Healthcare disruptors are companies that are shifting the healthcare industry by making big changes that significantly redefine the way care is delivered. That means integrating new technologies, streamlining processes, and simply refusing to do things the way they’ve always been done.
The biggest disruptors in healthcare include names like CVS and Aetna, Amazon, and Apple. CVS acquired Aetna last year for $69 billion, vowing to shift the consumer healthcare experience and ensure people rely less on hospitals and emergency health services.
- Break existing norms
Healthcare disruptors are not content with the way things have always been. They believe it’s possible to reframe people’s mindsets and go beyond the status quo. They’re constantly questioning, asking themselves, “Do things really need to be this way?”
The people at Amazon questioned whether their employees really had to deal with a healthcare system that wasn’t working for all employees (and for the company). CVS questioned the idea that so many Americans put off healthcare until it’s too late. And many small-scale disruptors are breaking existing norms (locally) by offering things like telehealth and easier intake processes.
- Shape our culture
There’s no doubt about it: Amazon has shaped our culture for good. Without Amazon, we probably wouldn’t be talking about healthcare consumerism at all. And recent partnerships and acquisitions (like virtual pharmacy PillPack in 2018) prove they have no plans of trying to change the way we think about healthcare.
Not every healthcare disruptor shapes our culture in such a drastic way. They simply rethink the way things have always been done in a big way. For many healthcare disruptors, the biggest change they can hope to see will come when healthcare is a lot less confusing, costly, and frustrating for everyone.
- Behave with authenticity
Healthcare disruptors may have big ideas about what needs to change, but innovation will always be a learning process. You cannot expect to add something new to the national healthcare conversation without a few hiccups. Transparency is key to showing patients, employees, consumers, etc. that you care about their health over all else.
Today’s consumers are searching for authenticity. One of the ways healthcare disruptors are shaking up the industry is with transparent pricing models and clear policies. New subscription models allow the consumer to know exactly what they are getting into before they invest their time into a new healthcare organization.
- Engage people and leverage networks
The biggest healthcare disruptors know they cannot change the industry without making a few connections along the way. They partner with major companies, healthcare technologies, startups, up-and-coming organizations, and even independent doctors and hospitals. They make sure the right people are involved and engaged every step of the way.
- Reinvent their business models
For the past several decades, most hospitals, practices, health systems, and health plans have run in a fairly consistent manner. And for the past several decades, the average person has had to deal with confusing processes, unexpected costs, and a limited number of services.
Healthcare disruptors know that there’s more than one way to run a business. Like Amazon, they believe that there is a way to make healthcare less confusing for everyone. Practices are learning from concierge medicine and direct primary care and trying out unconventional business models. Organizations are partnering with nutritionists, gyms, technology leaders, and more to create a new business of healthcare that takes into account a person’s total well-being.
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