Health Care 2016: The Year of Customer Connections
Four critical areas of focus for every health care marketer, and how to make it happen!
// By Lindsay R. Resnick //
Spurred by the convergence of the Affordable Care Act, an extraordinary medical technology revolution, and our new on-demand, sharing economy mindset, America’s health care ecosystem is now set up to revolve around the customer. Under the aura of health care consumerism, individuals have increased responsibility for personal financial and clinical decisions. At the same time, we’re seeing consolidation and cross-pollination across every sector of the industry: payers and providers, life sciences and technology, and even medicine and marketing. The next few years are likely to be the most turbulent period in the health care industry’s history.
In 2016, several “known unknowns” will shape health care’s landscape: Obamacare rule changes, national elections, debt ceiling, and federal interest rate moves, and most likely, more structural reorganization in the health care sector. Consider that three health insurance companies will cover 132 million people and government-based health care programs will cover 104 million Americans. Two retail pharmacies will likely have well over 95 percent market share. Large hospital systems will employ most of the nation’s physicians. And consumer companies such as Apple, Walmart, Google, and Amazon are morphing into health care companies. Caught in the middle of this massive realignment, and often lost in the shuffle, is the customer.
It’s abundantly clear that this environment of health care retailization and uberization is transforming every aspect of the customer relationship. As health care consumerism changes the role of the individual, responsibility lies inside the industry to provide the resources and support to help consumers make smart, value-based personal choices. If this happens, everyone wins because engaged, connected health care consumers will demand more value from their health care interactions, resulting in better care and better outcomes.
Customer Connections: Four Essential Themes for 2016
In 2016, there are four essential themes, or areas of focus, that will serve to influence product or service preference and determine brand strength with health care consumers. Think about each in terms of focusing your organization on where it is today and where it wants to be in 18-24 months, and then use the information to guide you on building an actionable roadmap to help you make customer connections happen.