Patient Experiences and Health Equity

The medical industry has a unique sales model, and the strategies used to address sales look surprisingly similar to those used elsewhere. Tracking metrics in patient experiences and health equity locally can show you where your clinic needs to improve and point you toward a sales strategy better suited to your needs. For instance, if your reviews consistently suggest excellent patient experiences with doctors and receptionists, but struggle with scheduling, then you can address any issues with scheduling software or personnel indicated by the reviews.

Pricing Mandates and Value-Based Care

Pricing medical care is tricky because when doctors and clinics charge based on how many services are provided, like businesses in other industries, it can be tempting to provide unnecessary care. It is common for patients and the community to believe medical professionals benefit from keeping people sick. To counter this, many physicians are moving to a value-based payment system. In this payment model, facilities are rewarded for the quality of care provided instead of the quantity of care, meaning that medical teams are more incentivized to reduce readmissions in hospitals, not rush to turn around patient rooms and work as a team to provide better overall care.

To provide transparency to patients and give them more opportunities to shop around for a better experience, the Hospital Price Transparency mandate was created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. While this mandate only applies to hospitals, patients of other medical facilities demand the same transparency. Few hospitals have met this mandate, and even fewer post the prices negotiated with insurance companies, making it harder for patients to see what kinds of bills to expect from medical care.

Cyber Security and Virtual Healthcare

Virtual healthcare was practically unheard of until very recently due as much to the limitations of technology as to the concerns and regulations surrounding patient privacy. As more and more practitioners decide to use the internet for visits, cyber security becomes a more critical part of healthcare. This can come with unique challenges, such as finding a video chat platform compliant with the types of privacy regulations healthcare facilities are held to and keeping patient data secure.

Provider Shortages and Geography

Medical practices and technology improve constantly, but the average health of citizens does not reflect that improvement because of how the best care is distributed. There are many reasons for the ongoing healthcare provider shortage, including the investment of time and money in education, growing distrust of the medical industry and the lack of interested students. This shortage grows more severe in rural parts of the country, with some people traveling hundreds of miles to the nearest hospital. Medical networks run by private companies and government agencies are looking to close those gaps by recruiting more talented people and finding better ways to fund rural clinics and hospitals.

The medical industry is unique because the better a clinic's technology and talent, the fewer repeat customers they are likely to have. This means that more facilities are turning to a value-based payment system instead of a service-based one, but it also means that fewer people are going into the field, and some rural clinics cannot keep their doors open. Administrators can use innovative technology and changing regulations to help overcome these challenges.

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