply be too hard to answer. So instead, we try to convince ourselves that, like educating our citizens, delivering medical care should be treated as a business. Innovation and value are fueled by financial incentives and healthcare is no different.
But it is different. It is very different.
In some particularly competitive/ wealthy markets, Providers are offering differentiated services….delivery rooms with hotel-style amenities, upgraded menus, concierge services, etc., usually available for an extra charge. But these services are not adding to anyone’s bottom line…they are just attracting those few patients who have the luxury of choice. Where is the value here?
